Heitor Villa-Lobos

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)

Heitor Villa-Lobos was born in 1887 and died in 1959. He was also a Brazilian who composed. He is among one of the important musicians in Brazilian art music. He had international influence and creative styles. His father taught him how to play the cello which he then favored. After his father passed away he began exploring other instruments. That second instrument he picked up was the guitar. 

Villa-Lobos taught himself a lot of what he knew. To make his mother happy he went to study medicine but that did not last long because he was no interested in that subject. In 1913 he married Lucilia Guimaraes who was a pianist. Even though they divorced in 1936, they still had a close relationship. The concert that he was all about his pieces took place in 1915.  He worked in Parangua in 1908 for a business firm, but whenever he wasn’t working he was playing his instruments. In 1931 he made his String Quarter #5.

Bibliography:

Gerard Béhague. "Villa-Lobos, Heitor." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 11 Mar. 2012 <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/29373>.

Frey, Dean. 2012.“Heitor Villa-Lobos Website”. http://www.villalobos.ca/Accessed on March 11,2012.

Discography:

Danças características africanas (1914–15)

Prole do bebê nos.1 and 2 (1918, 1921)

Carnaval das crianças brasileiras (1919–20)

Sexteto místico (1917)

the woodwind Trio (1921)

the first four string quartets the song cycle Epigramas irônicos e sentimentais (1921–3)

the first five symphonies and the ballets Uirapuru (1917)

Amazonas (1917)

Nonento (1923)

Cirandas (1926)

Rudepoema (1927)

Bachianas brasileiras no.1 (1930)

Dramatic

Femina (op), c1908

Aglai (op, 2), 1909

Elisa (op, 1), 1910

Untitled ‘comédia lírica’ (3, O.F. Machado), 1911

Izath (op, 4, A. Júnior, Villa-Lobos), 1912–14, concert perf., Rio de Janeiro, Municipal, 6 April 1940; staged Rio de Janeiro, Municipal, 13 Dec 1958

Amazonas (ballet), 1917, Paris, 30 May 1929

Uirapuru (ballet), 1917, Buenos Aires, Colón, 25 May 1935

Jesus (op, 3, G. de Andrade), 1918, MS frag.

Zoé (op, 3, R. Viana), 1920, MS frag. [perc part]

3 Malazarte (op, 3, G. Aranha), 1921

Possessão (ballet), 1929, Oslo, 1929

Caixinha de boas festas (children's ballet), 1932, Rio de Janeiro, 23 Nov 1932

Pedra Bonita (ballet), 1933, Rio de Janeiro, Municipal, 1933

Descobrimento do Brasil (film score, dir. H. Mauro), 1937

Rudá (ballet), 1951, Paris, 30 Aug 1954

A menina das nuvens (aventura musical, 3, L. Benedetti), 1952–8, Rio de Janeiro, Municipal, 29 Nov 1960

Gênesis (ballet), 1954, Rio de Janeiro, 21 Nov 1969

Yerma (op, 4, after F.G. Lorca), 1955–6, Santa Fe, 12 Aug 1971

Emperor Jones (ballet, after E. O'Neill), 1956, Ellenville, 12 July 1956

Green Mansions (film score, after W.H. Hudson), 1958

Perpetual (op, 1, E. Terry), inc.

Amerindia (op, after D. Vasconellos), inc.

Vocal-orchestral

Vidapura (Missa oratória), chorus, orch, 1919; Chôros no.10, chorus, orch, 1926; Chôros no.14, chorus, band, orch, 1928; Suite sugestiva (O. de Andrade, R. Chalput, M. Bandeira), 1v, orch, 1929; Mandu-çarará, chorus incl. children's vv, orch, 1940; Invocação em defesa da pátria (M. Bandeira, Villa-Lobos), 1v, chorus, orch, 1943; Sym. no.10 ‘Sumé pater patrium’, T, Bar, B, chorus, orch, 1952; Mag alleluia, 1v, chorus, orch, 1958; see also orchestral [Descobrimento do Brasil, 1937] and solo vocal [orchd songs]

Choral

Qt (Impressões da vida mundana), female vv, fl, sax, hp, cel, 1921; Noneto (Impressão rápida de todo o Brasil), chorus, fl, ob, cl, sax, bn, hp, perc, 1923; Chôros no.3 (Picapau), male vv, cl, sax, bn, 3 hn, 1925; Missa São Sebastião, 3vv, 1937; Bachianas brasileiras no.9, chorus/str orch, 1945; Bendita sabedoria (Lat. Bible), 6vv, 1958; other works incl. 35 sacred a cappella pieces, 1905–52

