in spite of its name, the choro is a fairly upbeat and energetic music, replete with syncopation and improvisation. considered the first truly brazilian music, what began as a unintentional juxtaposition of divergent elements became an auditory feijoada, a new and different sound larger than the sum of its parts.

when radio came to brazil at the turn of the 20th century, choro was the sound that filled the airwaves, in 3 and 5-piece compositions, then with percussion and finally - as the influence of american popular music and declining public appeal ended its first golden age - with written arrangements and lyrics, as opposed to the loose, shared melodies of the sound's infancy.