Abstract
This article presents a social history of música romântica, or love song, assessing its role among the middle classes of Montes Claros, a mid‐sized town in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It looks at three phases in the development of música romântica: firstly the serenading modinhas of the early twentieth century; secondly the samba‐canção, a style disseminated by the radio which incorporated stylistic elements from transnational genres; and finally jovem guarda, which evinced aspects of the modernization of Brazilian popular music in general in the 1960s. The examples of música romântica which are analysed in the article unveil some of the musical strategies employed within the genre to convey sentiment and establish inter‐gender roles and positions. Characteristically composed by men, the songs indicate how femininity in music has been described and prescribed, and how notions of masculinity have been constructed and reinforced.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
