Chorinho is declared a cultural heritage of Brazil.
According to Iphan, the term "choro" originated from the mournful way in which foreign music was played at the end of the 19th century.
Brazil Agency – The choro music played by the ensemble of mandolin, flute, 7-string guitar, tambourine, cavaquinho and clarinet in rodas throughout the country, as of this Thursday (29) is a Cultural Heritage of Brazil, which means being recognized as part of the country's culture and history. The decision to register the genuinely Brazilian musical genre was taken this Thursday (29), unanimously, by the Advisory Council of Cultural Heritage, chaired by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan).
Initially, the request for recognition was submitted by the Clube do Choro de Brasília, the Instituto Casa do Choro do Rio de Janeiro, the Clube do Choro de Santos (SP), and through a petition. Following recognition, the genre will be registered in the... Book of Forms of Expression from the Institute, which brings together artistic expressions in general.
Currently, in addition to choro music, Brazil has 52 other intangible assets registered as Cultural Heritage by Iphan, including frevo, capoeira, and maracatu.
Pride
The president of the Clube do Choro de Brasília, musician Henrique Lima Santos Filho, known as Reco do Bandolim, comments on the significance of achieving the registration. “It means it’s something we’re proud of, that it represents the nation. It’s the first genuinely Brazilian expression, predating samba, and it embodies our deep soul. It brings together influences from Europe and Africa, each region a richness. All of this mixes and transforms into this rhythm,” he says.
The Minister of Culture (MinC), Margareth Menezes, commented on the decision to register the genre by Iphan, an agency under her ministry. “Choro music is reaching an important heritage status. It is a creation of the Brazilian people, loved by the Brazilian people. I think Brazil needs to increasingly embrace Choro. Choro is ours, it's a beautiful thing, and now, as heritage, it will be a very special moment for all of us.”
The president of Iphan, Leandro Grass, said that Iphan's policy, under this administration, is to have a more careful approach to the assets that represent the territories and communities of the country. He added that some expressions of Brazilian culture are being strategically positioned in this process of recovering popular culture and restoring the prestige of these assets. "Choro music already has the capacity to reach all of Brazil and also to spread, to reach schools."
Grass emphasizes that the heritage designation registered this Thursday is not only the recognition of Brazilian cultural assets, but also the federal government's commitment to preserving them and expanding public access to them.
“This is not just a status, it's not just prestige that the asset acquires. It has to do with a state commitment, with the government's commitment to adopting policies to promote that asset. So, to the extent that we recognize the choro as a protected asset, we adopt a strategy of preservation and promotion so that the population knows more about these assets, interacts more with them, and helps to preserve them.”
Choro is a musical genre considered to be the most Brazilian. According to the Cravo Clabin Dictionary According to Brazilian Popular Music, the rhythm originated in 1870 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, specifically in musical gatherings in the neighborhoods of Cidade Nova, Catete, Rocha, Andaraí, Tijuca, Estácio, and in the villages of the old city center.
According to Iphan, the term "choro" originated from the mournful way in which foreign music was played at the end of the 19th century, and its admirers called this cultural expression "music that makes you cry."
Choro music boasts the names of artists who contributed to its popularization and, subsequently, its preservation over the years. Among the most famous names behind the melodies are Pixinguinha, Waldir Azevedo, Jacob do Bandolim, and Altamiro Carrilho, as well as contemporaries Paulinho da Viola, the brothers Hamilton de Holanda and Fernando César, in addition to the aforementioned Reco do Bandolim, president of the Clube do Choro de Brasília, founded in 1977, and who inaugurated, in 1997 in Brasília, the Escola Brasileira de Choro Raphael Rabello, the first of its kind in the entire country.
The timeless compositions of choro songs, with a Brazilian soul, include Carinhoso, by Pixinguinha and João de Barro, and Brasileirinho, by Waldir Azevedo, Um a Zero and Corta Jaca.