Musical and Spiritual Innovation, Participation and Control in Brazil's Umbanda and Quimbanda Religions.

Musical practices in the Umbanda and Quimbanda religions (twentieth-century Brazilian syntheses of Spiritism, folk Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian religions) illustrate how devotees value innovation and semi-egalitarian participation. Leaders and spirit mediums compose devotional songs, lead congregational singing, play instruments during services and circulate their favourite works. Indeed, these activities are central to their experiences connecting with spirits and developing cosmologies and rituals. The liturgical repertory thereby expands from the bottom up, rather than being preserved from the top down by religious and musical leaders, as is common in the progenitor Afro-Brazilian religions. Nevertheless, some religious leaders, musicians and profiteers try to control the musical creativity of devotees, in ceremonial life and also in the local production and international distribution of commercial audio recordings. The evidence comes from ethnomusicological research conducted in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 2006 and 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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