Pelo Telefone

Pelo Telefone (English: On the Telephone) is a song attributed to the Brazilian guitarist and composer Donga and considered to be the first samba song to be recorded in Brazil, according to records at the National Library of Brazil,[3][4] although earlier recordings exist, such as "Samba - Em Casa da Bahiana" (1913)[5] and "Urubu Malandro" (1914).[6]

"Pelo Telefone"
Song by Baiano
A-side"Pelo Telefone"
ReleasedJanuary 21, 1917[1][2]
Recorded1917
GenreSamba
Length4:03
Composer(s)Donga and Mauro de Almeida
Producer(s)Casa Edison under the label Odeon Records[1]

A collective creation of controversial authorship, the composition is attributed to Ernesto dos Santos, better known as Donga, and to the journalist Mauro de Almeida. It was registered on the 27th of November, 1916 as being authored only by Donga — who later included de Almeida as a partner — and conceived in a famous Candomblé house, the house of Tia Ciata, which was frequented by popular musicians of the time.[7][8][9][1] Because it was a huge success and because it was born in a samba circle from improvisations and joint creations, various musicians have claimed authorship.[10]

History

The song was composed in 1916, in the backyard of Tia Ciata, in Praça Onze (now Cidade Nova). The song was originally titled "Roceiro" and was a collaborative creation, with participation from João da Baiana, Pixinguinha, Caninha, Hilário Jovino Ferreira and Sinhô, and others.[10] Donga was the first to register the song, which he justified with a maxim attributed to Sinhô: "music is like a bird, it belongs to whoever catches it first".[lower-alpha 1][11]

The original lyrics of the song were later changed to the version best known today:[12]

OriginalPopularizedPopularized English translation
O chefe da foliaO Chefe da PolíciaThe Police Chief
Pelo telefonePelo telefoneOn the telephone
Mandou me avisarManda me avisarCalled to let me know
Que com alegriaQue na CariocaThat in Carioca
Não se questioneTem uma roletaThere's a roulette wheel
Para se brincarPara se jogarTo be played

According to a statement by Donga to Brazil's Museum of Image and Sound, "The chief of police... was a parody created by the journalists of A Noite[lower-alpha 2]. In 1913, newspaper reporters had placed a roulette wheel in Largo da Carioca to demonstrate the police's tolerance of gambling. Musician and broadcaster Henrique Foréis Domingues, in the February 13, 1972 issue of the newspaper O Dia, confirmed this by saying: "someone in the newsroom of 'A Noite', taking inspiration from the episodes in question, created the famous parody".[lower-alpha 3] Domingues also accused Donga of having appropriated a collective work. Donga claimed that the music was different, but conceded that he was not the author of the lyrics, which were written by Mauro de Almeida. He blamed the label for omitting his partner's name. "The omission of Mauro's name on the recording by Casa Edison cannot be attributed to me"[lower-alpha 4], he said.[13]

The Jornal do Brasil newspaper, on February 4 1917, published a note from Grêmio Fala Gente announcing that "the true tango 'Pelo Telephone', by composers João da Mata, Germano, Tia Ciata and Hilário, will be sung on Avenida Rio Branco, dedicated to the good and remembered friend Mauro."[lower-alpha 5][14]

References

Footnotes
  1. "música é como passarinho, de quem pegar primeiro"
  2. "O Chefe da Polícia... foi uma paródia feita pelos jornalistas de A Noite"
  3. "alguém lá na redação de 'A Noite', inspirando-se nos episódios em questão, criou a famosa paródia"
  4. "A omissão do nome de Mauro na gravação da Casa Edison não pode ser atribuída a mim"
  5. “o verdadeiro tango Pelo Telefone, dos autores João da Mata, Germano, Tia Ciata e Hilário, seria cantado na Avenida Rio Branco, dedicado ao bom e lembrado amigo Mauro."

Sources
  1. AMARAL, Euclides. Alguns Aspectos da MPB. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Esteio, 2010. ISBN : 0000177121.
  2. SILVA, Flávio. Pelo Telefone, e a história do samba. Brasília: Revista Cultura, ano 8, n. 20, jan./jun., 1978.
  3. PICCINO, Evaldo. Um breve histórico dos suportes sonoros analógicos. Sonora. São Paulo:Universidade Estadual de Campinas / Instituto de Artes, vol. 1, n. 2, 2003.
  4. NAPOLITANO, Marcos. História & Música: História cultural da música popular. Belo Horizonte: Editora Autêntica, 2002.
  5. https://discografiabrasileira.com.br/disco/20314/favorite-r-1-452216
  6. https://discografiabrasileira.com.br/disco/2270/odeon-r-137088-137089
  7. Renê Fraga (2016-11-27). "Google celebra 100º aniversário do primeiro samba, "Pelo Telefone"". Google Discovery. Archived from the original on 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  8. Igor Ricardo (2016-11-27). "Considerado o primeiro samba de sucesso, 'Pelo telefone' completa cem anos". Extra. Archived from the original on 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  9. "Polêmica marca o surgimento do primeiro samba". Almanaque Brasil. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  10. "Pelo telefone". Brasileirinho. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  11. Motta, Nelson (2016). 101 Canções que tocaram o Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Estação Brasil. pp. 12–13.
  12. ""Pelo Telefone": um centenário de controvérsias do primeiro samba gravado no País". Brasileiros / Terra. 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  13. "Pelo Telefone : um centenário de controvérsias do primeiro samba gravado no País". Jornal Floripa + Renato Vivacqua. Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  14. Renato Vivacqua (24 July 2015). "Um telefone que deu o que falar". História da MPB. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
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