Forró e a construção de uma identidade sertaneja nordestina: por Luiz Gonzaga, Humberto Teixeira e Zé Dantas (1947 a 1966).

Abstract

This work analyzes the creation process of an artistic and cultural movement called Forró, conceived by composers and lyricists Zé Dantas and Humberto Teixeira, and by performer, composer and lyricist Luiz Gonzaga. It also includes significant contributions from co-founders Jackson do Pandeiro and Pedro Sertanejo. The research investigated how Forró was able to express, promote and consolidate a Brazilian northeastern country identity. To this end, the methodology of documentary history was used, analyzing personal collections, institutional documents, phonographic sources, magazines and newspapers, delimiting the period from 1947 to 1966 as a chronological framework. This is the time when the first phonographic record began, through the labels of 78 rpm records, of a musical subgenre that would later be considered part of the Forró genre. It ended in the stage in which record companies began to stop identifying, on the labels and covers of Long Plays, the musical subgenres linked to Forró. As part of the analysis, this study was based on the discourses recorded in three emblematic songs composed by the movement's protagonists. The results of this research indicated that Forró emerged as a response to the demands of a growing community of migrants from the Northeast. These migrants, attracted by the process of urbanization and industrialization, settled in metropolises such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. These migrants played fundamental roles in building the social and economic structures of cities, but faced social and cultural invisibility. In this context, Forró became a space of resistance and valorization, challenging pre-established norms and proposing new perspectives on social, historical and cultural issues, promoting significant changes in society at the time. Through Forró, these migrants negotiated space and visibility, inserting their traditions and knowledge into the urban universe. As a result of this research, a blog called “Forró”, accessible through the electronic address: https://salatielcamarao.blogspot.com/, was created to promote this artistic and cultural movement. The target audience includes members of the forró community, researchers, and students in the areas of history, art (music and dance), sociology, and cultural studies, with the aim of fostering knowledge and appreciation of this Brazilian cultural heritage.