Se falta de tempo
Não dá pra jogar
Só por um momento
Não vai vadiar, Viola
Le le ô
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le ô
Toca um berimbau
Cadê minha Viola
Chora chora Angola
Le le ô
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le ô
Pandeiro e atabaque
Estão chegando
Venha pra cá
Angola
Le le ô
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le ô
Reco reco e agogô
Estão marcando
Venha pra cá
Viola
Le le ô
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le ô
If you lack time
Can’t play
Just for a moment
Don’t be lazy, Viola
Le le oh
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le oh
Play a berimbau
Where’s my Viola
Cry, cry, Angola
Le le oh
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le oh
Tambourine and atabaque
Are coming
Come here
Angola
Le le oh
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le oh
Reco reco and agogô
They are marking
Come here
Viola
Le le oh
Viola le le (Le le le le le le)
Viola le le oh
Did you know?
Agogô
- The agogô is an ancient West African percussion instrument consisting of two or more hollow iron cones or gourds connected by a flexible U-shaped handle.
- It plays a crucial supporting role within the capoeira orchestra, helping to build the layered percussion that sets the rhythmic foundation for the game.
- Capoeiristas hold the handle in one hand and strike the bells alternately with a wooden or metal stick to produce distinct high and low metallic tones.
- Its sharp, piercing pitch cuts clearly through the heavy percussion, adding complex syncopated patterns that drive the energy and pace of the roda.
- Enslaved Africans brought the instrument to Brazil, where it was historically used in sacred religious rituals before being integrated into various styles of capoeira music.
- In Yoruba tradition, the word translates directly to "bell," and its iron composition pays ancestral homage to Ogum, the revered deity of iron and metalwork.
Angola
- Angola is the West-Central African nation that serves as the primary ancestral and cultural birthplace of the rhythms, movements, and spiritual roots of capoeira.
- During the transatlantic slave trade, millions of people were forcibly taken from this region to Brazil, bringing with them rich martial traditions like the combat dance N'golo.
- The country's deep historical connection is permanently embedded in the art through Capoeira Angola, the traditional style dedicated to preserving these original roots.
- The name is universally celebrated in the roda through countless traditional songs that invoke Angola as a sacred land of ancestors, memory, and profound longing.
- The primary instrument of the art, the berimbau, is directly tied to Angolan musical heritage, evolving from traditional bow instruments like the mbulumbumba.
- Today, capoeiristas view the nation as a ultimate cultural touchstone, representing the unbreakable bond between African resistance and Brazilian identity.
Atabaque
- The atabaque is a large, hand-carved wooden drum of African origin that provides the deep, foundational heartbeat and grounding bass line for the capoeira orchestra.
- In the musical layout of the roda, it holds a critical position by anchoring the pulse of the room and maintaining the strict tempo dictated by the leading gunga berimbau.
- The drum is constructed in a conical shape from wooden staves bound together with iron hoops, topped with a stretched animal hide head that is tuned using wooden wedges and ropes.
- Capoeiristas play it using open-hand palm strikes and finger slaps on the drumhead, creating low bass tones and high, sharp rims that drive the forward momentum of the music.
- In the traditional setup of Capoeira Angola, a single atabaque is placed at the far end of the instrument row, locking the rhythm tightly with the pandeiros.
- Beyond its musical purpose, it holds a sacred, spiritual role rooted in Afro-Brazilian traditions, functioning as a powerful engine that elevates the physical energy of the capoeiristas.
Berimbau
- The berimbau is a single-string musical bow of African origin that functions as the absolute leader and commander of the roda.
- The instrument dictates the exact speed, stylistic tone, and combat intensity of the capoeiristas through specific rhythms known as toques.
- A traditional berimbau is constructed from a wooden staff, a steel wire, a hollowed gourd resonator, a small stone or coin, a bamboo shaker, and a wooden thin stick.
- In a traditional orchestra, three distinct pitches are used: the deep-toned gunga to lead the group, the medium médio to hold the rhythm, and the high-pitched viola to improvise.
- Enslaved Africans historically used the live music of the bow to camouflage their outlawed martial art, making the training look like an innocent dance to colonial authorities.
- Today, the instrument holds a sacred status within the art, and capoeiristas show immense reverence toward it, celebrating its spiritual voice in countless traditional songs.
Pandeiro
- The pandeiro is a traditional hand-frame drum and tambourine of African and European origin that provides the essential heartbeat and syncopated drive within the capoeira orchestra.
- In the musical hierarchy of the roda, it plays a critical supporting role by filling the sonic space beneath the leading voice of the berimbau.
- The instrument features a stretched animal hide head over a round wooden frame embedded with crisp metal jingles called platinelas that cut sharply through the singing.
- Capoeiristas utilize a precise technique of alternating thumb strikes, heel-and-toe hand pivots, and sharp finger slaps to generate a driving, syncopated rhythm.
- In Capoeira Angola, two pandeiros are traditionally positioned to flank the three berimbaus, locking the baseline rhythm alongside the deep beat of the atabaque.
- Today, mastering the pandeiro is a foundational requirement for all capoeiristas, ensuring they can actively maintain the high energy, timing, and momentum of the roda.
Viola
- The viola—or violinha—is the highest-pitched berimbau in the orchestra, distinct for having the smallest gourd resonator and the most rigid wooden staff.
- Because its thicker wood requires immense physical strength to flex and string tightly, it produces a very sharp, bright, and piercing acoustic sound.
- In the musical hierarchy of the roda, it serves as the ultimate soloist, breaking away from the steady baseline rhythm maintained by the deeper instruments.
- Its primary role is to improvise, add rhythmic fills, and inject intricate variations that add texture and high energy to the atmosphere.
- It cuts through the heavy collective sound of the percussion easily, creating tiny acoustic spaces for expressive, advanced musical details.
- For capoeiristas, mastering the viola represents a high level of musical maturity, acting like a lead guitar that drives the spirit and flavor of the game.
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