Cantos de Entrada na Capoeira Angola

Brandon Marger
In traditional Capoeira Angola the roda de capoeira begins with a ritualized sequence
of songs known as the cantos de entrada. To me this is one of the most beautiful parts
of the roda. The music starts very slowly and deliberately, with various instruments
entering at very specific cues. The lead singer sings a long solo passage, which creates
a lot of anticipation as the coro waits to finally enter. The players are crouched at the
foot of the gunga, sizing each other up, and waiting to motioned into the roda when
the correct moment arrives.
This entire ritual serves to create that magical atmosphere that is the roda de capoeira,
and to focus everybodys energy on the roda. This ritual helps to get everybody to get
into the right frame of mind before the kicks start flying. It creates the very specific
energy of a roda de Angola before the game even begins.
Unfortunately, this ritual way of beginning the roda has been all but forgotten in many
capoeira regional groups. Some of these regional groups may sing some of the
ladainhas or chulas, but they sing them while the game is already happening, where
instead the corridos are traditionally sung. Some regional groups might sing a quadra
in place of the cantos de entrada, but without accompanying ritual, ceremony, and
focusing of energy. I personally think that the ritual that surrounds the cantos de
entrada is central to the game of capoeira (whatever game one might prefer to play),
and that we should be resurrecting this ritual wherever it has been forgotten, or fallen
into disuse or misuse.
The roda begins with the gunga (the lowest pitched of the three berimbaus) calling for
the roda to form by repeatedly striking the string of the instrument. The gunga
continues this chamada until the roda forms, two players take positions at the foot of
the berimbau and everybody focuses on the sound of the berimbau. When all of this
has been accomplished and the moment feels right, the gunga begins to slowly and
deliberately play a short floreo that transitions into the toque angola. The gunga
establishes a strong and solid rhythm at a slow and deliberate tempo. After
approximately four measures the medio (medium pitched) berimbau plays a short
floreo which then seamlessly drops into the toque angola with its inverted melody.
Once again, four measures after the medio establishes its toque the viola (highest pitch
berimbau) enters the rhythm, also entering with some sort of little flourish. Four

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measures after the viola enters the pandeiro enters with a strong solitary open tone
right on the downbeat. If there are two pandeiros in the roda, the second pandeiro will
enter in a similar manner four measures later.
After the music has been established in ritual fashion,the cantos de entrada begin with
the singing of a ladainha while the two players crouch at the foot of the gunga. The
ladainha (which means litany in English) is a solo song form which may narrate a
story, a lesson, or some of the history or philosophy of capoeira. Ladainhas are mostly
composed, but there are some exceptional mestres capable of improvising beautifully
profound and poetic ladainhas. During the ladainha the only musical accompaniment
is the three berimbaus and the pandeiro(s).
At the end of the ladainha the soloist goes right into the chula section, which is also
sometimes called the louvaes (praises). During this section the lead singer sings
praises for his/her deity, mestre, and fellow capoeiristas. The lead singer may also
quote popular sayings and pass on bits of wisdom from capoeiras oral tradition. In the
chula the lead singer will call a phrase, and the chorus will then repeat it, tagging
camar onto the end of each phrase. After the lead singers first praise, when the
chorus begins its repetition, the other instruments of the batera (agog, atabaque,
reco-reco) enter playing their respective toques.
After singing a set of several louvaes, when the lead singer is ready s/he will call
the first corrido. This signals the end of the cantos de entrada, and the beginning of the
corridos. Typically, after the chorus has repeated the coro, the gunga will motion to the
players crouched at the foot of the berimbau to move into the roda and begin their
game.
In this sequence of cantos de entrada it is important that the lead singer make each
section flow seamlessly into the next (in the same way as in the roda we make each of
our movements flow into the next). The chula should come in at the end of the ladainha
without a pause. The lead singer must have in mind what corrido s/he will sing, so
that the corrido can come in right on the tail of the last louvao.
This sequence of cantos de entrada is not used exclusively at the beginning of the roda.
A ladainha may also be sung to re-start the roda if there has been any sort of a
significant break between the games, and a lapse in the music. An important or visiting
mestre is often expected (although not required) to sing a ladainha, because everybody
wants to hear the mestres wisdom and vocal artistry. The ladainha is most often sung
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by a mestre, the person playing the gunga, one of the other people playing berimbau,
or by one of the players crouched at the foot of the berimbaus.
This sequence of cantos de entrada doesnt always have to be used to restart the roda
after every break. Sometimes such a long sequence, no matter how intense it might be,
would only disrupt the energy that already exists within an ongoing roda. Part of
being a good singer is knowing how to read the energy of the roda, and determine the
best way to restart after a particular break. A good alternative for restarting the roda
after a break would be to begin with a quadra (like Quem Vem L). When restarting
a roda in this way the gunga will usually motion for the players to enter the roda when
the coro begins its repetition of the quadra.
There are also what I call odd-ball songs that dont fit neatly into any of the
traditional song genres Ive named thus far. A good example would be Luanda E.
What makes this song so different is that it contains a ten-line verse sung by the lead
singer, before the one-line coro (O lel) kicks in. The ten-line solo verse approximates
the ladainha at least in form, and thus might be an appropriate choice for re-starting a
roda. When restarting a roda in this way the gunga will usually motion for the players
to enter the roda at the beginning of the coro section.
The ritual, protocol sequence of songs in the cantos de entrada are highly formalized,
and that is part of what contributes to making this sequence so beautiful, powerful and
moving. Yet, like so much of capoeira, there is much more gray area than black and
white: Who can sing a ladainha? When else in the roda can a ladainha be sung? When
should a ladainha not be sung? Should the mestre sing a ladainha? The answers to
these questions might vary from school to school, and will certainly vary in differing
circumstances and contexts. Part of learning this beautiful art of capoeira will be about
going to enough rodas that you begin to learn by example how these various protocols
and unwritten rules are all negotiated in real life.

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