Hermeto Pascoal and Affirmative Modernity

Avant-Garde, Oraliture and Sonic Sovereignty from the Global South

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2026.63141

Keywords:

Hermeto Pascoal, avant-garde, oraliture, aesthetic autonomy, Global South

Abstract

This article interprets Hermeto Pascoal’s work as an embodiment of affirmative modernity and a realised avant-garde in the Global South. Building upon Peter Bürger’s theoretical framework and the critical traditions of Adorno and Benjamin, the article explores how Pascoal’s musical practice redefines aesthetic autonomy by embracing an ethics of sharing and a pedagogy of listening. Engaging with Henri Bergson and Leda Martins provides tools to understand intuition, oraliture, and community as forms of sonic knowledge transcending the limits of modern art. Through an analysis of his discography, considering its geopolitical and productive dimensions, the article argues that Pascoal embodies a non-nihilistic avant-garde where technique and nature are reconciled in a vital praxis of creation, coexistence, and freedom.

Author Biography

  • Fernando Elías Llanos, Universidade Federal de Goiás/Escola de Música

    Assistant Professor in the Music programs at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG). He holds a Ph.D. in Music from the University of São Paulo (USP) and an M.A. in Music from São Paulo State University (UNESP), both funded by CAPES scholarships. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Musical Performance at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

    A guitarist trained in both classical performance and Latin American popular music, he studied with renowned musicians Celso Delneri and Paulo Porto Alegre. He is the author of the book Félix Casaverde, Black Guitar: Identity and Power Relations in the Music of Peru’s Coast (UPC Press, 2019).

    He recorded the album Por Guitarra Negra (Tratore, 2017), featuring solo guitar works inspired by Afro-Peruvian music and arrangements by Hermeto Pascoal. In 2021, he was awarded an artist-researcher fellowship through the Other Latin Americas program (Banco Santander/UNICAMP) for the project The Afro-Andeans.

    He serves as a collaborating researcher in the project Cinema and Song: Poetics, Aesthetics, and Politics, coordinated by Guilherme Maia (UFBA). He is a permanent faculty member of the Graduate Program in Music at UFG, within the research line Epistemic, Discursive, and Educational Practices, and leads the CNPq Research Group Guitar and Cultural Identities.

    He is also co-editor, together with Christian Spencer (CIAH-Chile), of the thematic dossier Histories, Agencies, and Appropriations of the Guitar in Latin America (Opus Journal, vol. 31, 2025).

References

Adorno, T. W. (2004). Teoría estética. Madrid: Akal.

Benjamin, W. (2003). La obra de arte en la época de su reproductibilidad técnica. México: Ítaca.

Bergson, H. (2007). Essai sur les données immédiates de la conscience (9. éd., Quadrige). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. (Primera edición 1927).

Borém, F., & Araújo, F. (2010). Hermeto Pascoal: experiência de vida e a formação de sua linguagem harmônica. Per Musi, (22), 22–43.

Bürger, P. (2000). Teoría de la vanguardia. Barcelona: Ediciones Península.

Costa-Lima Neto, L. (2000). The experimental music of Hermeto Paschoal e Grupo (1981–93): A musical system in the making. British

Journal of Ethnomusicology, 9(1), 119–142.

Costa-Lima Neto, L. (2020). The first "sound of the aura" of Hermeto Pascoal (1984): Hearing the spoken voice as a sung melody. IASPM Journal, 10(2).

Horkheimer, M., & Adorno, T. W. (1998). Dialéctica de la Ilustración: fragmentos filosóficos (J. J. Sánchez, Trad.; 3. ed., Colección Estructuras y Procesos, Serie Filosofía). Madrid: Editorial Trotta.

Grabaciones / Álbumes

Pascoal, H. (1980). Cérebro magnético [LP, 33⅓ rpm; analógico, estéreo]. Rio de Janeiro: Atlantic/WEA Discos Ltda. Producción: H. Pascoal.

Pascoal, H. (1977). Slaves mass [LP, 33⅓ rpm; analógico, estéreo]. Los Ángeles: Warner Bros. Records. Producción: Airto Moreira & Flora Purim.

Pascoal, H. (1979). Zabumbê-bum-á [LP, 33⅓ rpm; analógico, estéreo]. Rio de Janeiro: Warner Bros. Records / WEA Discos Ltda. Producción: H. Pascoal.

Pascoal, H., & Grupo. (1986). Brasil universo [LP, 33⅓ rpm; analógico, estéreo]. São Paulo: Som da Gente. Producción: H. Pascoal; J. Santos Neto (co-producción).

Pascoal, H., & Grupo. (1992). Festa dos deuses [LP, 33⅓ rpm; analógico, estéreo]. Rio de Janeiro: Philips / Fonobrás. Producción: J. Neto.

Recursos en línea

Discogs. (2025, noviembre 17). Hermeto Pascoal – Brasil Universo. Recuperado de https://www.discogs.com/release/4809912-Hermeto-Pascoal-E-Grupo-Brasil-Universo

Discogs. (2025, agosto 20). Hermeto Pascoal – Cérebro Magnético. Recuperado de https://www.discogs.com/release/2851404-Hermeto-Pascoal-C%C3%A9rebro-Magn%C3%A9tico

Discogs. (2025, octubre 6). Hermeto Pascoal – Festa dos Deuses. Recuperado de https://www.discogs.com/release/5588438-Hermeto-Pascoal-E-Grupo-Festa-Dos-Deuses

Discogs. (2025, octubre 19). Hermeto Pascoal – Slaves Mass. Recuperado de https://www.discogs.com/release/2853209-Hermeto-Pascoal-Slaves-Mass

Discogs. (2025, noviembre 13). Hermeto Pascoal – Zabumbê-bum-á. Recuperado de https://www.discogs.com/release/2756097-Hermeto-Pascoal-Zabumb%C3%AA-bum-%C3%A1

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Published

2026-10-12

Issue

Vol. 27 (2026): General Topics

Section

Thematic Issue ‘Hermeto Pascoal - 90 years of Sounds'

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How to Cite

“Hermeto Pascoal and Affirmative Modernity: Avant-Garde, Oraliture and Sonic Sovereignty from the Global South”. 2026. Per Musi 27 (October): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2026.63141.