Samba Is the Sound of Brazilian Carnival
Samba is a Brazilian dance and music style in duple time. Its roots lie in the African communities of Bahia and Rio.
Samba is a Brazilian dance and music style in fast duple time, driven by layered percussion. Its origins are African: the word probably comes from Kimbundu *semba*, a movement of the dance in which partners touch navels, and the form grew in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Bahia before spreading to Rio de Janeiro in the early twentieth century. The *escola de samba*, samba school, is a neighbourhood organisation that spends the whole year preparing a single carnival parade.
- A Brazilian dance. *Dance the samba.*
- A music style. *Samba music.*
- Samba school — a carnival organisation. *Escola de samba.*
- Kimbundu — *semba*. *The probable source.*
- Bateria — the percussion section. *The bateria.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | samba | Samba. |
| Plural | sambas | Sambas. |
| Verb | samba | They sambaed. |
| Portuguese | samba | Samba. |
| Kimbundu | semba | A dance move. |
- The samba school paraded at dawn.Carnival.
- The rhythm is fast and layered.Music.
- Semba is likely the source.Etymology.
Brazilian musical forms
- Samba — fast, percussive, tied to carnival
- Bossa nova — a cooler, quieter offshoot of samba from the 1950s
- Choro — an older instrumental style, fast and intricate
- Forró — from the northeast, accordion-led
- Maracatu — a processional style from Pernambuco
Brazilian Portuguese *samba*, probably from Kimbundu *semba*, a navel-touching movement in a circle dance.
Where does samba come from?
From Afro-Brazilian communities, first in Bahia and then Rio de Janeiro. The name probably comes from the Angolan language Kimbundu.
What is a samba school?
A neighbourhood organisation, often with thousands of members, that spends the year preparing a single carnival parade.