Sounding the Real Backlands

Abstract

This chapter explores the construction and management of the soundscape of Orós as it relates to Raimundo Fagner and his music. Fagner, who is closely associated with the city, often names it in his songs and in public, employing it as a metonym for the drought-ridden backlands and a source of northeastern authenticity. But in the actual soundscape of Orós, Fagner’s rendering of the city and his own habits of listening collide with the aural aesthetics and needs of the local population. As both an icon and a sometimes-resident of Orós, he expresses, contributes to, and disrupts they city’s soundscape.