Heitor Villa-Lobos

Heitor Villa-Lobos became known as a revolutionary who caused a break with academic music in Brazil. His travels through the interior of the country influenced his compositions. Among them are: "the evening", "Evocation", "Miudinho", "paddlers of San Francisco", "Love Song," "Sentimental Melody", "Gang," "Shango", "Bachianas Brasileiras "" The Song of Uirapuru "," Little Train Grit. "
In 1903, Villa-Lobos finished the basic studies in the Monastery of St. Benedict. I used to join the groups of crying, playing guitar at parties and serenades. He met famous musicians such as Catullus Passion Cearense, Ernesto Nazareth, Anacleto de Medeiros and João Pernambuco.
In the period 1905 to 1912, Villa-Lobos made his famous voyages to the north and northeast. He was impressed with the musical instruments, the rhymes and repentistas. His experiments resulted later in "The Practical Guide", a collection of folk songs for the musical education in schools.
In 1915, Villa-Lobos conducted the first concert with his compositions. At that time, had already composed his first pieces for guitar, "Suite Popular Brasileira", pieces for chamber music, symphonies and ballets "Amazon" and "Uirapuru." Critics considered his concerts too modern. But as it stood at the Rio and Sao Paulo, gained notoriety.
In 1919, he performed in Buenos Aires, with the String Quartet No 2. The week of Modern Art in 1922, agreed to join the three shows at Municpal Theatre of São Paulo, showing, among other works, "features African Dance" and "Impressions of worldly life."
On June 30, 1923, Villa-Lobos traveled to Paris funded by friends and siblings Guinle. With the support of pianist Arthur Rubinstein and soprano Vera Janacópulus, Villa-Lobos was presented to the Parisian artistic milieu and their presentations were a success.
He returned to Brazil in late 1924. In 1927, he returned to Paris with his wife Lucilia Guimarães, to make new concerts and open negotiations with the publisher Max Eschig. Three years later, he returned to Brazil to perform a concert in Sao Paulo. It turned out to present his plan to the Music Education Department of Education of the State of Sao Paulo.
In 1931, the teacher organized a concentration Orfeon called "Civic Exhortation", with 12,000 voices. After two years took over the Superintendency of Artistic and Musical Education. Since then, most of his compositions turned to music education. In 1932, President Vargas made compulsory the teaching of singing in schools and created the School of Education Music and Song. In 1933, the Orchestra was organized Villa-Lobos.
Villa-Lobos presented his education plan in 1936, in Prague and then in Berlin, Paris and Barcelona. He wrote to his wife Lucilia asking the separation, and took his romance with Arminda Neves de Almeida, who became his companion. Back in Brazil, conducted the opera "Colombo" the Centennial of Carlos Gomes and composed the "Brazilian Cycle" and "Discovery of Brazil" to the movie of the same name produced by Humberto Mauro, at the request of Getulio Vargas.
In 1942, when the conductor Leopold Stokowski and The American Youth Orchestra have been nominated by President Roosevelt to visit Brazil Maestro Stokowski concerts held in Rio de Janeiro and Villa-Lobos asked me to select the best samba dancers and musicians, to record Native Brazilian Music Collection. Villa-Lobos met Pixinguinha, Donga, John of Bahia, Top Hat and others who made presentations under his baton and the collection of albums recorded by Columbia Records.
In 1944/45, Villa-Lobos traveled to the United States to govern the orchestras of Boston and New York, where he was honored. In 1945 he founded the Brazilian Academy of Music. Two years before his death, the teacher wrote "Forest of the Amazon" for the soundtrack of a movie from Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Concerts held in Rome, Lisbon, Paris, Israel, and mark a significant presence in Latin American music scene.
Almost living in the U.S. between 1957 and 1959, Villa-Lobos returned to Brazil for the anniversary celebrations of the Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro. With failing health, was admitted for treatment and died in November 1959.