Pop Show! Popular Music in "Banda Filarmonica" Repertory in Portugal

Popular music arrangements have played a significant role in the adaptation of "bandas filarmonicas" - amateur bands of mixed wind and percussion instruments to the cultural changes taking place in the wake of the 25th April 1974 Revolution and Portugal's entry into the European Union in 1986. Musicians acknowledge Amilcar Morais's Pop Show No 1 (1974) as a groundbreaking piece that ushered in new approaches to arranging and repertory and revived the popularity of bands among younger musicians. This study also raises broader questions about how "bandas filarmonicas" have responded to a globalized popular music industry and the importance of non-mediated forms of music making to the dissemination of popular music.