A Study of Selected Choral Works of Heitor Villa-Lobos

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Copyright
by
Patricia Fleitas-Gonzalez
1996
A STUDY OF SELECTED CHORAL WORKS
of
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
Approved by
Dissertation Committee:
Carroll Gonzo
•onald Grantham
Dougjpss Gregjy^-.
/G raq/ella Cru&-Taura
of
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
*>y
Patricia Fleitas-Gonzalez, B.A., M.S., M.M.
TREATISE
Presented to the Graduate School of
The University of Texas at Austin
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

August, 1996
UMI Number: 9705997
Copyright 1996 by
Fleitas-Gonzalez, Patricia
All rights reserved.
UMI Microform 9705997

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Dedication
This treatise is dedicated with great love and appreciation to the memory of my
father whose unconditional love and encouragement, in partnership with my
mother, inspired me to attain my educational goals; to my husband, Josd R.
Gonzdlez, for his loving support and inspiring confidence; to my step-son Bobby
for his spontaneous love and joy; and, my aunt, Iraida, cousin, Mati, and all other
members of my family whose love and significance in my life have eased and
enriched the path to my achievements.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank God for the many doors that He opened for me to accomplish this
D.M.A. with the completion of this treatise. Many have been His blessings
throughout my life and that of family and friends who have generously given of
themselves to support me throughout my educational endeavors has also been His
work in action. My sincere gratitude to all of them. Although time and space
prevents me from listing each of them individually, it would be remiss not to
mention those to whom I am directly grateful for their assistance with this
document.
I thank Dr. Morris J. Beachy, my mentor and teacher of twenty years for
his continual support, encouragement, and inspiration. I am indebted to him for
the journey of musical excellence which I have experienced under his tutelage.
He taught me the true meaning of continuously striving for excellence in choral
music. A very special thank you must also be made to Dr. John Grubbs for the
years of academic inspiration and stimulation, and for his invaluable collaboration
with Dr. Beachy in guiding me through the preparation of this treatise. Special
thanks are also due to the following people: my consultants in this project. Dr.
David P. Appleby, retired professor from Eastern Illinois University, and Alfred
Heller, D. Mus., whose expertise and scholarship on the music of Villa-Lobos,
guidance, and generous assistance were vital throughout this task; Dr. Carroll
Gonzo for his guidance when I first started in the doctoral program, for his
practical advice in music education, and simply for his continuous assistance and
selflessness throughout the years; Dr. Stuart Glazer, Chair of the Music
Department at Florida Atlantic University, for his supportive counsel in this
project and for his support throughout my tenure at Florida Atlantic University as
Director of Choral Activities; Dr. Graciella Cruz-Taura, Assistant Professor of
History, Florida Atlantic University, for agreeing to be a member of my
committee regardless of the difficulties that being out-of-state have presented;
the other members of my doctoral committee, Dr. Donald Grantham and Dr.
Douglass Green for their time and support; and Dr. Hanns-Bertold Dietz for his
professional advise and for his support on the completion of this project.
Finally, I thank my friends Mike and Sally Brown for their assistance
concerning computer use. To Marie Reithler-Barros I extend my appreciation for
her valuable assistance with translations from the Portuguese. To all my students
throughout the last twenty years I extend my heartfelt gratitude for giving me the
opportunity to learn and grow with them.
vi
of
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
Publication No._____________
Patricia Fleitas-Gonzdlez, D.M.A.
The University of Texas at Austin, 1996
Co-Supervisor. Morris J. Beachy
Co-Supervison John Grubbs
Over 150 choral works composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos were studied.
These works served as the primary source for identifying the salient stylistic
characteristics Villa-Lobos employed within the choral genre. The purpose of this
study is to introduce eighteen pieces which represent a broad span of the
composer's productive years and the Villa-Lobos choral style. All the pieces
discussed are accessible and desirable for performance.
Following a biographical chapter, a general description, background
information, and interpretive suggestions are provided for each of the eighteen
works. While twelve pieces discussed in Chapter Two still are of a shorter nature,
vii
they are useful in identifying Villa-Lobos' compositional characteristics. The
pieces included are: Ave Maria, Preces Sem Palavras, As Costureiras, O
Trenzinho, Canide loune-Sabath, Xango, Estrela e Lua Nova, Jaquibau, Bazzum,
O Canto do Page, Duas Lendas Amerindias. and Fuga. Six more extended works
are included in Chapter Three: Missa Sao Sebastian, Magnificat-Alleluia, Bendita
Sabedoria, Chorus, No. 3, Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9, and Regosijo de Uma
Raga. The Appendices include a General Language Pronunciation Guide for
Portuguese and an expanded listing of choral works by Villa-Lobos.
The choral music of Heitor Villa-Lobos can be categorized into two major
headings: (I) music for the concert hall, and (2) music for public school
education. However, overlapping of the two does occur. Styles discussed
include: (I) a Euro-Brazilian duality, and (2) a combination of "Amerindian,
African, and European" idioms. His music does not adhere to conventional forms
or to the traditional norms of functional analysis.
It is the desire of the author that the efforts of this study will contribute to
a greater understanding of Villa-Lobos' choral music as a valuable and accessible
repertoire for the purpose of performance as well as for choral music education.
His music embodies a style that presents musical and cultural challenges for
conductors and choral ensembles but also most worthy of holding a prominent
place in present-day concerts, especially in an era and society which actively
attempt to cultivate and promote multicultural education.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE 1
Biographical Background............................................................................................. I
CHAPTER TWO 16
Selected Works Representing Choral Compositional Techniques....................... 16

