Essential Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) is a giant figure in Brazilian classical music. This staggeringly prolific and original composer once said, "The map of Brazil was my harmony textbook" – and, indeed, he took inspiration from the diverse elements of his nation’s culture.
Read more…Villa-Lobos grew up in a musical household and learned to play the cello, clarinet and guitar. He travelled throughout Brazil extensively as a young man – including trips deep into the Amazon starting when he was just 18 – hungrily absorbing Portuguese, African and Amerindian musical traditions. And, like many budding composers, he also spent time soaking up the latest trends in Paris. Villa-Lobos synthesized these various influences, and his music is itself incredibly varied, encompassing simple tunefulness as well as teeming complexity. He once described his music as being "natural, like a waterfall," and music did seem to flow through him with almost physical force. He composed so much – well over 1,000 works – that some 60 years after his death, much of it remains unexplored. He wrote 12 symphonies, 17 string quartets, symphonic poems, operas, and ballets. He also created new forms like the Chôros (based on the improvisatory style of Brazilian street musicians) and the Bachianas Brasileiras (a Brazilian-flavored homage to Bach). And, on top of this, Villa-Lobos somehow found the time to establish Brazil’s extensive music education system.