''Chamarrita'' can refer to two different types of music and dance, one from the

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and one from the

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littoral region in northern

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, and southern

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Azorean ''Chamarrita''

The ''chamarrita'' from the Azores is a dance to a rhythm traditionally played on the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

with or without accompaniment. Though its origin is based in the Azores and

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

, the Chamarrita is also prevalent in Brazil thanks to Azorean settlers who came to Brazil in the eighteenth century. However, it is often recognized as '' Chimarrita'' by Brazilians in Rio Grande de Sul. The vowel change is suspected to be an unintentional error by natives. The dance is also popular in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and

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where it has gained new reformations influenced by the

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

. Instruments often include the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

. Dancers, usually in pairs, wear authentic

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...

clothes reflecting Azorean culture. The dance itself is a lively dance done in a circle. There is a caller who sings out directions to all the dancers. The pairs of dancers gather in opposite rows, approaching and moving away as the music progresses. The following is an example of a Chamaritta verse with the English translation. A moda da Chamarrita Nã tem nada que aprender, E andar comum pé no ar E outro no chão a bater Quero cantar e bailar Com a moça mais bonita Bater o pé no terreiro Dar voltas a Chamarrita ''The old Chamarrita dance'' ''Is really easy to learn'' ''Just lift a foot in the air'' ''And stamp the other on the floor'' ''I want to sing and dance'' ''With the prettiest gal'' ''Stamp my foot on the ground'' ''In a Chamarrita round''

Chamarrita in the Guinness World Records

In 2015, the Câmara Municipal da Madalena, a government office on the Azorean island of

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, organized the largest Portuguese

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dance in hopes to promote their hometown and their traditions. 544 people participated in the paired dance forming a gigantic circle located in the city's stadium. A member of the City Hall of Madalena said, “It’s with great pride that we celebrate the achievement of this record. Proud to know that in this way our traditions are respected, renewed and projected into the future.”

Chamarrita in California

The chamarrita was brought to California by Azorean immigrants. Musicologist Sidney Robertson Cowell collected two chamarritas in 1939 for the WPA Folk Music Project, one in

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played on two '' violas de arame'', and the other in

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played on " English guitar." In 1947, Portuguese American musician Anthony Sears recorded his tune "A Chamarrita Nova" in Oakland with the help of two Italian Americans; it was arranged by mandolinist Rudy Cipolla of

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and conducted by violinist Vincent di Bianca of Berkeley. Old Time musician Kenny Hall, who grew up in the

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and moved to

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later in life, played two chamarritas as part of his repertoire, though he called them "chamaritzas." Chamarritas are such a large part of Portuguese American ''festas'' in both Pescadero and Sausalito that the festivals are often called "chamarritas" by non-Portuguese. The chamarrita is also danced at other California festas including those in Manteca and at the San Joaquin Portuguese Festival in Turlock.

Littoral ''Chamarrita''

The ''chamarrita'' from the Rio de la Plata region has been suggested to descend from the Azorean ''chamarrita'', but there is no conclusive evidence of this.

References

{{Lusophone countries music, state=collapsed Argentine styles of music Culture of the Azores Brazilian styles of music Portuguese styles of music Uruguayan styles of music

Azorean ''Chamarrita''

Chamarrita in the Guinness World Records

Chamarrita in California

Littoral ''Chamarrita''

See also

References