The musical style of the Bossa Nova was created in Brazil in the late 1950s during a period of economical growth and political change, the bossa nova has been often described as the music of the Brazilian middle and upper classes. This music style started in the upper class regions along the beaches of the city of Rio de Janeiro and both its music and lyrics were composed by middle and upper-class musicians and marketed to the same economic group. For this reason, bossa nova was criticized by some for emphasizing a carefree way of living that little resembled the life of most Brazilians, the great majority of which belonged to the working class (3). Indeed, bossa nova songs often spoke of love, the beach, and beautiful women and seemed
I have used that reference a couple times throughout this paper, but I do believe that is at the heart of this musical style. The feeling of pleasure and carefree”ness” culminates in a calming feeling. I feel as if I am sitting along a boulevard, relaxing and taking in the environment at its fullest and warmest.

Work Cited

(1) http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisbossano_rjbe.htm

(2) http://www.malletjazz.com/lessons/bossa.html

(3) http://www.brazzil.com/cvrdec98.htm
{this is a great bossa nova reference – full history and personal bios}
The musical style of the Bossa Nova was created in Brazil in the late 1950s during a period of economical growth and political change, the bossa nova has been often described as the music of the Brazilian middle and upper classes. This music style started in the upper class regions along the beaches of the city of Rio de Janeiro and both its music and lyrics were composed by middle and upper-class musicians and marketed to the same economic group. For this reason, bossa nova was criticized by some for emphasizing a carefree way of living that little resembled the life of most Brazilians, the great majority of which belonged to the working class (3). Indeed, bossa nova songs often spoke of love, the beach, and beautiful women and seemed to be a reflection of the author’s casual life rather than a story of Brazilians’ daily life and struggles as usually happened with the samba musical style, a music genre