South America’s leading 20th-century composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 5, 1887. He received his early musical education from his father, who taught him to play the cello. Villa-Lobos later studied the cello at music college and became proficient on the guitar—these two instruments feature largely in his compositions.
Although Villa-Lobos’ father intended his son to train for a career in the medical profession, the young composer was far more interested in exploring the popular music of Brazil and other countries. In 1905, and again in 1912, he made extensive field trips throughout Brazil collecting native folk songs. In between, he attended the National Institute of Music, but could never harness his lively temperament to the disciplines of harmony and composition.
Later, Villa-Lobos received his introduction to 20th-century French music (in particular, that of Les Six) through his friendship with Darius MILHAUD, who was the French cultural attaché to Brazil from 1916 to 1918. At around this time, he also met the pianist Artur RUBINSTEIN, who became a champion of his music. From 1923 to 1930, Villa-Lobos travelled widely in Europe, including London, Vienna, Berlin, Lisbon, and Paris, where his works received their strongest support. He was also introduced to African music while visiting Dakar in Senegal.
In 1930, Villa-Lobos was appointed director of music education in São Paulo, Brazil, and in 1932 he became superintendent of music and art education in Rio de Janeiro. He established a conservatory in Rio de Janeiro that became the centre for instrumental teaching in Brazil, but his chief interest remained his mission to bring Brazilian folk music into the schools. In 1944, he visited the United States, conducting his own music in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, and in 1949 he returned to Europe, but Rio remained his home.
Villa-Lobos was largely self-taught, following on from his father’s early encouragement, and this allowed him a large measure of creative freedom. His musical style draws on a wide range of influences, notably Brazilian folk song, but also the music of Les Six, Impressionism, and jazz. He was never a mere copyist, however. Being stimulated by the folk tradition of his country, he could write in its style without ever plagiarising.
A prolific writer, Villa-Lobos was credited with more than 2,000 compositions. His work tended to be uneven in quality, but his best work has a freshness and energy that celebrates the vigour of his country.
In addition to being a composer, Villa-Lobos was also a virtuoso performer on the guitar and wrote many pieces for it, including Etudes (1929), Preludes (1940), and a Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (1952). For mixed ensembles, he wrote nine important works called Bachianas Brasileiras, the name echoing the affinity he felt for the music of J. S. Bach. No. 1 for eight cellos (1930), and No. 5 for soprano and eight cellos (1938–45) are the best known. Inspiration came from meeting Les Six and Erik SATIE in the 1920s, and resulted in a synthesis of Baroque and Brazilian music.
Villa-Lobos wrote a series of works for mixed ensembles called Choros. Of interest are No. 13, for two orchestras and band, and No. 14, for orchestra, band, and chorus. Among the most impressive of his other works are his 1928 Woodwind Quintet, the song cycle Serestas (1925), and the 1939 piano piece, The New York Skyline Melody, written for the New York World’s Fair.
When Villa-Lobos died in Rio on November 17,1959, his funeral was attended by the president and other national dignitaries—a tribute to his stature in his native land.
Richard Trombley
SEE ALSO: FOLK MUSIC; IMPRESSIONISM IN MUSIC; SIX, LES; VOCAL AND CHORAL MUSIC.
FURTHER READING
Tarasti, Eero. Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Life and Works, 1887–1959 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1995);
Wright, Simon. Villa-Lobos (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Bachianas brasileiras; Chôros; Guitar Concerto; Hommage à Chopin; Momoprecoce; Suite populaire brésilienne.