On Thursday, Oct. 21 st at 7:30 p.m., Elizabethtown College’s Department of Music and Peacebuilding hosted a virtual concert showcasing American Samba band Os Clavelitos.
Samba is a form of music that was created by Afro-Brazilians in Brazil and drew heavy inspiration from cultural expression of both West African and Brazilian folk music traditions. Samba is wildly popular in Brazil today, so much so that it is considered one of the symbols of the country. Samba is also a dance style, and both are often done in a 2/4-time scale.
The concert was an exhilarating hour-long mix of songs in a variety of styles and languages, including popular Brazilian Samba songs and some Os Clavelitos originals. The band also showcased some of the Brazilian instruments they use along with how they are played, such as the pandeiro, tambourine, Agogô, repique and cuíca. The cuíca is especially interesting. It is a friction drum with a stick attached to the inside of the drumhead, and this stick gives the drum a large range and therefore great versatility. Their use of percussion is impressive and very dynamic, helping keep the tone lively and upbeat throughout the virtual concert.
Dr. Kevin Shorner-Johnson of Elizabethtown College has been responsible for putting together these concerts throughout the years, and while this semester has certainly been different than previous ones, he is making the best of the situation. Having ten years of experience as the Music and Peacebuilding department’s director, this pandemic proved to be unable to stop his work and in some ways made it easier.
Shorner-Johnson considered this concert to “kind of be a win-win, a win for the College in exposing yourselves to diverse cultures and then it also helps musicians during a time when so many musicians have had their entire livelihood and income pulled out from underneath them.”
This concert is one of the few bright lights in a time of relatively dull darkness, being both cheaper and easier to run for the College while still being a wonderful exposure to Brazilian culture. It was also a great opportunity for Os Clavelitos to perform during a time when few music events of any kind are happening.
Other planned cultural offerings for this year include a performance from Worley Gig and potentially an artist who is steeped in Azerbaijani music traditions. Both are expected to be performing this spring. The goal behind this, in Shorner-Johnson’s eyes, is that it “promotes a balance to education: on one side, it’s really important to go to lectures and learn about diverse peoples and the other side, it’s good to just experience the cultural practices and artifacts of another culture.” These venues help Elizabethtown College students experience the diverse cultures they are learning about firsthand through these musical and cultural experiences.
