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| Heitor Villa-lobos |
Born - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
5th March 1887
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Died - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
17th November 1959
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Heitor Villa Lobos began his musical studies at the age of six with his father, a writer and amateur musician. He first played the viola but soon mastered nearly all the orchestral instruments. Villa Lobos, at a very age, began to improvise on popular brazilian melodies, but his first composition was a piece for the guitar entitled 'Panqueca'.
After his father's death, when he was 11 years old, Villa Lobos became almost entirely self-tought in all aspects of music. He began to play the guitar in a small music group called choros, and at the age of 17 played the cello in theatres, cinemas, cabarets, and other small and large orchestras in Rio. At about this time he enrolled in the National Institute of Music. He had intended to study composition but soon found he did not like formal study, and left the institute. For five years he travelled Brazil, studying the music of the people and absorbing the varied landscape and picturesque style of life. He recognised it as something of his own which he would incorporate into all his compositions.
In 1918 Villa Lobos met pianist Artur Rubinstein and composer Darius Milhaud. This meeting, and his love of the music of Debussy, was to influence Villa Lobos to go to Paris, France, in 1923, it was presumed that he was going there to study European music, but he made it known that the was going there to show European musicians what he had done. Paris become excited with his music and the concerts of his music attracted worldwide attention to him. Villa Lobos lived in Paris until 1929 and it was during this period that he met Andres Segovia. The result of their meeting was that Villa Lobos would compose some of the most beautiful music in the contemporary guitar repertory.
Upon his return to Brazil Villa Lobos played an important part in the National campaign to provide general education. In 1932 he was appointed Supervisor and Director of musical instruction and was especially interested in the development of community singing. In recognition of his achievements and instruction in choral singing the Federal Goverment of Brazil in 1943 made him Director of the newly founded Conservatorio Nacional de Canto Orfenico.
Villa Lobos received an impressive number of distinguished honours. In addition to a citation presented to him by the Mayor of New York for distinguished and exceptional service, he was awarded honorary degrees from several universities, was an Officer of the Legion of Honour in France, and an honorary member of the French Institute. He was also an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He was also President of the Brazilian Academy.
During his lifetime Villa Lobos composed around 2,000 works. The best known of his guitar works are his 'Suite Populaire Brasilienne' (written in 1912, published 1955), 'Twelve Guitar Studies' (written in 1929, published 1952), 'Five Preludes' (written in 1940, published in 1954) and his 'Concerto For Guitar And Orchestra' which was written in 1951.
Compotitons Villa Lobos:
Chôros
Main article: Chôros
Introduction aux chôros (Introdução aos chôros): Ouverture, for guitar and orchestra (1929)
No. 1 for guitar (1920)
No. 2 for flute & clarinet (1921)
No. 3 ("Pica-páo") for male chorus &/or wind septet (clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, 3 horns & trombone) (1925)
No. 4 for 3 horns & trombone (1926)
No. 5 for piano (1926) "Alma brasileira"
No. 6 for orchestra (1926)
No. 7 ("Settimino") for flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, violin & cello, with hidden tam-tam (1924)
No. 8 for large orchestra & 2 pianos (1925)
No. 9 for orchestra (1929)
No. 10 ("Rasga o coração") for chorus & orchestra (1925)
No. 11 for piano & orchestra (1928)
No. 12 for orchestra (1929)
No. 13 for band & 2 orchestras (1929) (lost)
No. 14 for orchestra, band & chorus (1928) (lost)
Chôros bis, for violin & cello (1928)
Bachianas Brasileiras
Main article: Bachianas Brasileiras
No. 1 for orchestra of cellos (1932)
No. 2 for chamber orchestra (1933)
No. 3 for piano and orchestra (1934)
No. 4 for piano (1930–40, orchestrated in 1942)
No. 5 for voice and orchestra of cellos (1938/1945)
No. 6 for flute and bassoon (1938)
No. 7 for orchestra (1942)
No. 8 for orchestra (1944)
No. 9 for chorus or string orchestra (1944)
Concertos and other works for soloist and orchestra
Piano
Suite for Piano and Orchestra (1913)
Momoprécoce, fantasy for piano and orchestra (1921)
Chôros no. 11 for piano & orchestra (1928)
Piano Concerto no. 1 (1945)
Piano Concerto no. 2 (1948)
Piano Concerto no. 3 (1952–57)
Piano Concerto no. 4 (1952)
Piano Concerto no. 5 (1954)
Cello
Cello Concerto no. 1 (1915)
Fantasy for cello and orchestra (1946)
Cello Concerto no. 2 (1953)
Bassoon
Ciranda das Sete Notas for bassoon and string orchestra (1933)
Saxophone
Fantasia for soprano saxophone and string orchestra (1948)
Guitar
Guitar Concerto (1951)
Harp
Harp Concerto (1953)
Harmonica
Harmonica Concerto (1955)
Symphonies
No. 1 O Imprevisto, The Unforeseen (1920)
No. 2 Ascensão, The Ascension (1917)
No. 3 A Guerra, The War (1919)
No. 4 A Vitória, The Victory (1919)
No. 5 A Paz, The Peace (1920) (lost)
No. 6 Montanhas do Brasil, The Mountains of Brazil (1944)
No. 7 (1945)
No. 8 (1950)
No. 9 (1951)
No. 10 Amerindia / Sumé Pater Patrium (1952)
No. 11 (1955)
No. 12 (1957)
Other orchestral works
Amazonas, ballet (1917)
Uirapuru, symphonic poem (1917)
Erosão (Erosion), symphonic poem (1950)
Emperor Jones, a ballet (1956)
Mandu-Carará, Profane Cantata (1940)
O Martirio dos Insetos (The Martyrdom of the Insects), for violin and orchestra (1925)
O Papagaio do Moleque, The Guttersnipe's Kite, a symphonic episode (1932).