Ave M aria ......................................................................................................... 24
General Description and Background...................................................24
Interpretive Considerations and Suggestions....................................... 28
Preces Sent Palavras
General Description and Background...................................................32
Interpretive Considerations and Suggestions........................................33
Ar Costureiras
General Description and Background................................................... 36
O Trenzinho
Canide loune-Sabath
Xango
Estrela e Lua Nova
ix
Jaquibau
General Description and Background.................................................... 53
Interpretive Considerations and Suggestions.........................................54
Bazzum
O Canto do Page
Duas Lendas Amerindias
Introduction...............................................................................................64
I. O lurupari e o Menino..............................................................64
General Description and Background................................. 64
II. lurupari e o Cagador ...............................................................65
General Description and Background................................. 65
Fuga
CHAPTER THREE 70
Extended Works: An Introduction............................................................................70

Missa S&o Sebastiao
Magnifxcal-Alleluia
Bendita Sabedoria
Choros, No. 3
Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9
Regosijo de Uma Raga
APPENDIX A 98
Bibliographical Data for Selected W orks....................................................... 99
Single Pieces............................................................................................ 99
Collections.............................................................................................. 103
APPENDIX B 104
General Guidelines for the Pronunciation of Portuguese............................ 105
BIBLIOGRAPHY 109
VITA
xi
CHAPTER ONE
Biographical Background
Considero a musica, em principio, como um indispensdvel alimento da

alma humana, elemento e fator impoderaveis k educaâo do carater da
juventrude1 (I consider music, in principle, as an indispensable
nourishment of the human soul and an essential element and factor in
educating the character of the young).
Heitor Villa-Lobos, nicknamed by his mother T uhu," and bom in Rio de
Janeiro on March 5, 1887, was one of eight children. His father, Raul Villa-
Lobos, was a man of strong intellectual ability and scholarship. An author and
functionary of the Brazilian Library in Rio, Raul was also an accomplished
musician and Heitor's first teacher of cello and music theory. His mother. Dona
Noeomia Unbelina Santos Monteiro Villa-Lobos, refrained from encouraging
young Heitor in his musical pursuits. Her personal aspiration for Heitor involved
another kind of career, medicine. Such was her opposition to his musical
aspirations that Heitor defied his mother and pursued guitar studies without her
knowledge. However, his father's support and encouragement together with the
weekly musical soirees held at the family home strengthened and emphasized
Heitor's inclination toward music.
L Heitor Villa-Lobos, "Conceitos Sobre Arte," Presenga de Villa-l/>bos 4 (1969), p.

