Choral arrangement, choral singing, amateur choir, Brazilian regional music, quot;sertão caipiraquot;.

by Soboll, Renate Stephanes

This article proposes a reflection about the repertoire sung by amateur choirs, focusing on the process of elaboration of vocal arrangements based upon Brazilian regional music, especially country-hick songs (música caipira). The songs discussed here ? and their arrangements ? unfold a very particular thematic world, that of the music from one ofBrazil?s various country-side cultural/geographic areas: the sertão caipira (hick country side). This repertoire becomes both artistic and educational, since through the investigation,edition and performance of the arrangements it is possible, at once, to make music and preserve the social and cultural traditions of a place or community. Through the applicationof the compositional techniques discussed here, conductors and their amateur vocal groups will be able to enjoy an attractive repertoire, easy to prepare and quite appreciated by the public, despite its apparent simplicity when still on the page.