This album, "Saudade," was inspired by a concert of Latin American music in June 2009 and produced with support from the Brazilian embassy in Berlin.
Composer Biography
José Maurício Nunes Garcia, a cleric from Rio de Janeiro and son of freed slaves, became a highly renowned organist despite starting music late in life.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Heitor Villa-Lobos, one of Brazil's most famous composers, created a unique musical language by incorporating popular Brazilian music and indigenous cultural elements.
Historical Context
Many early Brazilian composers were Mestizos, descendants of slave workers, who saw music and the priesthood as a way to integrate into society.
Composer Biography
Nunes Garcia was appointed director of the royal courtly chapel in Rio de Janeiro, but lost the position due to resistance from clerics and musicians against a Mestizo in such a high role.
Historical Context
The history of classical music in Brazil began with choirs in Baroque churches, as new churches and growing communities needed music.
Cultural Impact
The Semana de Arte Moderna (week of modern art) in 1922 São Paulo was the first movement to consciously present a Brazilian art, a century after Brazil's independence.
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