Sheet Music: Tico-Tico no Fubá

TitleTico-Tico no Fubá
Alternate titlesTico-Tico no Farelo
ComposerZequinha de Abreu (1880–1935)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyA minor
RangeA4–G6
Time signature2/4
Tempo116 BPM
Performance time1:25
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (66 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (678 kB)
Date added2010-05-16
Last updated2019-06-25
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 16.1 (extremely popular)
Categories
Choros, Latin American, Show-off pieces

Performances

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Sunday 16 May 2010

Tune of the Day: Tico-Tico no Fubá

Popular Brazilian tune

This well-known Brazilian piece was composed by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. It is a choro, or chorinho (literally meaning “little lament”), a popular instrumental style born in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. Tico-tico is the name of a bird (to be precise, the rufous-collared sparrow), while fubá is a type of maize flour. Hence, “Tico-Tico no Fubá” means “Tico-Tico on the Cornmeal”.

The piece was recorded and made popular internationally by Carmen Miranda, who performed it in the 1947 film Copacabana. Another well-known recording was made by Miss Ethel Smith on the Hammond organ, and appeared in the 1944 film Bathing Beauty.