Estrangeiro
Alegre Corrêa / Romy Martínez
Veja também:
Pé de Cedro
Milonga tres nações
Tocando em frente
Batendo água
God, Our Father, listen to our cry,
calm down the pain of these lands
Estrangeiro, translated as 'Expat' or 'Foreigner', is a composition by Alegre Corrêa, a guitarist, composer, and arranger from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, which borders Uruguay and Argentina. The music for Estrangeiro was written in the 1980s, during which he met and became friends with gaúcho accordionist Luís Carlos Borges.
In addition to being a dear friend, Luís Carlos Borges has always maintained a close connection with Latin American popular music.
One reason is that the accordion is often used to play chamamê, a musical genre widely popular in Argentina, which is culturally linked to Paraguay and its most traditional rhythm, the Paraguayan polka. Likewise, the geographical proximity of Rio Grande do Sul to neighboring countries allowed Borges to explore chamamê and other musical genres from the border regions of Argentina and Uruguay.
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It was only natural, then, for Borges to introduce some of his Latin American musical influences to Alegre. “I was deeply moved every time I listened to Latin American music. It was much more an emotional and intuitive experience than a rational process,” says Alegre.
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The synesthetic influence of Latin American rhythms, melodies, and lyrics profoundly touched Alegre’s creative essence. These experiences were both fruitful and inspiring, resulting, among many other compositions, in the music for Estrangeiro.
“I tried to make it an homage to the foreign rhythms I was introduced to and deeply identified with. My intention was to write an Argentine chamamê,” comments the composer.
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From Chance to Partnership
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Alegre is a musician well accustomed to working in partnership with poets and writers for his compositions. However, at the time, he couldn’t find anyone to write the lyrics for Estrangeiro, so he stored the music away for years.
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During a casual gathering with friends at his home in Florianópolis, Alegre spontaneously shared the melody with singer and songwriter Romy Martinez. “We were chatting when he told me about the music and thought it resonated with me,” recalls the singer. Thus, by chance, a rich artistic partnership was born.
Alegre played the chords on the guitar and sang the melody. “I was recording on my cell phone, humming along with Alegre. We played the music for a few moments,” adds Romy.
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Romy’s connection with the sound and sentiment of Estrangeiro was immediate—not only because of her admiration for compositions that celebrate Latin American culture, but also because she personally knows what it means to live far from her hometown and country.
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Romy was born in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, where she began her musical training. Between 2005 and 2009, she moved to Florianópolis to study music at UDESC. In the following years, she set out once more, moving to Argentina, where she lived from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, she returned to Florianópolis for a vacation and reconnected with her friend Alegre.
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Borderlands of Words
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At the end of her stay in Florianópolis, Romy returned to Argentina with two thoughts in mind: first, that she could no longer see herself living in Buenos Aires, and second, the first lines of the lyrics for Estrangeiro.
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This period could not have been more appropriate for translating the emotions that Estrangeiro deserved. Thus, the music that had been locked away for years would finally cross the borderlands of words and pampas, both figuratively and literally.
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Romy’s return to Brazil was made by land, traveling for 24 hours from Argentina through Uruguay until she arrived in Brazil. During the journey, she observed different languages, accents, landscapes, people, and moments of the day. “When I arrived, I realized that many of the elements I had seen during the trip would serve as inspiration to write the song and express the perspective of a foreigner,” she comments.
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The lyrics for Estrangeiro blended Spanish, Portuguese, and Guarani, reflecting the diverse feelings and thoughts experienced during the journey. Initially, Romy saw this multilingual mix as a challenge, but Alegre warmly embraced it, noting that it resonated with his own experiences as an expat living in Vienna for several years.
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The fusion of these three languages became not only an essential element of the Purahéi Trio’s project but also a symbol of how language evolves with each arrival and departure.
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Text by journalist Cinthya Dávila and singer/ethnomusicologist Romy Martinez