<i>Nordestinidade Gonzagueana</i> [Gonzaguian Northeasternness] in Songs by Sivuca

This text deals with the musical trajectory of Sivuca--Severino Dias de Oliveira (1930-2006) including his experience in Itabaiana, a town in the State of Paraíba [Brazil] where he was born and received his first accordion, his work in radio broadcasting, and his travels abroad. Based on the work Rapsodia Gonzagueana, in homage to Luiz Gonzaga (1912-1989), the text discusses the notion of both Sivuca’s Brazilian Northeasterness and internationality, questioning musical homologies discussed in canonical literature, and, finally, argues that musical identity is the result of continuous dialectical interaction between individuals and the physical and social environment. The theoretical foundation is supported by Stuart Hall's cultural studies, as well as on the thinking of scholars of popular urban music, like Frith (1987), Middleton (1990), Negus (1996) and Vila (1996)