The Limits of Documentary Sources: From Mangueira’s “Samba-Enredo” 2019 to the Official Discourse on Orpheonic Singing

Abstract

This work is a scientific essay based on bibliographic and documentary research that seeks to analyze issues involved in the use of documentary sources in music and educational research of historical character. Starting by questioning the status of absolute reliability often conferred to historical documents, we discuss how even authentic and legitimate sources are exposed to external influences – most notably those related to the political and ideological context of their production, dissemination, and updating. Such influences affect the content of the data contained in those documents, even characterizing them in a way to support and legitimize a given interpretation of events. Based on a series of examples from diverse research studies on topics in the area of music, particularly the experience of Orpheonic singing during the Vargas era, we analyze how narratives are elaborated based on documentary sources, supporting an official discourse that does not contemplate the complexity of historical events and excludes divergent interpretations. The conclusion points to the need for discernment and investigative effort by the researcher to contextualize sources, while always questioning the circumstances under which the work was produced, as well as understanding the logic behind the various interpretations of its content and its role in the construction of historical narratives.

Keywords

• pesquisa documental. canto orfeônico. era vargas. discurso.