Massa.
In Brazilian Portuguese, massa is a word with many meanings. It’s a throng of people: the masses. It’s the dough made from the starchy cassava root that feeds millions. And in Pernambuco, it’s a popular slang term.
Brazilian music, like the term massa, pervades social life, from the everyday to the popular. And that’s our goal here: to offer accessible, comprehensive conversations about Brazilian music, in terms of their specific sounds, as well as the cultural and historical circumstances that give them meaning.
Most episodes focus on a specific genre. We begin with an explanation of terms, historical context, and sonic markers. And we end by dissecting one or more musical texts.
New episodes are released twice monthly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. Episode transcripts, links, and other materials are available on this website.
Episodes stand alone, but also exist within sequences, tagged with keywords. Feel free to treat the episode list as a sandbox, picking and choosing based on your interests. By clicking the tags on the episode descriptions, you can find other episodes with similar themes and topics. Or you can subscribe and listen in sequence as we make new episodes available!
You don’t have to have any prior musical training to enjoy and learn from these episodes! Our target audience is curious non-specialists (though musicians will find something for them too).
We hope educators will choose to adopt these materials for their undergraduate music and Brazilian culture courses to supplement readings and lectures. If you do, please let us know!
To request episodes on specific genres, artists, songs, or issues, or just to say hi, please e-mail us at essefoimassa (at) gmail.com.
Who we are
Schuyler Whelden
Schuyler Whelden is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Ethnomusicology at the College of the Holy Cross. His research focuses on popular music and protest in Brazil, examining political engagement by musicians through performative and non-performative means.
Juliana Cantarelli Vita
Juliana Cantarelli Vita is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hartford's Hartt School. Her research lives in the intersections of pedagogy and tradition, understanding teaching and learning practices within different contexts.