from Brazil's Northeast, highlighting the less regarded feminine
influences of the outback's popular culture.
Born in Sao Paulo, the composer and musician has gathered a vast array
of rhythmical, poetical structures, canons and voice dialogues from
the grassroot music of the Northeast. Her songs are inspired by
the Maracatu Rural, the Coco and the Cavalo Marinho, amongst others,
and reveal the richness of these traditions, exposing an authentic
repertoire made up of her own compositions, young and old composers
as well as songs that are now in the public domain.
Listening to Renata Rosa is a groundbreaking trip into the timeless
world of the Caboclos, the Native Indians and the Africans of Brazil.
Renata Rosa's performance intertwines the best of the Northeast music
with its dances. The power within the chant is a physical consequence
of the dance, and in some songs the stage ground actually becomes
a percussion instrument, as it is stomped by the artists. Renata plays
the "rabeca" (the traditional brazilian fiddle), alongside her
musicians, Seu Luis Paixao, a native master of this traditional fiddle,
a "viola" (a rare kind of acoustic guitar), 2 percussionists and
a bass guitar.
Renata has just released an outstanding debut album "Zunido da Mata",
produced by Mestre Ambrosio's musicians. After touring and teaching
her art in Italy, USA and Canada, Renata Rosa and band is now ready
to hit international roads, opening new horizons for Brazilian music.
Ms Rosa will teach the Samba de Coco, which is a variation of the Coco.
The origin of Coco lays on the meeting between the native Brazilian
culture and the central African culture, which came with the slaves to
the Northeast of Brazil and involves the circular dance that sights
the ground. The dance has a variety of steps, which the function is
the percussion and are connect to the poetry. Traditionally, the dance
is connected to the construction of houses made by clay and straw. The
owner of the house calls the people of the community to do the Coco
inside the house on the clay floor. While everyone is dancing, singing
and making percussion sounds with their feet, the clay is flattened to
ground level. Renata's workshop will work with the circular dance and
the relationship between the dance, the feet percussion and the poetic
aspects of the music.
Renata Rosa, musician, singer, poet and researcher, was born in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1973. She is part of the "Maracatu de Baque
Solto Estrela de Ouro de Aliança", as Dama do Cacho, one of the
responsibles for the evolution of the maracatu - a traditional carnival
parade from the State of Pernambuco (NE), in which dance, improvised
poetry and music are included. "Maracatu" aggregates elements from
black, indigenous and iberic culture. She also conducts the Boi
da Gurita Seca group, in which she improvises poetry following
the musical and poetic tradition of the "maracatu rural".
She develops research on cultural manifestations of the people from
northeast. Some of her studies are focused on "coco", work chants
and traditional catholic chants such as "Benditos" - which are
performed during the traditional catholic parades - and "excelencia
chants" - chants to prepare the deads' soul to the encounter with
God, usually performed during death-watches.
Renata Rosa has been providing workshops in many Festivals and
Centers: Cleveland Museum of Art (Ohio) , Cathedral St John
the Divine (NY), Festival de Inverno de Garanhuns, (PE), Teatro
Arraial (Recife) , Studio Casa de Pedra (Rio de Janeiro),etc.
Assentei praça
Renata Rosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eu assentei praça nas margens do rio
Sou caboclo da cavalaria
Sou caboclo da cavalaria
Era cabo, hoje sou tenente,
Eu era cabo, hoje sou tenente
A minha cabloca eu pego de frente
The first two lines of the verse can be translated as "I settled in a square on the banks of the river. I settled in a square on the banks of the river." The phrase "assentei praça" is a military term that means to join the army. The use of this term in the song may symbolize the idea that the singer has committed to a particular lifestyle or path. In this case, the singer associates themselves with the "caboclo" cavalry, which refers to a type of Brazilian mixed-race cavalry that was formed during colonial times. The choice to call oneself a "caboclo" may reflect a sense of pride and connection to one's mixed heritage.
The second half of the verse discusses the singer's career progression from a "cabo" (corporal) to a "tenente" (lieutenant). This may be seen as an indication of the singer's upward mobility within the military, but it also implies a sense of rigidity within the military hierarchy. The line "A minha cabloca eu pego de frente" can be translated as "I approach my woman head-on." The use of the word "cabloca" is a colloquial way of referring to a woman of mixed-race heritage, and may be seen as a continuation of the theme of pride in one's mixed heritage that was introduced earlier in the verse. The phrase "pegar de frente" can also be interpreted as a reference to the singer's willingness to confront challenges head-on, whether they be related to relationships, the military, or life in general.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu assentei praça nas margens do rio
I settled on the banks of the river.
Sou caboclo da cavalaria
I am a cavalry caboclo.
Eu era cabo, hoje sou tenente
I was a corporal, now I am a lieutenant.
A minha cabloca eu pego de frente
I face my cabloca head-on.
Contributed by Isaac D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.