The Brazilian music was influenced by Portuguese, African and indigene music traditions. In 1922, the week of Modern Art caused a musical revolution. With Heitor Villa-Lobos at the top, a group of new composers, who installed element of the Brazilian folklore in their more modern songs, was created. Samba music had found her biggest popularity in the 30er years. The know nest representative of this style direction was Carmen Miranda, who did Brazilian music known in the whole world. In the 1950er years arose the Bossa Nova. This music direction is regarded as the "Brazilian variation of the jazz": it leans at North American jazz, remains embossed from South American and African rhythms, however. The knownest representative and founders of the Bossa Nova is Antônio Carlos Jobim. He get big international success in the 1960th. and the international airport of Rio de Janeiro is called after him. One of the biggest hits of the Bossa Nova in the 60th wrote and sang Sérgio Mendes with - ¨Mas que nada¨. This title later was copied innumerable times. Today, it is belonged predominantly to the Bossa Nova of the older Brazilians.

The Tropicalismo (also Tropicália) was created at the time of the military dictatorship end of the 1960er years. Musically, it is about a mixture from Bossa Nova, Folk and skirt, however, the essential element is a common political consciousness of the artists. Their aversion from the dictatorship and the restriction of their right was reflected in the Tropicalismo. The texts are regime-critically in general and not few musicians had to go into the exile. Important representatives are Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque, that even succeeded their lyrics in handling the censorship and publishing their songs in Brazil. Gilberto Gil practices the office of the culture minister of Brazil since January 2003. His objective is being democratized the access to the culture. He undertakes trips into outlying areas of the country, in order to say the human being there, that they are important bearers of the Brazilian culture.

Contrary to their name, the Música Popular Brasileira has, often abbreviated with MPB, nothing in common, what we understand by Popmusik. The name includes a multiplicity at style directions that take up typical elements from individual regions of the country. In Brazil, MPB is regarded as expression of the musical and national self-image. In this sense, MPB represents a development of the Brazilian folklore to speak.

The probably know nest Brazilian music is the samba. He was created from the music of the African-stocky population and is very rhythm-load-y. It became popular for the samba through the annual carnival in Rio. There, the biggest and most renowned samba schools appear in gigantic parades in the contest about the title of Brazil's" "best samba school.

Música Nordestina is a collective concept for the music from the northeast that possesses an especially large musical variety. Instruments like accordion and guitar are before-ruling. Recife is known for the Frevo that possesses also influences from the military music. Forró is played with drum, triangles and accordion by trios. A more traditionally afro-Brazilian style become play Maracatu, which with big drums, bells and rattles.

A special role as musical impulse plays Salvador Bahia. Since 1949, Afoxé-Blocos take part in the carnival trains that have their roots in the music of the Candomblé and are to be seen also in the context of the afro Brazilian population's movement for independence.

Since the 1980er years, the samba reggae was created in Salvador. Particularly in the regional-typical music directions, instruments of African origin are put into action, so for example the Berimbau, a bow-shaped rhythm instrument with a hollow pumpkin on end, or the Xequerê, a shake instrument equipped with mussels. In the last years, the music direction became Axé generally accepted above all with the teenagers. Axé becomes except in the carnival time, increases and more preferred.The mixture from samba, pagoda and pop is enormously rhythm-emphasized and well dance-devoid. Known groups of the Axé are Ivete Sangalo, Banda Eva, Araketu or Terra samba, Olodum, Daniela Mercury, for example. In the open cafes in Brazil, pagode is primarily played, however.

The public usually is about the 30 or 40 year old. Known groups of the pagode are Exaltasamba, Só Pra Contrariar and Art Popular. Of course, Brazil can offer also a multiplicity of artists, that is known for the most part also in Europe. , In order to name here only some names,: Antonio Carlos Jobim, that wrote over 400 songs, among them classics like "Garotas de Ipanema", Caetano Veloso, that won the Grammy, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Maria Betania, Alcione, Beth Carvalho, Roberto Carlos, Ney Matogrosso, Elba Ramalho, Luiz Gonzaga and many others more. The group Olodum from Salvador introduced their afro-brazilian music on different tours already in Germany. Also the classic music has a long tradition in Brazil. Here, above all the composer Hector Villa-Lobos must be named. Carlos Gomes and Cesar Guerra-Peixe represent modern time style