In "The Mystery of Samba", Vianna discusses samba in a different light than other authors have. He explains that although samba has become a symbol of their culture and something they are proud of, that it was not always that way. The author is not interested in where samba originated or about the history of its players, he says "I am thinking of samba's transformation into a 'national rhythm," when it was suddenly 'discovered' by the nation as a whole and adopted as a defining element of brasilidade or Brazilian identity" (Vianna 10).

Around the 1920's and 1930's samba was viewed as music that was for lowlife people, it was not considered appropriate music for the elite. After the 1930's, however, great sambista players paved the way for the music to gain popularity. Also, carnivals were becoming very important events that displayed Brazilian nationality, and these carnivals were helping to make samba popular. The "mystery" is how did this music changed to being a source of pride for the people of Brazil?

Technology was a huge factor in popularizing samba, an

Samba, as Vianna reveals, may not have had authenticity or history, that it was just made up. What he is driving at here is that it is not music that was completely created by the poor people of Brazil alone. Influences from outside Brazil and from other classes had an effect on the music.

Vianna goes on to describe the exact way in which samba became such a national symbol. He points at that a national identity was forming and that samba and popular culture were going to paint a picture of what that identity was, whether it be an accurate representation or not. He says that this transformation was not sudden, but rather a gradual process. The author points out that encounters among different groups are what created a national identity and popular culture.

The author tells this story wonderfully, because through talking about the history of samba he sheds light on what the society was really like and why they developed this popular culture and music.

The most interesting aspect of the book is the comparisons that can be made between what happened in Brazil during the slave period versus what happened in the United States. Slaves were generally tre

Some common words found in the essay are:
Brazil Influences, Samba Vianna, Brazil Technology, Peter Fry, Brazil Vianna, America Brazil, Brazil Whites, United Slaves, national identity, popular culture, popular music, samba popular, Identity Brazil, Mystery Samba, music gain popularity, gain popularity, black sambistas, music gain, people favellas, samba music, sambista players, music national identity, central mystery brazilian,
Approximate Word count = 788
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)