Candomblé Music

Candomblé music is the sacred ritual music of Candomblé, the Afro-Brazilian religion formed in Bahia from Yoruba, Fon and Bantu traditions. It is performed on the atabaque drums, the tall rum, middle rumpi and small lê, directed by a master drummer, with agogô bell and shekere, accompanying call-and-response songs in Yoruba and other African languages. Each orixá, the religion's deities, possesses specific rhythms (toques), songs and dances through which devotees invoke and embody them. Beyond the terreiro, Candomblé's rhythms and repertoire became a foundation of Afro-Brazilian popular music, from afoxé to samba.