Seresta is a traditional Brazilian music style from the first half of the 20th century. The musician who plays seresta is called a ''seresteiro''.
In the 1960s, the Museum of Seresta and Serenata () opened in
Valença, Rio de Janeiro
Valença () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was estimated at 76,869 in 2020 and its area is . The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Valença.
Valença has five districts: ''Con ...
. The municipality also hosts events like the "Seresteiros Festival".
Description
Seresta music can be purely instrumental or accompanied by singing.
Seresta is characterized by the amorous and nostalgic atmosphere of a Brazilian
serenade
In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...
with tempo variations. It is common for the genre to alternate between a sequential, expressive, and sentimental melody and a lively
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 ...
with metrical ambiguity.
Seresta is played with instruments like
bandolin
The bandolin is a 15-stringed musical instrument in Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on ...
, acoustic guitar, accordion, flute, and
cavaquinho
The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings.
A cavaquinho player is called a ''cavaquista''.
Tuning
A common tuning in Portugal is C G& ...
and has a romantic thematic.
Famous seresteiros
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Guilherme de Brito
Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst (January 3, 1922 – April 28, 2006), known as Guilherme de Brito, was a Brazilian '' sambista'', singer, songwriter, and painter.
Biography
Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst was born in Vila Isabel, a traditional neighb ...
*
Vicente Celestino
Antônio Vicente Filipe Celestino (12 September 1894 – 23 August 1968) was a Brazilian singer, composer and actor of Italian descent.
Life and career
Celestino was born in Rio de Janeiro, in the district of Santa Teresa, on 12 September 189 ...
*
Carlos José
*
Júlio Medaglia
See also
*
Arrocha
''Arrocha'' is a music/dance style that originated in the interior of Bahia, one of Brazil's states, most notably in the city of Candeias.
As with the '' seresta'' and the ''brega'', the styles from which it was generated, ''arrocha'' is a popul ...
*
Baião
*
Chôro
*
Frevo
Frevo is a dance and musical style originating from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, traditionally associated with Brazilian Carnival. The word ''frevo'' is said to come from ''frever'', a variant of the Portuguese word ''ferver'' (to boil). It is ...
*
Sertanejo
References
20th-century music genres
Brazilian styles of music
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