Lovely Western music

A roundup of great masterpieces and popular songs of Brazilian music

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.

If your knowledge of Brazilian music is limited to stylish, relaxing bossa nova you hear at cafés or the samba played during Carnival, this article is a must-read! Brazil is a vast, multiethnic country with a wide range of musical styles—so many, in fact, that when you include subgenres, the variety is astonishing.

In this piece, we’ve researched and compiled a selection focused on classic Brazilian standards and historically significant masterpieces.

Give these tracks a listen, and your image of Brazilian music might just change!

Great masterpieces and popular songs of Brazilian music (71–80)

Maria MariaMilton Nascimento

Milton Nascimento – Maria Maria

Maria MariaMilton Nascimento

This song, which seems to sing of the archetypal strong yet supple Brazilian woman, is one of Milton Nascimento’s signature pieces, notable for his wide vocal range and rich, weighty voice.

It’s a track that fills you with energy just by listening, as if strength wells up inside you.

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Raça NegraOlodum

Olodum – Raça Negra

Raça NegraOlodum

One reason Salvador has such a distinct culture within Brazil is precisely because many of its people are descendants of those with roots in Africa.

Taking pride in these roots, Olodum’s performances—sung with powerful vigor—have a blood-stirring intensity.

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Bat MacumbaOs Mutantes

Os Mutantes – Bat Macumba (1969)

Bat MacumbaOs Mutantes

A classic of funky Brazilian psychedelia and a quintessential work of the Tropicália movement of its time.

A song that brilliantly fuses psychedelic rock with traditional Brazilian music.

It appears on their debut album released in 1968.

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Bugio NovoOs Serranos

Bugio Novo

Bugio NovoOs Serranos

Os Serranos represent the music of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, whose people are known as Gaúchos.

The region has many European immigrants, and the recently popular gaucho pants originate from the wide trousers favored by these cattle herders.

Their music is characterized by a cheerful accordion.

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Pra Que Discutir com MadameTeresa Cristina e Grupo Semente

Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente – Pra Que Discutir com Madame

Pra Que Discutir com MadameTeresa Cristina e Grupo Semente

This is a song performed by the group Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente.

The fact that João Gilberto and other samba and bossa nova artists have covered it proves that it is one of the quintessential masterpieces representing samba.

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