Educational: Guia prático, 137 children's songs, 1932; Distribuição de flores, girl's vv, fl, vn/gui, 1937; Solfejos, 2 vols., 1939, 1945; Canto orfeônico, 2 vols., 1940, 1950; a few other pieces

Orchestral

with soloists: Vc Conc. no.1, 1913; Suite, pf, orch, 1913; Chôros no.8, 2 pf, orch, 1925; Chôros no.11, pf, orch, 1928; introduction to the Chôros, gui, orch, 1929; Momoprecoce fantasy, pf, orch, 1929; Ciranda das sete notas, fantasy, bn, orch, 1933; Bachianas brasileiras no.3, pf, orch, 1938; Pf Conc. no.1, 1945; Fantasia, vc, orch, 1945; Pf Conc. no.2, 1948; Fantasia, sax, chbr orch, 1948; Gui Conc., 1951; Pf Conc. no.3, 1952–7; Pf Conc. no.4, 1952; Vc Conc. no.2, 1953; Hp Conc., 1953; Pf Conc. no.5, 1954; Harmonica Conc., 1955–6

Other: Elégie, 1915; Myremis, sym. poem, 1916; Naufrágio de Kleônicos, sym. poem, 1916; Sinfonietta no.1, 1916; Sym. no.1 ‘O imprevisto’, 1916; Tédio de Alvorada, sym. poem, 1916; Amazonas, sym. poem, 1917 [from ballet]; Sym. no.2 ‘Ascenção’, 1917; Uirapuru, tone poem, 1917; Dança frenética, 1919; Sym. no.3 ‘A guerra’, 1919; Sym. no.4 ‘A vitória’, 1919; Sym. no.5 ‘A Paz’, 1920, lost; Dança dos mosquitos, 1922; Fantasia de movimentos mistos, 1922; Verde Velhice, divertimento, 1922; Chôros no.6, 1926

Chôros no.9, 1929; Chôros no.12, 1929; Chôros no.13, 2 orchs, band, 1929; Bachianas brasileiras no.2 (O trenzinho do Caipira), 1930; Bachianas brasileiras no.4, pf/orch, 1930–36; Caixinha de boas festas, 1932 [from ballet]; O papagaio do Moleque, episódio sinfônico, 1932; Descobrimento do Brasil, 4 suites, no.4 with chorus, 1937 [from film score]; Saudade da juventude, suite, 1940

Bachianas brasileiras no.7, 1942; Bachianas brasileiras no.8, 1944; Sym. no.6, 1944; Bachianas brasileiras no.9, chorus/str orch, 1945; Madona, sym. poem, 1945; Sym. no.7, 1945; Sinfonietta no.2, 1947; Erosão (Origem do rio Amazonas), 1950; Sym. no.8, 1950; Sym. no.9, 1952; Dawn in a Tropical Forest, ov., 1953; Odisséia de uma raça, 1953; Sym. no.11, 1955; Sym. no.12, 1957; Fantasia, wind, 1958; Fantasia concertante, at least 32 vc, 1958; Conc. grosso, wind, 1959; 2 suites, chbr orch, 1959

8 religious/solemn marches, 1905–52

Chamber

Str qts: no.1, 1915; no.2, 1915; no.3, 1916; no.4, 1917; no.5, 1931; no.6, 1938; no.7, 1941; no.8, 1944; no.9, 1945; no.10, 1946; no.11, 1947; no.12, 1950; no.13, 1951; no.14, 1953; no.15, 1954; no.16, 1955; no.17, 1957

Other works for 3 or more insts: Pf Trio no.1, 1911; Trio, fl, vc, pf, 1913; Pf Trio no.2, 1915; Sexteto místico, fl, ob, sax, hp, cel, gui, 1917; Pf Trio no.3, 1918; Trio, ob, cl, bn, 1921; Chôros no.7 (Settiminio), fl, ob, cl, sax, bn, gong, vn, vc, 1924; Chôros no.4, 3 hn, trbn, 1926; Qt, fl, ob, cl, bn, 1928; Quinteto em forma de chôros, fl, ob, cl, eng hn/hn, bn, 1928; Bachianas brasileiras no.1, at least 8 vc, 1930; Corrupio, bn, str qnt, 1933; Str. trio, 1945; Divagação, vc, pf, drum ad lib, 1946; Fantasia concertante, cl, bn, pf, 1953; Qnt, fl, vn, va, vc, hp, 1957

