The styles we chose to compose in are all Brazilian. But what exactly is the bow?
 

The bow is the violin’s — and the rabeca’s — essential counterpart. It’s what makes them part of the bowed string family. A lot of people call it the “stick,” but technically the stick is just the wooden part of the bow. It’s curved and strung with horsehair (from the tail), which grips the strings thanks to rosin.* That grip makes it scrape the strings and set them vibrating.

The bow is what allows these instruments to resemble the human voice and to stand apart from other string instruments. It’s the growl, the breath that makes the vocal cords vibrate — it’s the bellows of the accordion. Different bows change the instrument’s tone color and can give you more agility or more projection.

Violin bows, like violins themselves, follow a standardized model. They’re basically the same size and almost the same shape. Rabeca bows follow the same spirit of freedom as the instrument: all kinds of wood, shapes (more curved or straighter), lengths, weights (heavy, light) — each one shaping the sound in its own way. And in rabeca bows, horsehair is often replaced by nylon or even plant fiber.
 

We chose the title “Arcos Brasileiros” (Brazilian Bows) because people often question the differences between the violin and the rabeca. Our wish is to present a body of work that places both instruments on the same level, moving beyond potential prejudice (on either side). We wanted to highlight what they share: the bow — the voice of a Brazilian popular violin that can also be called a rabeca.
 

On a more symbolic level, people often talk about “narrative arcs.” In that sense, we can see this project — as a whole and in each piece — as a narrative linking history and tradition to creativity and innovation. With this project, we hope to contribute in our own way and become part of this larger “Brazilian arc.”
 

*Rosin is a solid tree resin (from pine). When rubbed onto the horsehair (or fiber or nylon), it creates a sticky white powder that allows the bow to grip the string. Without rosin, the bow just slides and produces no sound. That’s why you shouldn’t touch the hair — it replaces the powder with grease or dirt.