By Andréa Huguenin Botelho*
It is with great joy that I presented in the German capital in November 2024 the world premiere of one of my most complex works written to date.
The “Cantata Ayabás” is the result of about four years of dedication and passion for Afro-Brazilian music and culture. Inspired by the cultural and historical richness of Brazil, this cantata brings Brazilian music to the stage, celebrating its roots and diversity.
As the composer of the "Cantata Ayabás", I would like to share some reflections on the process of creating this work. This project was born out of a long-standing desire and deep reverence and admiration for the cultural legacy of the Yoruba people , who contributed significantly to the formation of Brazilian identity. It was an honor to express these stories musically, celebrating the female deities of this rich Afro-Brazilian mythology.
My main goal was to compose a work that would enrich the concert music scene , showcasing the quality of Brazil's cultural diversity. The result of this challenge of years of in-depth research and work exceeded my expectations. The success was impressive and very positive in the city. I received a lot of positive feedback from musicians, singers, as well as from the public and music critics in Berlin.
This work not only values the cultural heritage of the African countries that are present in Brazil, resisting to keep their rich heritage alive and resisting prejudice and discrimination, but also marks historically as being the first work of this nature presented in the German capital .
Cantata Ayabás brings innovation and enriches the European scene with its sound diversity and Afro-Brazilian narratives.
This was one of my most complex works written to date.
I used the stories and legacies of several peoples of African origin, especially the Yoruba, as a basis for creating this work. I specifically dedicated myself to the feminine universe of these stories in their broadest sense. I delved deeply into Afro-Brazilian mythology , celebrating the female deities known in Brazil as Orixás. First, I delved into the study of the archetypes and narratives of each deity , respecting their stories and cultural heritage. The cantata, with its contemporary musical techniques and modal harmonies, reflects the deep connection with the richness of Afro-Brazilian culture. Most of the lyrics were written by me in Yoruba, except for “Odo yá, Yemọjá” and "Wura omi ẹwa".
Structure and Instrumentation of the Cantata
The "Cantata Ayabás" was written for female choir, soloists (soprano and contralto), symphony orchestra and Brazilian percussion, for the context of concert music.
Composed of eight movements, each one highlights the striking character of each deity. Analysis and interpretation were decisive in choosing the orchestration of each movement:
Saluba, Nanã - Creator of the world (Soloists, female choir, orchestra and percussion).
Rirọ, Ewá - Guardian of the water sources (Female choir, orchestra and percussion).
Ṣirè, Obá! - Defender of women's rights (Soloists, female, orchestra and percussion).
Oṣun - wura omi ẹwa - Goddess of beauty and waterfalls (Soloists, female choir and orchestra + Contralto Aria, orchestra and percussion).
Epàhey, Oyá! - Sovereign of storms and thunder (Soprano, female choir, orchestra and percussion).
Yemọjá, Iya òkun - Mother of all creatures and queen of the ocean (Soprano aria, orchestra and percussion).
Yemọjá - Yemọjá's Lament for the World (Orchestral solo without percussion).
Odoyá, Yemọjá - Fishermen's prayer to Yemọjá (Soloists, female choir, orchestra and percussion).
Instrumentation
Symphony Orchestra: Flutes (2), Oboes (2) - English Horn (1), B-flat Clarinets (2), Bassoon (1), Horn in F (1), Trumpet in B-flat (1). String section (minimum of 5 first violins, 4 second violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos and 2-4 double basses with divisi for 5-string double bass).
Percussion: 3 Atabaques, agogô and other Brazilian percussion instruments such as Caxixi and Xequerê.
Choir: Three-part female choir - SSA (minimum 30)
Soloists: Soprano and Mezzo Soprano (or Contralto)
Compositional Decisions
Female voices: I chose only female voices to interpret the work, focusing on the idea of describing the character and archetype of the selected deities.
Soloists: Between movements 1 to 5, they represent the deities, while the chorus represents the human beings who revere them.
Aria dedicated to Yemọjá: Aria number 6, dedicated to Brazilian soprano Adriane Queiroz, was conceived so that the singer symbolically enters the ocean in search of Yemọjá, asking her to heal humanity.
Lament of Yemọjá: Work number 7 expresses a lament without text, signifying Yemọjá's impotence in healing humanity, a task reserved for human beings themselves.
Brazilian Percussion: I decided to integrate the symphonic texture with Brazilian percussion instruments, so that the rhythmic richness is increasingly present in concert music.
About the Choice of the Yoruba/ Yorùbá Language
The idea that people have about the country is that only one language is spoken here, Portuguese. Being Brazilian and speaking Portuguese (from Brazil) are, in this idea, synonymous. Is this prejudice, a lack of knowledge of reality, or rather a political project - intentional, therefore - to build a monolingual country? (Gilvan Müller de Oliveira, linguist at the Federal University of Santa Catarina)
For years I have defended the argument that Brazilian languages, in addition to Portuguese, should be studied and valued as a fundamental heritage of Brazil. We are a multilingual country. Among the more than 200 languages spoken in this country, I consider Yoruba to be one of them. Officially, Yoruba is recognized in Rio de Janeiro as one of the linguistic heritages at the state level and the city of Salvador, in Bahia, recognizes this language as intangible cultural heritage*.
I assume that, due to colonization, Portuguese became the official language of Brazil, Yoruba, like other languages of the African diaspora, should be recognized and valued at a national level as part of the Brazilian vernacular, just like other native languages.
