''A Tábua De Esmeralda'' (; The

Emerald Tablet The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table or the ''Tabula Smaragdina'', is a compact and cryptic text traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic period, Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus. The earliest known version ...

) is the 11th studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jorge Ben Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes (born March 22, 1939) is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (). Performing in a samba style that also ...

. It was released in 1974 by

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

. Regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian records, the album is the last project in which Jorge Ben incorporated extensive guitar use.

Themes

The album showcases Ben's interest in

theosophy Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

, and, above all,

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

. Its title refers to the

, a cryptic piece of

Hermetica The ''Hermetica'' are texts attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. These texts may vary widely in content and purpose, but by modern con ...

reputed to contain the secret of the

prima materia In alchemy and philosophy, prima materia, materia prima or first matter (for a philosophical exposition refer to: Prime Matter), is the ubiquitous starting material required for the alchemical magnum opus and the creation of the philosopher' ...

and its transmutation; and its artwork incorporates drawings from

Nicholas Flamel Nicolas Flamel (; 1330 – 22 March 1418) was a French ''écrivain public'', a draftsman of public documents such as contracts, letters, agreements and requests. He and his wife also ran a school that taught this trade. Long after his death, ...

, who was historically immortalized as a great alchemist for his work on the philosopher's stone. Mysticism and alchemy are not the only thematic territories into which Ben ventures however. In the style of ''

Fôrça Bruta ''Fôrça Bruta'' () is the seventh studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Jorge Ben. It was recorded with the Trio Mocotó band and released by Philips Records in September 1970. Conceived at a time of political tension in Br ...

'' and ''

África Brasil ''África Brasil'' is a studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Jorge Ben. It was released in 1976 by Philips Records. The album was recorded in ten days at Phonogram Studios in Rio de Janeiro with a large ensemble of musicians, ...

,'' Ben continues to explore his Afro-Brazilian identity with songs such as “

Zumbi Zumbi ( – November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares (), was a Brazilian quilombola leader and one of the pioneers of resistance to enslavement of Africans by the Portuguese in colonial Brazil. He was also the last of the kings of ...

” and “Menina mulher de pele preta”. More simple, anodyne love songs make an appearance here as well with tracks such as “Eu vou torcer” and “Minha teimosia, uma arma pra te conquistar”. Other lyrics reflect Ben's signature fascination with the esoteric; “O homem da gravata florida” describes the details of a man's strikingly beautiful tie, while “O namorado da viúva” is about the lover of a widow. Although tracks such as these stand out as notably singular in their subject matter, “O homem...” is in fact about

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. H ...

, while “O namorado…” is yet another reference to Nicholas Flamel.

Critical reception

The record was ranked by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

Brazil'' as the sixth greatest Brazilian album of all time,. Mike Wojciechowski from ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

'' considered it Ben's masterpiece.Wojciechowski, Mike
"1974: Jorge Ben Jor - A Tábua de Esmeralda"

Tiny Mixtapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

, November 31, 2011.

Track listing

All tracks written by Jorge Ben, except where noted # "Os alquimistas estão chegando os alquimistas" – 3:15 # "O homem da gravata florida" – 3:05 # "Errare humanum est" – 4:50 # "Menina mulher da pele preta" – 2:57 # "Eu vou torcer" – 3:15 # "Magnólia" – 3:14 # "Minha teimosia, uma arma pra te conquistar" – 2:41 # "

" – 3:31 # "Brother" – 2:54 # "O namorado da viúva" – 2:03 # " Hermes Trismegisto e sua celeste tábua de esmeralda" (Jorge Ben,

Fulcanelli Fulcanelli (fl. 1920s) was the name used by a French alchemist and esoteric writer, whose identity is still debated. The name Fulcanelli seems to be a play on words: Vulcan, the ancient Roman god of fire, plus El, a Canaanite name for God and so ...

, traditional) – 5:30 # "Cinco minutos" – 2:57

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabua de Esmeralda, A 1974 albums Jorge Ben albums Philips Records albums