Familia Alcantara Coral is a family from Minas Gerais formed by descendants of Angolan slaves. Humble workers of poor education, they formed a choral group that gradually became known to the general public.
The two records released by Familia Alcantara Coral caught the attention of the Brazilian press and soon the group made TV appearances in England, Portugal and Angola. Only those who belong to the family either by birth or by marriage can sing in the chorus. The Alcantaras’ music is a mixture of sounds of African origin and Catholic chants. The repertoire originated from the chants the family’s matriarch, Filomena Tomazia Vo Mena, used to sing.
Another source of inspiration is the congado de reis, which was initially meant to celebrate the queen Ginga, from Angola, who lived in the 17th century and became famous for defending her people from the Portuguese. Later, the congado incorporated the devotion to the Catholic saints considered to be the patrons of black people.
The technical improvement of the chorus was due to Pedro Antonio de Alcantara, who studied vocal techniques, musical theory and conduction with a Dutch female conductor hired by Belga Mineira Company. With her teachings, Pedro applied to congado music the liturgical voice arrangements, distributing among brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, the soprano, contralto, tenor and baritone parts. The result can be heard in the two CDs of the Familia Alcantara Coral.
Discography:
Familia Alcantara Coral (MCD World Music, 1995)
Familia Alcantara Coral, Vol. 2 (MCD World Music , 2001)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
