Product Description
Janniquinha is a beautiful Brazilian schottisch composed by Chiquinha Gonzaga one of the most important pioneers of Brazilian popular music and the first prominent female composer in Brazil. Heres a detailed musical and stylistic analysis of the piece:
1. Genre & Style
Schottisch (or xote in Brazil) is a European dance form that became popular in Brazil in the 19th century. While its origins are German and Scottish, in Brazil it was "tropicalized" with syncopated rhythms and modinha/choro-like phrasing.
Janniquinha reflects a Brazilianized schottisch, with elegant melodic contours and rhythmically rich piano writing, likely intended for salon performance.
2. Structure
The piece generally follows a ternary form (ABA) or rounded binary with a contrasting middle section and a return to the original theme.
A section: Cheerful, lilting melody in a major key, very dance-like. It uses light syncopations and has a clear phrase structure (usually 4 + 4 or 8-bar phrases).
B section: Offers contrast sometimes modulates to the dominant or relative minor. The harmony becomes more chromatic or expressive before returning to the sunny A theme.
3. Melody
Lyrical and charming, using stepwise motion with occasional leaps for emphasis.
Theres a notable call-and-response quality, a common trait in Brazilian salon music.
The phrasing is natural and sings well indicating Gonzagas gift for vocal and instrumental melodic writing.
4. Harmony
Harmonically, it stays within classical tonality but includes some Romantic-style chromaticism and modulations to add color.
Gonzaga skillfully uses dominant seventh chords, secondary dominants, and modulating sequences, typical of late 19th-century music.
5. Rhythm
Although the schottisch is a dance in 2/4 time, Janniquinha features syncopated patterns and anticipated beats, aligning it with early choro and maxixe rhythms.
The left hand often alternates between bass notes and chords (oom-pah feel), while the right hand carries syncopated melodic lines.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.