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.
Mucunã
Renata Rosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
iluminando e chamando para cantar
Eu vi o sol subindo atrás da serra
iluminando e chamando para cantar
Subi a serra atendendo ao seu chamado
no meio da mata vi tudo começar
Subi a serra atendendo ao seu chamado
Vendo o mundo iluminando lá do alto,
Ele disse tudo vai melhorar
Vendo o mundo iluminando lá do alto,
Ele disse tudo vai melhorar
Olhando a mata, sorrindo naquela serra
com essa luz nada fica como está
Olhando a mata, sorrindo naquela serra
com essa luz nada fica como está
The lyrics of Renata Rosa's song "Mucunã" depict the experience of witnessing the sunrise behind a hill and being called to sing. The singer of the song then follows the call and climbs the hill where they witness the beginning of everything in the forest. From atop the hill, the singer sees the world illuminated, and the sun says that everything will get better. Finally, the singer smiles at the forest and hill that are now lit up, fully aware that nothing will remain the same.
The lyrics of this song exude a deep sense of connection to nature and the belief that the natural world harbors profound healing power. The rising sun is portrayed as a beckoning force of positivity, urging the singer to climb the hill while promising a better future. The forest and hill represent the entirety of nature, and it is through them that significant change is possible when viewed under the light of hope.
This song leaves a lasting impression of the beauty of nature and its immense power to inspire and uplift. The connection between the singer, the hill, and the forest is beautifully conveyed through the lyrics, proving the power of nature's calming force and its timeless and universal ability to always bring hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu vi o sol subindo atrás da serra
I saw the sun rising behind the mountain
iluminando e chamando para cantar
illuminating and calling to sing
Subi a serra atendendo ao seu chamado
I climbed the mountain following its call
no meio da mata vi tudo começar
in the middle of the forest I saw everything begin
Vendo o mundo iluminando lá do alto,
Seeing the world lighting up from above,
Ele disse tudo vai melhorar
He said everything will get better
Olhando a mata, sorrindo naquela serra
Looking at the forest, smiling on that mountain
com essa luz nada fica como está
with this light, nothing stays the same
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.