I grew up in the mid-90′s on a healthy dose of hip-hop and rap, mostly listening to the likes of Tupac and Notorious Big. Between them and their respective territories, there was always talk of a duel of sorts and in their lyrics, they would often diss the hip-hop scene on the opposing coast. Hearing the word duel reminds me less of two people musically conversing with each other and more of the kind of duel one might see in an old Western film. In fact, both rappers I mentioned happened to have lost their lives to gun violence.

Here in Brazil, hip-hop culture was adopted fairly quickly but the lyrical duel is something that already existed in a Brazilian folkloric tradition called Repente (pronounced heh-pen-chee). The style itself is a throwback to the composer-performers, known as troubadours, of the Middle Ages who sang songs ranging from courtly love to sassy satire. The modern day version made popular in Brazil naturally selected the satirical side and is more concentrated on performing than composing. The gist of every jest, and the main differentiator between the repentista and the troubadour of centuries past, is that all songs rely heavily on the spur-of-the-moment. It is from such improvisation that the repente takes its name, since “de repente” translates into English as “suddenly”.

More popular in the Northeast than other regions, the repentista comes in twos (a duo) and can be found mainly on popular beaches or city plazas where they hawk their lyrical wares to unsuspecting passersby. Often accompanied by old guitars and new rhymes, they play catchy, simple tunes and sing about varied themes. While one plays the guitar or the tamborine, the other improvises, until they switch roles at the end of every verse.

If the repentista is particularly skilled in rhyme and song, crowds even form around them. I once witnesses a similar scene in São Paulo’s largest city park one Sunday morning where two repentistas began to poke light-hearted fun of people walking by. This made others stop and listen and risk becoming the subject of the next verse. In the end, the two men dressed like cowboys held out their hats for tips and sold their CDs to the onlookers. Despite the fact that oral literature is centuries old, I felt like I had never heard anything of the sort in my life.

Looking back, it’s not too far-fetched to connect the tradition of ad-libbing to the beginnings of hip-hop in the US. While hip-hop has become a force to reckon with, with its own cultural norms and behaviors, the repente seems pleasantly “stuck in the past”. Similar to the night-time mimes that follow tourists down the cobblestone streets of Cartagena, Colombia, imitating their movements, the repentistas are entertainers in the best sense, almost invariably emptying pockets of spare money and filling the air with sudden laughter.

For a cool post on repente, see The Good Blood.
Otherwise, check out the video below, which I believe I’ve posted in the past, to get an idea of what repente is about.

(Mourning Dove, Wikipedia)

In the US, one sound that always got to me was that of the Mourning Dove. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) puts the threat level of this member of the dove family as LC, or least concern, meaning it’s everywhere and rightly so, since it is known for its prolific breeding habits. So no matter where I moved around the US, their owl-like sound followed me, haunted me, even. After several years, I finally learned to drown it out…for the most part. That skill eventually helped me cope with the sounds of urban Brazil.

Anyone who has visited Brazil has an idea of the noises that accompany one throughout their day. In the parks, there are monkeys, birds and other interesting sounds. In the streets, there are endless people, cars and construction. Go anywhere at any time and you will not find silence…unless you are asleep. If you are okay with that, or if you think you can succeed in finding the right sounds for the level of peace (or noise) you need, then Brazil is a good option for you.

I’d like to list some of the sounds I hear during my days and nights.

The Burping Dog – For weeks, I thought this was a neighbor with stomach problems and I was getting ready to throw some antacids at him. Around twice a day, a neighbor’s dog “barks” for about an hour. When I say “barks”, I mean burps. Perhaps it’s not technically a burp but it sure sounds like one. Strangely, after learning it wasn’t a human, it stopped bothering me.

The Mourning Dove’s Cousin (twice removed) – One month in, I began hearing an ambulance siren-like song from outside the window. It was obviously that of a bird but everytime I looked, I couldn’t spot the bird. The best I can explain it is that a mourning dove mated with a parrot who lived near a hospital.

The Gas Man – What seems like a few times per day, the person who delivers fuel for the stove/oven drives by and plays his company’s jingle, “A Minasgás chegou” (“Minasgás arrived”) via loudspeakers. This is followed by him lowering the volume and yelling a signature, “hey!”, at which time the process repeats.

The Keyless Kid – The teenage son of someone who lives in my apartment complex either always forgets his key or just doesn’t have one. Anytime he wants to enter the second security gate, he yells “mãe!” (often followed by the very Brazilian, “mãe-eh” when one is annoyed at their mother) until she opens the gate. Most of the time, she doesn’t, so I’ve been clicking the gate button for him.

Barks & Crows – Every single night, there’s a chorus of dogs barking and roosters crowing in the distance. I like to imagine that the dogs are chasing the roosters.

Fans Unite – Anytime there is a soccer match on TV with either one or two popular teams, each foul play or great goal is shouted from the window of each fan’s apartment. Most of the time it is just the name of the team that is shouted, but once in a while it’s to curse the mothers of the fans of the other team.

I’m perfectly sure that what might be deemed good or bad sounds are commonplace in any country and change depending on who is hearing them or where they are hearing them. Positively-speaking, sounds just mean that life is happening and that everything is, in all actuality, relative.

What about you? What sounds do you remember from your time in Brazil?