Alberto Nepomuceno

Alberto Nepomuceno was a Brazilian composer and conductor who was one of the first to incorporate elements of Brazilian folk and popular music into his classical works. He was born in Fortaleza, the capital of the state of Ceará, in 1864. He began to study music with his father, a violinist, organist, and choir director. He moved to Recife in 1872, where he continued his studies of piano and violin. He became an active supporter of the republican and abolitionist movements in Brazil, and participated in the campaigns that led to the end of slavery and the monarchy in 1888 and 1889. He also became the director of the Clube Carlos Gomes, a musical society that promoted Brazilian music. In 1885, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he composed and performed several songs in Portuguese, challenging the dominance of Italian and French languages in Brazilian classical music. He faced criticism and opposition from the conservative musical establishment, but he also gained recognition and admiration from some of his peers. In 1888, he traveled to Europe to further his musical education. He studied in Rome, Berlin, and Paris, where he met influential composers such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Vincent d'Indy, and Edvard Grieg. He married Walborg Bang, a Norwegian pianist and student of Grieg, in 1893, and lived with her in Bergen for a year. He was influenced by Grieg's nationalism and his use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions. He returned to Brazil in 1895, determined to create a distinctive Brazilian musical style. He became the director and professor of the National Institute of Music in Rio de Janeiro, where he encouraged his students to use Portuguese and Brazilian musical elements in their works. He also conducted the Popular Concert Association, where he promoted the works of Brazilian composers. He composed more than 100 works, including symphonies, chamber music, operas, choral works, and songs. He used Brazilian rhythms, melodies, and instruments, such as the cavaquinho, a small guitar-like instrument. He also wrote lyrics in Portuguese, often based on Brazilian poetry. Some of his most notable works are the Série brasileira, a suite for orchestra that depicts different aspects of Brazilian life and culture; the String Quartet No. 3, subtitled "Brasileiro", which incorporates Brazilian folk tunes; and the opera Abul, based on an Arabic legend set in Brazil. He also wrote songs for other singers, such as Francisco de Paula Miranda and Bidu Sayão. He died of pneumonia in Rio de Janeiro in 1920, at the age of 56. He was considered the "Father of Brazilian Music" and a pioneer of Brazilian nationalism in classical music. He influenced many Brazilian composers, such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Mignone, and Camargo Guarnieri. He was honored with several awards and tributes, such as the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts, the naming of a street and a theater in Fortaleza, and the establishment of the Alberto Nepomuceno Foundation.