Seresta is a traditional Brazilian music style from the first half of the 20th century. The musician who plays seresta is called a seresteiro.[1]
In the 1960s, the Museum of Seresta and Serenata (Portuguese: Museu da Seresta e da Serenata) opened in Valença, Rio de Janeiro. The municipality also hosts events like the "Seresteiros Festival".[1]
Seresta music can be purely instrumental or accompanied by singing.[2]
Seresta is characterized by the amorous and nostalgic atmosphere of a Brazilian serenade with tempo variations. It is common for the genre to alternate between a sequential, expressive, and sentimental melody and a lively waltz with metrical ambiguity.[3] Seresta is played with instruments like bandolin, acoustic guitar, accordion, flute, and cavaquinho and has a romantic thematic.[1]