A Respectable Spell

"In A Respectable Spell, prominent Brazilian ethnomusicologist Carlos Sandroni contributes important perspectives by detailing the musical transformation of samba from the first recording in 1917 to its codification as a genre, circa 1930." --Journal of Folklore Research Reviews

"At long last, we can celebrate the publication of this groundbreaking study in English. Carlos Sandroni's brilliant ‘historical ethnomusicology’ of samba laid the foundations for many subsequent studies, and continues to set a standard in the field. Sandroni is equally adept at fine-grained musical analysis, rich social-historical contextualization, and crisp, clear explanation. Michael Iyanaga's sensitive and graceful translation makes this accessible to a broad international audience for the first time. This book is fundamental for all those interested in samba's emergence and evolution."--Bryan McCann, author of Hard Times in the Marvelous City: From Dictatorship to Democracy in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro