Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music) in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.
Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate Northeastern traditional music, like baiao, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.
Pirata José
Alceu Valença Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No carnaval de Olinda
Em busca de seu grande amor
Uma princesa tão linda
Será que ele vem de Holanda?
Quem sabe de São Salvador?
Lisboa, de Angola, Loanda,
Que brinca no bloco das flores
Nas virgens no alto da Sé
Seu nome é Maria das Dores
E ele é o pirata chamado José.
The song Pirata José by Alceu Valença tells the story of a sailor who arrives at the Carnival of Olinda in search of his beloved princess, Maria das Dores. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a love that may have been lost, as the sailor wonders if his princess is still in Olinda, or if she has fled to other places like Holland, Salvador or Angola. The imagery of the carnival and the virgins on top of the Sé cathedral amplifies the imagination of the listener, enhancing the romantic atmosphere of the song.
The mention of the sailor being a pirate adds to the intrigue and drama of the story, providing a potential backstory as to why the couple is separated. The name Maria das Dores, translated as Mary of Sorrows, further adds to the emotional depth of the lyrics. The song creates a sense of wistfulness, as the sailor wonders if he will ever be reunited with his love.
Line by Line Meaning
Um marinheiro chegou
A sailor arrived
No carnaval de Olinda
During the carnival in Olinda
Em busca de seu grande amor
In search of his great love
Uma princesa tão linda
A princess so beautiful
Será que ele vem de Holanda?
Could he come from Holland?
Quem sabe de São Salvador?
Who knows from Salvador?
Lisboa, de Angola, Loanda,
Lisbon, Angola, Loanda,
Em busca de seu grande amor?
In search of his great love?
Que brinca no bloco das flores
Who plays in the flower parade
Nas virgens no alto da Sé
With the virgins on the top of the cathedral
Seu nome é Maria das Dores
Her name is Maria das Dores
E ele é o pirata chamado José.
And he is the pirate called José.
Contributed by Aria I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.