What are the key features of Esperanza Spalding's Samba Em Preludio?
Esperanza Spalding: Samba Em Preludio. Its fusion of Brazilian bossa nova and jazz, the gentle samba rhythm, jazz harmony and improvisation, the voice, double bass and nylon-string guitar, and the Portuguese word-setting.
A focused answer to the Edexcel GCSE Music set work Samba Em Preludio by Esperanza Spalding. Covers the fusion of Brazilian bossa nova and jazz, the gentle samba rhythm, jazz harmony and improvisation, the voice, double bass and nylon-string guitar and the features the Component 3 exam rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
The second fusion set work is "Samba Em Preludio" performed by Esperanza Spalding (from her 2008 album Esperanza). It fuses Brazilian bossa nova with jazz. You need to identify the two sources, the gentle samba rhythm, the jazz harmony and improvisation, the small acoustic ensemble of voice, double bass and nylon-string guitar, and the Portuguese word-setting.
Context and forces
The Brazilian (bossa nova) elements
The jazz elements
Melody, tonality, texture and word-setting
How Edexcel examines this
This set work is examined with questions asking you to identify the styles fused and a feature from each, describe the voice, instruments and harmony, and recognise jazz and bossa nova features (extended chords, improvisation, samba rhythm). The unfamiliar-piece and Section B questions may pair it with another Latin or jazz extract. The mark scheme rewards naming features from both sources and the correct vocabulary (bossa nova, samba rhythm, double bass, nylon-string guitar, extended chords, scat, improvisation). Listen for the gentle Latin groove, the prominent melodic bass, the Portuguese vocal and the rich jazz chords.
Try this
Q1. What two styles does Samba Em Preludio fuse? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Brazilian bossa nova and jazz.
Q2. Name the three performing forces in Spalding's version. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Voice (Portuguese), double bass (Spalding, melodic) and nylon-string guitar, a small acoustic ensemble.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 20183 marksIdentify three ways Samba Em Preludio fuses Brazilian and jazz styles. (Component 3, Section A)Show worked answer →
One mark per valid point, up to three. Points: Brazilian bossa nova elements (the gentle, syncopated samba/bossa rhythm, Portuguese lyrics, a relaxed Latin feel and nylon-string guitar); jazz elements (extended and chromatic chords such as sevenths and ninths, improvisation, and a prominent walking-style or melodic double bass); and the blend of acoustic textures (voice, double bass and guitar) in a small, intimate ensemble. Markers reward naming features from both the Brazilian (bossa nova) and jazz sources with correct vocabulary.
Edexcel 20214 marksDescribe the use of the voice, instruments and harmony in Samba Em Preludio. (Component 3, Section A)Show worked answer →
Up to four marks. Voice: a solo female lead (Esperanza Spalding) singing in Portuguese, smooth and expressive, sometimes scatting or improvising and doubling the bass line. Instruments: a small acoustic ensemble of voice, double bass (played by Spalding, prominent and melodic) and nylon-string (classical/Spanish) guitar, with a gentle bossa nova feel. Harmony: rich jazz harmony with extended and chromatic chords (sevenths, ninths) rather than simple triads. Markers reward correct terms (bossa nova, double bass, nylon-string guitar, extended chords, improvisation, scat) and describing the intimate acoustic texture.
Related dot points
- The context of Area of Study 4, Fusions: how two or more musical cultures are combined to create a fusion, the role of world-music features and technology, and how Afro Celt Sound System and Esperanza Spalding fuse styles.
A focused answer to the context of Edexcel GCSE Music Area of Study 4, Fusions, covering how two or more musical cultures combine, the role of world-music features (drones, ostinati, call and response) and technology, and how Afro Celt Sound System and Esperanza Spalding fuse styles in the Component 3 exam.
- Afro Celt Sound System: Release. Its fusion of West African and Celtic music with Western dance technology, the layered ostinati and drones, call and response, hand percussion and the role of programmed beats and samples.
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- Comparing the two fusion set works (Afro Celt Sound System's Release and Spalding's Samba Em Preludio) across the musical elements, and applying that comparison to short comparison and 12-mark Section B questions.
A focused answer comparing the two Edexcel GCSE Music fusion set works, Afro Celt Sound System's Release and Esperanza Spalding's Samba Em Preludio, across the musical elements (dance-driven electronic fusion versus intimate acoustic jazz fusion), and how to structure short comparison and 12-mark Section B answers.
- Melody (conjunct, disjunct, sequence, ornamentation, riffs and ostinati), harmony (diatonic and chromatic chords, cadences, pedals and drones) and tonality (major, minor, modal, pentatonic and modulation).
A focused answer to the Edexcel GCSE Music elements of melody, harmony and tonality, covering melodic movement and devices, chords and the four main cadences, pedals and drones, and how to identify major, minor, modal and pentatonic tonality and basic modulation for the Component 3 appraising exam.
- Texture (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, heterophonic and unison) and structure (binary, ternary, verse and chorus, call and response, ritornello, sonata form and theme and variations), with the correct terms Edexcel rewards.
A focused answer to the Edexcel GCSE Music elements of texture and structure, covering monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic and heterophonic textures, the main musical structures from binary to sonata form, and how to identify and describe them with the precise vocabulary the Component 3 exam rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Music (1MU0) specification — Pearson (2016)