Maxixe

The Maxixe (spoken: Mah'sheeshi) or Brazilian Tango is a dance form that evolved at the end of the 19th century from the synthesis of Afro-Brazilian and European dance music (especially the polka).

First and foremost, the Maxixe is associated with the so-called Choro, a traditional Brazilian style of music performed by ensembles of plucked, percussion and solo wind instruments (mainly the flute). Furthermore, the Maxixe was always typical for Brazilian wind bands. This is confirmed, among other things, by the recordings made by the legendary Banda do Corpo de Bombeiros (fire brigade band) of Rio de Janeiro under its leader Anacleto de Medeiros (1866 - 1907) at the beginning of the 20th century.

The present piece, a nostalgic reminiscence of Belle-Epoque Rio, was written in 2013, in the 150th year of birth of the uncrowned king of the genre, Ernesto Nazareth (1863 - 1934). The tradition of Maxixe composition is handled relatively freely. The thematic core of the piece is a kind of "song without words" consisting of a verse (bars 8 - 28) and a three-part chorus (bars 29 - 60). In bar 95 another theme is introduced; its partially contrapuntal accompaniment emphasizes the proximity of Maxixe and Choro styles to Baroque music.