Published : 10/4/2023

Emília Biancardi Ferreira

- Categories : Capoeira News

Emília Biancardi, ethnomusicologist, teacher and researcher of Brazilian folk music, is a specialist in the traditional manifestations of Bahia.

Automatic translation from Portuguese, thank you for understanding.

Born in Salvador, Bahia, she lived her childhood and part of her adolescence in Vitória da Conquista, in the interior of the state, which gave her her first contact with the popular demonstrations that, since then, have fascinated her.

In 1962 she created the group "VIVA BAHIA", the first and most important parafolk group in Brazil at the time. Taking to stages around the world the materialization of tireless research into the Afro-Bahian musical repertoire.

Perfectionist to the extreme, professor Emília Biancardi has always sought to express in her shows the most genuine aspects of Bahian culture. To train her students, she brought together the best representatives of the cultural manifestations of Salvador and Recôncavo Baiano. Among the teachers were Mestre Pastinha and João Grande (capoeira), Mestre Popó do Maculelê (it was with the group "VIVA BAHIA" that Maculelê was presented for the first time to the general public and promoted abroad), Neuza Saad (dance), D. Coleta de Omolu (Candomblé dance), Sr. Negão de Doni (Candomblé touches) and Mestre Canapun (hammock pull). Many other capoeira masters passed through the group, such as Bom Cabrito, Alabama, Cabeludo, Saci, Antonio Diabo, Manuel Pé de Bode, Coice de Mula, Amém, Jelon, Loremil, Nô, Camisa Roxa and Boca Rica, among others. Internationally acclaimed, it served as inspiration and encouragement for the formation of other prestigious groups in Brazil and abroad, including the Balé Folclórica da Bahia, whose creator, Walsson Botelho, was a member of the group and a disciple of teacher Emília Biancardi.

"VIVA BAHIA" was one of the main responsible for the internationalization of capoeira. Many masters who traveled with the group did not return from their trips. Amé stayed in California, Jelon and Loremil introduced capoeira to New York in the 1970s.

The trips included all of South America, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Africa. The presentations abroad were part of cultural promotions carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and Bahiatursa, as well as tours organized by businesspeople, with exhibitions in theaters and various festivals.

The grandeur and excellence of the work carried out by the group was recognized by Bahian writer Jorge Amado, who stated the following:

"The 'VIVA BAHIA' Ensemble is a successful achievement and worthy of all support in its work to promote Brazilian folklore (...) Its shows and three LPs give a truly admirable vision of the beauty of Bahian folklore."

As a teacher at Colégio Estadual Severino Vieira, Biancardi created, in 1968, the Afro-Brazilian Orchestra, using traditional instruments and others created and made by her and her students. She created and directed the Yabás Arte Brasil Foundation in Woodstock, New York, USA for 10 years. He composes music for ballets and plays, applying the knowledge acquired through research into rural and urban folk music. He has published six books ("Lindro Amo", 1968; "Cantorias da Bahia", 1969; "Viva Bahia Canta", 1970; "Dança da Peiga", 1983; "Olelê Maculelê", 1990 and "Raízes Musicais da Bahia", 2001), in addition to texts on traditional music published in books and magazines in Brazil and abroad. She released three LPs through Philips do Brasil ("Viva Bahia nº. 1", "Viva Bahia nº. 2" and "Folclore Rural") and a CD through Club House Studio Germantown, New York, USA.

Source: https://colecaoemiliabiancardi.blogspot.com/

Virtual museum – Virtual tour of the collection of traditional musical instruments Emília Biancardi

On permanent display at the Centro Cultural Solar Ferrão, in Pelourinho, since 2015, the Collection of Traditional Musical Instruments Emília Biancardi presents a collection of more than a thousand pieces collected and recreated on five continents, with special emphasis on Brazilian indigenous instruments, in addition to African ones and Afro-Brazilian, collected over more than 40 years by the Bahian ethnomusicologist and researcher who gives the collection its name.

Donated to the State of Bahia in 2011, the exhibition is one of the most expressive on record, especially with regard to the memory of Brazilian Indians. “Here we will find a little of the diversity and cultural legacy of the groups that formed our culture, through musical instruments and their musicality”, said the ethnomusicologist.

Source: http://www.colecaoemiliabiancardi.com.br/