The Yoruba language, with its deep connection to Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé, is a vital partof this work.
With around 45 million speakers worldwide, Yoruba is a living testament to the cultural resilience and African influence in Brazil. The linguistic diversity that exists in Brazil is a very rich heritage that needs to be valued more, one of the invaluable cultural assets of this country. According to Oliveira (2008), Brazil could have become an even more multilingual country if it were not for the repeated actions of the State against cultural and linguistic diversity. However, he argues that Brazil is not only a multicultural and multilingual country, but remains pluricultural and multilingual. This is due not only to the current diversity of languages spoken in the territory, but also to the rich internal diversity of the Portuguese language, which is often obscured by another prejudice that Portuguese is a language without dialects. (OLIVEIRA, 2008, p. 8)
Although I am not fluent in Yoruba, taking the time to learn some of the language has greatly enriched my connection to my Brazilian roots. Unfortunately, few schools in Brazil teach Brazilian languages other than Portuguese, which deprives many of us of a deeper understanding of our cultural diversity.
Berlin Premiere and Special Thanks
The cantata premiered to great acclaim in Berlin on 9 and 10 November 2024 at the Schloss Britz Theater, immersing an audience of over 700 people over two days in 50 minutes of music. This event was an example of intercultural collaboration, involving artists from 19 countries and with key partnerships such as Schloss Britz and Musikschule City West , as well as the participation of the choirs Ayabás Chor Berlin and Chora Berlin , as well as the soloists of the Staatsoper Adriane Queiroz and Natalia Skryzca . The orchestra was formed by exceptional musicians from the Komische Oper, Deutsche Oper, Musikgymnasium Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach, Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gymnasium and Musikschule City West. The percussionists were the Brazilians Amoy Ribas , Leonardo Oliveira and the German Clara Carl .
I would like to express my deep gratitude to the choral conductor Elizabeth Schubert , whose partnership was essential for this project, and to all the musicians and singers involved. I would also like to thank Schloss Britz, especially Martin Steffens and Nora Kasparick , for their invaluable support, and to my friends who supported me: Erick Sabino , Newton Gmurczyk , Udo and Monika Krzyzynski , Augusto Medeiros , Inga Scharf da Silva and Gudrun Havemann . I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Musikschule City West for their invaluable support. I am very proud to have been part of the teaching staff of this institution for over 10 years and to have created the Brazilian Music in der City West Program in 2016. Finally, without the unconditional support and love of my family, especially Marcos, Duda, Ioio and Pipo Botelho , none of this would be possible.
About the Yoruba People - Yoruba and their Legacy
The cultural heritage that Brazil inherited from the Yoruba people, one of the main ethnic groups in West Africa, goes far beyond the most well-known, which are Afro-Brazilian religions. Their influence in Brazil is profound, having impacted our language, cuisine, religion and music. Originating from an ancient agricultural tradition, the Yoruba built cities such as Ifé, which are known for their craftsmanship in metals, wood and ivory.
Author Oyèrónké Oyewùmí, in her book The Invention of Women , discusses Yoruba culture, arguing that this society was not organized by gender, but by age. According to Oyewùmí, specific gender did not exist in the Yoruba language, which suggests a multiplicity of possibilities for social organization.
The descriptions of the deities define archetypes of nature and human powers, such as motherhood. British colonization, the diaspora, and miscegenation may have influenced the introduction of gender concepts into derived cultures in other countries. My basis was to musically translate the archetypes and mythology of the deities of Afro-Brazilian Candomblé. It is worth noting here that Candomblé is a Brazilian religion of African origin.
It is crucial to prioritize historical reparations over the humanitarian catastrophe that the African diaspora has caused in the world.
Mythology
Yoruba, Greek and Norse mythologies offer distinct visions of the world and humanity. My focus for the composition was on the mythological part, separating the concept of faith from the religions of African origins that exist in Brazil. This position was intended to respect the deserved space of faith and the people who practice them. Just as other mythologies today are the basis of films, books and operas with respect and seriousness, Yoruba mythology also deserves this appreciation. Despite their differences, all mythological narratives explain natural phenomena, transmit cultural values and provide models of human behavior. The Yoruba legacy is precious. Studying and celebrating Yoruba mythology promotes a more complete understanding of our history and values the invaluable contribution of African peoples to world culture.
Final Considerations
The Cantata Ayabás transcends cultural and musical boundaries, incorporating Yoruba mythology into concert music. This work invites us to reflect on the beauty and invaluable legacy of Afro-Brazilian culture. It will soon be available on all platforms. Some excerpts are available on Instagram @maestra.andreabotelho
References and Links
Abimbola, Wande. Yoruba Oral Tradition. Ìbàdàn: Oxford University Press, 1975.
Awe, Bonlale. Nigerian Women in Historical Perspective. Lagos: Sankore, 1992.
Fadipe, NA The Sociology of the Yoruba. Ìbàdàn: Ìbádán University Press, 1970.
Oyewumi, Oyeronke. The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses. University of Minnesota Press, 1997.
Oliveira, Gilvan Müller de. Plurilingualism in Brazil, Brasilia, 2008.
Olunpona, Jacob K., ed. African Traditional Religions in Contemporary Society. New York: Paragon House, 1991.
Sites in Portuguese:
With love,
Andrea Huguenin Botelho
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