Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

"Africa! Africa! Africa!" Black Identity in Marlos Nobre's Rhythmetron

Batista, Henrique Medeiros
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1586866469586654

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, Contemporary Music.
In this document I examine Brazilian composer Marlos Nobre’s ballet Rhythmetron, adding to the scholarly literature available on the contributions of Latin American composers to the percussion ensemble repertoire. Using archival, ethnographic, and text-based analyses, I inquire into the genres, instruments, and performance practices of the piece, as well as its critical reception. This history reveals that the colonial relationship with black sound has continuously been re-inscribed in Brazilian cultural artifacts, and that institutional biases are upheld when determining what constitutes Art music. Through its inclusion of the Afro-Brazilian genres of samba and maracatu, Rhythmetron invites us to consider the hierarchies of valuation that govern what constitutes Brazilian popular music, art music, and ballet, revealing racialized power dynamics. I utilize postcolonial theories of hybridity to demonstrate that Rhythmetron dialogues with the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s intent to reimagine and break racial expectations in the realm of classical ballet. This research reveals that what is guarded in our cultural memories is power-laden, and shows that more inclusive canonization practices can challenge existing narratives and create new ones.
Daniel Piccolo, DMA (Advisor)
Irina Stakhanova, PhD (Other)
Sidra Lawrence, PhD (Committee Member)
Marilyn Shrude, D.M. (Committee Member)
143 p.
Music; Performing Arts
Marlos Nobre; Rhythmetron; hybridity; Latin America; percussion; anthropophagy; identity; Dance Theatre of Harlem; Arthur Mitchell; Latin American music; Brazil

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Batista, H. M. (2020). "Africa! Africa! Africa!" Black Identity in Marlos Nobre's Rhythmetron [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1586866469586654

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Batista, Henrique. "Africa! Africa! Africa!" Black Identity in Marlos Nobre's Rhythmetron. 2020. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1586866469586654.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Batista, Henrique. ""Africa! Africa! Africa!" Black Identity in Marlos Nobre's Rhythmetron." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1586866469586654

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1586866469586654
623
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.