113.
The family's move to Minas Gerais introduced Heitor to the music of rural
Brazil. This early contact with the music of his country and the many later
opportunities to travel throughout Brazil enabled him to come in contact with the
the "folklore" and the "popular" music of his people, and to formulate the tenet of
his ideals "Todo o povo tern odireito de appreciar e sentir a sua arte musical,
oriunda da expressao popular, mas nunca julga-la definitiva em relacao ao
universo"2 (All people have the right to appreciate and feel their musical art, bom
of their popular expression, but never judge it definitively in relation to the
universe.) His was a style that was personal and "nationalistic," not one to be
compared to the style of the Europeans or any other, for that matter.
Heitor was still a young boy at the time of his father's death, and
consequently had to share the responsibility of securing the family's finances
forced him to seek various kinds of employment. However, this kind of
independence at such an early age placed him in a position to further his musical
opportunities. His previous studies in guitar and cello became a convenient
resource for income. It was through this experience that his interest and curiosity
for the music of his people was nourished and further stimulated.
In Rio de Janeiro while seeking opportunities for work as a popular
musician, Heitor mingled with the choraos in the city. These were performers of
an instrumental and improvisatory type of music called choros. David Appleby,
in his book, Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography, defines the term as "related
to the verb chorar, to weep, and was used for the amorous melancholy type of
2 Ibid. p. 113.
music performed at serestas or serenades.3 The choros however, is not to be
confused with serenades, in the Spanish manner. The serenade features a vocalist
accompanied by instruments whereas ihechoros is strictly an instrumental form.4
A true chorao never serenaded a woman, he "lived to play, to compose, and to
sing."5 In this sense, Heitor Villa-Lobos was a true chorao his preoccupation
with this form of popular music and the different forms of musical activity and
creativity available to him within this genre is extremely important.
His involvement with the choraos, however, kept him away from his
academic studies and at the age of sixteen he went to live with his aunt, Zizinha to
get away from his mother's objections for his involvement with music. His aunt
was a pianist and admirer of J. S. Bach's music and a person who was later to
become a major influence in his life.
From the time he left home Villa-Lobos' musical activity increased.
Managing to conclude high school in spite of his involvement with the choraos,
he agreed to enroll in medical school only to confirm that this was not his calling.
Later, he enrolled at the National Institute of Music in Rio de Janeiro. There he
studied with Angelo Fran9a, Francisco Braga, and Frederico Nascimento, but
found formal classes too restraining and far less interesting than the folk and
popular music he had been experiencing throughout his Brazilian travels.
Ironically, all was not lost since it was Frederico Nascimento's advice that allowed
3 David P. Appleby, Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography (New York: Greenwood

Press. 1988), p. 4.
4 Vasco Mariz, Villa-Lobos: Life and Work (Washington, D.C.: Brazilian American
Cultural Institute, Inc. 1970), p. 5.
5 Ibid. p. 6.
Heitor to be more specifically aware of the kind of music the young composer
was trying to write.6
For several years Villa-Lobos held diverse musical posts: he played in the
orchestra of the Recreio Theatre which presented operas, operettas, and zarzuelas
(according to Willi Apel, "the most important type of Spanish opera, distinguished
from ordinary opera in that the music is intermingled with spoken dialogue, as in
comic opera"),7 and, in night clubs, hotels, and movie theaters. Through these
activities he absorbed the popular music of his time and met its most renowned
artists. By the age of eighteen however, his curiosity led him to some of the most
remote areas of Brazil where he experienced not only the previously unknown
music of a Spanish derivation but also the rich musical heritage of the Indian
culture.
In 1905, at the age of eighteen, Villa-Lobos' life became drastically
different. During this period he became the stereotypical Bohemian artist,
musician. He sold some of his father's library possessions and travelled around
Brazil visiting the states of Espirito Santo, Bahia, and Pernambuco. He held a
variety of part-time jobs for financial support. Between 1905 and 1913 he
travelled throughout Brazil. In the Northeastern states he studied the music of
popular singers (in situ), their style of interpretation, and their primitive
instruments. In a somewhat unsystematic manner, unlike the very disciplined
documentation of folk music by Bartok and Koddly, Villa-Lobos gathered a large
6 David P. Appleby, The Music o f Brazil (Austin: Univeristy o f Texas Press, 1983), p.
120.
7 Willi Apel, Harvard Dictionary o f Music, 2nd ed., rev. and enl. (Massachusetts: The
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1970), p. 9 3 1.
collection of musical themes and rhythms of the popular and folk music of his
native Brazil.
On November 12, 1913, Villa-Lobos' marriage to Lucila Guimaraes, an
accomplished pianist and eventually a collaborative musician to Heitor, ended his
Bohemian lifestyle. By 1912 he had written operas, instrumental music, and
choral music, but it was not until 1915 that he began to establish his reputation as
a composer. Initially, the Brazilian public was not receptive to his work even
though the center of Villa-Lobos' motivation as a composer was "the vast
loneliness and epic scale of the Brazilian scene, in all its variety, surging
splendour, and exquisite details."8 Such lack of interest did not seem to diminish
his special musical quest in the least. "It is the roaming, restless, and ever-
romantic fanciful and isolated figure of Villa-Lobos that stands at the center of all
his Brazilian evocations, from that time until the end of his life, whether vignettes
or vast sound-canvases: each work is one more fragment of the glittering mosaic
that Villa-Lobos conceived as representing a Brazilian totality."9
Although his first series of concerts, at the Jomal de Comercio between
1915-1918, produced substantial controversy among critics, the public, and
musicians who had to play his music, his work was not totally rejected by all.
Some acknowledged his talent and recognized the merits of these early works
regardless of the composer's inexperience and limitations in formal and traditional
musical training. By the time he was twenty-eight, however, Villa-Lobos had
written over 100 works, but still remained relatively unknown outside of a small
8 Simon Wright, Villa-Lobos (New York: Oxford Univcristy Press, 1992), p. 5.

