Our example is Jacob do Bandolim’s arrangement of Ernesto Nazareth’s famous Brazilian tango “Brejeiro” (1893). The piece was originally written for the piano (see Musical Example 6.6 above) but is played here by a choro ensemble, with the mandolin as soloist. Scroll down to track #8.
Form: Like most European dances of the time, the piece is divided into short sections (A and B in this case) that repeat and alternate as many times as the performers choose. The overall formal scheme in this example is AABBABAA. After the first presentation of A and B, Jacob do Bandolim extends the sections by showing his technical skills in elaborate improvisations. The syncopated melody in the mandolin moves freely and rapidly from high to low notes and contrasts with the slow countermelody in the bass line played by guitars and cavaquinho.
Instrumentation: mandolin, guitar, pandeiro, and shakers. The percussion help emphasize the 16th-note subdivision of each beat, with emphasis on the off and upbeats.
Time signature: 2/4; note the chords of the top line accenting the offbeats and the syncopations, and the use of the rhythmic figures shown in examples 6a, 6c, and 6d above, in both top melody and bass.