Chamber music
Trio for piano and strings no. 1 (1911)
Sonate-fantaisie no. 1 for violin and piano, "Désespérance" [Despair] (1913)
Sonate-fantaisie no. 2 for violin and piano (1914)
Trio for piano and strings no. 2 (1915)
Sexteto mistico [Mystical Sextet], for flute, oboe, saxophone, harp, celesta and guitar (1917)
Trio for piano and strings no. 3 (1918)
Sonata for violin and piano no. 3 (1920)
Quartet Impressões da vida mundana [Impressions of Everyday Life], for flute, harp, saxophone, celesta, female voices (1921)
Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1922)
Nonetto, Impressão rápida de todo o Brasil, [A Rapid Impression of All of Brazil] (1923)
Quintette en forme de chôros (1928)
Distribuição de Flores, [Distribution of Flowers], for flute and guitar (1932).
Trio for violin, viola and cello (1945)
Assobio a Jato [the Jet Whistle], for flute and Cello (1950)
Fantaisie concertante for piano, clarinet and bassoon (1953)
Duo for Oboe and Bassoon (1957)
String quartets
No. 1 (1915)
No. 2 (1915)
No. 3 (1917)
No. 4 (1917)
No. 5 (1931)
No. 6 (1938)
No. 7 (1942)
No. 8 (1944)
No. 9 (1945)
No. 10 (1946)
No. 11 (1948)
No. 12 (1950)
No. 13 (1951)
No. 14 (1953)
No. 15 (1954)
No. 16 (1955)
No. 17 (1957)
No. 18 (unfinished)
Operas/musicals
Izaht (1914)
Magdalena (1948)
Yerma (1955)
Daughter of the Clouds (1957)
Ballets
Uirapuru (1917)
Dança da terra (1939)
Ruda (1951)
Genesis (1954)
Emperor Jones (1956)
Film music
Descobrimento do Brasil (1938)
Green Mansions (1959) (adapted as the concert work Forests of the Amazon)
Piano solo
Ibericarabe (1914)
Suite Infantil
Suite floral (1918)
A Prole do Bebê nº 1 (1918)
A Lenda do Caboclo (1920)
A Prole do Bebê nº 2 (1922)
Sul America (1925)
16 Cirandas (1926)
Francette et Pià (1932)
Valsa da dor (1932)
As Três Marias
Ciclo brasileiro (1936–37)
Plantio do caboclo, The Peasant's Sowing
Impressões seresteiras, The Impressions of a Serenade Musician
Festa no sertão, The Fete in the Desert
Dança do Índio Branco, The Dance of the White Indian
Rudepoêma (1921–26)
Guitar solo
Choro No.1 (1920)
Suite Populaire Bresilienne (1908–1912), 1.Mazurka-Choro 2.Schottish-Choro 3.Valsa-Choro 4.Gavotta-Choro 5.Chorinho
Douze Etudes (1929)
Cinq Preludes (1940)
Recordings
Villa-Lobos par lui-même (EMI Classics) ASIN B000002SBL
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras [1] (EMI Classics) ASIN B00000GCAG
Villa-Lobos plays Villa-Lobos (SCSH 010, SanCtuS Recordings) ASIN B00000AFEV (audio)
A database of currently available Villa-Lobos recordings