9 Ibid., p. 5.
circle of friends and admirers in Rio.10 His musical emphasis was toward
composition but his source o f income was still predominantly from playing the
cello and his wife's resources as a piano teacher.

Developing as a native composer in a Brazilian society, which was heavily
influenced by Euro-romantic culture and traditions, was difficult. Socialites of the
early 1900's must have found the rawness which characterizes the popular and
folk traditions that permeated Villa-Lobos' music threatening if not insulting. His
music presented a duality between traditional forms and structures and his newly
discovered Brazilian forms. The Euro-Brazilian duality "persisted for several
years at all levels in Villa-Lobos' work, reflecting always the delicately poised
social state of his country in its transition from a European dependency" to the
Brazil of the New World.11
By 1917 Modernist European ideas were flowing into Brazil through such
influences as the Ballet Russes, Darius Milhaud, and the futuristic movement in
literature and art. Writer Oswaldo Andrade, who lived in Europe before World
War I, advocated noise, warfare, and mechanicalism as the only begetter of a new
art. Cubism and German expressionism were taken to Brazil by Anita Malfatti, a
painter who had studied in Germany and arranged a controversial exhibition of
Cubist painting in Rio de Janeiro in 1917. Observing the progressive
developments that surrounded him, Villa-Lobos realized that he needed to draw
upon the wide variety o f Brazilian culture and physical environm ent as