Works for 2 insts: Pequena suite, vc, pf, 1913; Prelude, vc, pf, 1913; Sonhar, vn/vc, pf, 1914; Berceuse, vn/vc, pf, 1915; Capriccio, vn/vc, pf, 1915; Improviso, vn, pf, 1915; Sonata no.1 (Fantasia), vn, pf, 1915; Sonata no.2 (Fantasia), vn, pf, 1915; Sonata no.1, vc, pf, 1915; Elégie, vn/vc, pf, 1916; Sonata no.2, vc, pf, 1916; Sonata no.3, vn, pf, 1920; Sonata no.4, vn, pf, 1923; Chôros no.2, fl, cl, 1924, Martírio dos insetos, vn, pf, 1925; 2 choros bis, vn, vc, 1928; Bachianas brasileiras no.6, fl, bn, 1938; Duo, vn, vc, 1946; Assobio a Jato, fl, vc, 1950; Duo, ob, bn, 1957

Gui: Suite popular brasileira, 1908–12; Chôros no.1, 1920; 12 Etudes, 1929; 5 Preludes, 1940

Solo vocal

for 1v, pf unless otherwise stated

Miniaturas (B. Lopes, S. Romero, A. Barreto, A. Guimarães, L. Guimarães Filho, A.M.C. de Oliveira), 6 songs, 1912–17; 3 canções indígenas (M. de Andrade, Brazilian Indian), 1930; Canções típicas brasileiras, 13 folksong arrs., 1919–35; Historietas (Ribeiro Couto, R. de Carvalho, M. Bandeira, A. Samain), 6 songs, 1920; Epigramas irônicos e sentimentais (Carvalho), 8 songs, 1921–3, orchd; Poème de l’enfant et de sa mère (Villa-Lobos), 1v, fl, cl, vc, 1923; Suite, 1v, vn, 1923; Serestas (A. Moreyra, Bandeira, O. Mariano, D. Milano, Carvalho, C. Drummond de Andrade, A. Renault, D. Nasser, Ribeiro Couto, P. Vasconcellos), 14 songs, 1923–43, 12 orchd

3 poemas indígenas (Brazilian Indian, M. de Andrade), 1926, orchd; 2 vocalises-études, 1929; Modinhas e canções, series 1 (Gil Vicente, V. Corrêa, S. Salema, trad.), 7 songs, 1933–43; Modinhas e canções, series 2, 6 children's songs, 1943, orchd; Poema do Itabira (Drummond de Andrade), 1943, orchd; Canções de cordialidade (Bandeira), 5 songs, 1945, orchd, arr. chorus; Bachianas brasileiras no.5, S, at least 8 vc, 1938–45; Samba clássico (Villa-Lobos), ode, 1950, orchd

60 other songs, 1899–1958; sacred songs

Piano

Brinquedo de Roda, 6 pieces, 1912; Petizada, 6 pieces, 1912; Suite infantil no.1, 1912; Suite infantil no.2, 1913; Danças características africanas, 1914–15; Suite floral, 3 pieces, 1917–18; Simples coletânea, 3 pieces, 1917–19; Prole do bebê no.1, 8 pieces, 1918; Histórias da Carochinha, 4 pieces, 1919; Carnaval das crianças brasileiras, 8 pieces, 1919–20; 2 dances, 1920 [from op Zoé]; Lenda do Caboclo, 1920; A Fiandeira, 1921

Prole do bebê no.2, 10 pieces, 1921; Rudepoema, 1921–6; Chôros no.5 (Alma brasileira), 1925; Cirandinhas, 12 pieces, 1925; Cirandas, 16 pieces, 1926; Saudades das selvas brasileiras, 1927; Francette et Piá, 10 pieces, no.10 duet, 1929; Bachianas brasileiras no.4, pf/orch, 1930–36; Caixinha de música quebrada, 1931; Ciclo brasileiro, 4 pieces, 1936; Poema singelo, 1938; New York Sky Line Melody, 1939; As tres Marias, 1939; Hommage à Chopin, 1949

MSS in Museu Villa-Lobos, Rio de Janeiro

Information Found at: Oxford Music Online (2012)