"O Forrobodo," composed by Chiquinha Gonzaga (1912)
I think the top 40 from [enter year here] lists that I found focus on Brazil and the English speaking world. A bit odd (why specifically Brazil?), but I do love “world music,” so we’ll go with it. I also love this particular song because it is by a prolific *female* Brazilian composer. This song is from an operetta of the same name that she released in 1912 that was wildly popular. I have not seen it/listened to the whole thing, but the songs in the operatta apparently describe different types of people one might have met in Brazil at the time of its writing. The different songs also reflect different styles of music that were popular in Brazil. This song has a lovely upbeat feel, and the video I found actually features an old photograph of Gonzaga, as well as some newspaper clippings about the show.
Honestly, Gonzaga herself is pretty interesting, pushing societal norms at a time when women still didn’t have much power in society. She was married at 16, but she ended up leaving the guy because he was ridiculously controlling, forbidding her from playing the piano and guitar. Her parents refused to support her in this, leading her to play piano for money and eventually form her own band. She later met another man with whom she had a child and then left again. Eventually, she settled down with a young man who was 36 years younger than her, telling people he was her son in order to relieve some of the societal disapproval of their relationship. Whether or not you agree with the choices she made in her life, she clearly refused to let the pressures of society dictate who and how she would be in her lifetime, and as a result, she was able to compose and perform a wonderful array of music. If you have time, you should read through the two research links I share below. She is really quite interesting.
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