Press, 1988), p. 5.
11 Wright, p. 7.
ingredients in his music in order to present a valid contemporary national style for
Brazil.12
Up until 1917 V illa-Lobos had succeeded in creating musical
representation of the mystical sounds and atmosphere of the Brazilian jungles,
forests, and its inhabitants. His travels exposed him to the rural, the wild, and the
isolated, far different from his experiences in the urban environments of Rio de
Janeiro and neighboring towns and cities. Indigenous Indian music had scarcely
penetrated such urban environments. The major musical influences were from
European or Black African sources which were then transformed and mixed into
the Brazilian environment.13 This clearly expanded the composer's influences
beyond the folk, the popular, and the Amerindian to an all-inclusive European,
Amerindian, and African tradition that expresses an eclectic Brazilian nationalism
which embues Heitor Villa-Lobos' compositional style. The unique quality of his
style caused him to face mockery and ridicule before experiencing success.
During the week of February 11-17, 1922 the Week of Modem Art
{Semana de Arte Moderna) was hosted in Sao Paulo's Teatro M unicipal.
Interspersed with concerts mostly led by Villa-Lobos, art exhibitions, lectures and
dance demonstrations were presented. The music was primarily that of Villa-
Lobos though other composers such as Debussy and Poulenc were heard.
Guiomar Novae's performance o f Debussy's Minstrels, and a portion of Villa-
Lobos' Carnaval das Criangas were the only undisturbed events.14 The others
received a great deal of mockery. The public perceived this week as an attempt to
12 Wright, p. 23.
13 Ibid.. p. 23.
14 Wright, p. 38.
destroy the conservative cultural norms. The one-week festival ended with a
performance of Villa-Lobos' Quarteto Simbolico for flute, saxophone, celesta,
harp, and female chorus. This work, through the choro-like sonorities which
Villa-Lobos designated as an impression o f city life, supported the modernists'
objectives which favored urbanization and industrialization.15
Meeting Arthur Rubinstein in 1918 for the first time was of singular
importance to Villa-Lobos' career as a musician and composer. They shared a
lifelong friendship which proved to be very beneficial to Heitor. Rubinstein's first
experience with the Brazilian composer's music was a shortened version of
Amazonas at the Cinema Odeon in Rio and soon after, Rubinstein became a
strong supporter of Villa-Lobos' music. Consequently the composer turned his
attention to composing for the piano which in turn enhanced his international
reputation. As one o f the first interpreters of Villa-Lobos' music in Europe,
Rubinstein was able to persuade wealthy patrons to grant financial support for
Heitor to travel there. In 1923 he was offered a limited subsidy by the Brazilian
government to organize and perform concerts of his music and that of his fellow
Brazilian composers. Through this assistance and financial support provided by
friends, Villa-Lobos was able to stay in Europe for several months.16
On May 30, 1924 a concert of his works was held at the Salle des
Agriculteurs in Paris. Among the new compositions performed were: Noneto, a
chamber work which includes a chorus of mixed voices and subtitled, Impressao
15 Wright, p. 39.
Press, 1988), p. 5.
Rapida de Todo O Brasil (A Brief Impression of the Whole of Brazil), and, A
Prole do Bebe, No.l, a piano suite performed by Arthur Rubinstein.
In Paris, he was soon accepted in the innermost circle of the city's artistic
elite which included Elgard Vares, Pablo Picasso, Leopold Stokoswski, the
publisher Max Eschig, and others.17 Still, the general public's reaction and that of
the critics was not one of immediate acceptance. After the May 30 performance
critics noted the use of the native Brazilian instruments utilized in the Noneto,
finding them highly uncommon for the chosen genre.18
By 1927, after presenting concerts in Brazil and Argentina, Villa-Lobos
was able to return to Paris with his wife Lucila. Again, he received financial
support from his friends, the Guinle brothers, who also provided the pair with the
use of their apartment on the Place St. Michel in Paris. On October 24 and
December 5 two concerts of his works were held at the Salle Gaveau in Paris.
The program included Choros, Nos. 2, 4, 7, 8, and 10 (No. 10, for chorus of
SATB voices and orchestra), Noneto, Trois Poemes Indiens, for voice and
orchestra, and other recent compositions by Villa-Lobos. These concerts were
received enthusiastically by both critics and audiences.19 From this moment on
he became a famous personality in Paris and one who was soon to become
internationally renown, receiving invitations from all over Europe.
It was not until 1930 that Villa-Lobos permanently returned to Rio de
Janeiro although he had made several trips to Brazil from France to conduct
17 Mariz, p. 8.
Press, 1988), p. 5.
19 Ibid., p. 6.
concerts in Rio and Sao Paulo. Upon his return, he was so distressed over the
low level of public school music instruction in Brazil that he developed a proposal
for total reorganization of public music instruction in the state of Sao Paulo. The
proposal was accepted by the state government of Sao Paulo and Villa-Lobos
spent much of the next two decades attempting to restructure and reorganize the
musical instruction in Sao Paulo first, and after 1932, in all of Brazil.20
According to Simon Wright in his biography, Villa-Lobos , the Brazilian
composer had conceived this idea of promoting music education in the public
schools of Brazil long before he was able to set it in motion. Initially, he
proposed his plan to Julio Prestes, a candidate for the Presidency, but much to
Villa-Lobos' disappointment Prestes lost the election to Getulio Vargas. At this
time Villa-Lobos convinced the newly elected government, a dictatorship instead
of the desired democracy, that music education, and more specifically canto
orfeonico (choral singing), was the most efficient way to instill patriotism in
Brazilian youth. As a result, the governm ent cooperated w ith the
Superintendency o f Music and Artistic Education (SMAE) and ruled the canto
orfeonico as a requirement in the public schools.

The SMAE fostered the study of orpheonic singing in the schools because
Villa-Lobos considered choral singing as "one of the finest crystallizations and
truest manifestations of music. With its vast cohesive powers, this art integrates
the individual into the social fabric of his country."21 In 1932 Villa-Lobos
20 Ibid., p. 6.
21 Wright, p. 108.
10
conducted stadium concerts involving 18,000 voices and by 1935,30,000 voices
and almost 1000, instrumentalists were participating.
As a result o f Modernist activities during the 1920's a vibrant and
intellectual ambiance developed, yet the Brazil of the Vargas regime had evolved
into one of great enthusiasm for all things Brazilian as witnessed in numerous
national publications: encyclopedias, dictionaries, and books on national heritage.
Brazilian-made films and the foundation o f orchestras and choirs, theater, and
scientific research were all products of this period. Villa-Lobos' contributions to
this collection o f Brazilian cultural artifacts include a number of music
educational volumes. These include thcGuia Pratico (Practical Guide), a
collection of 137 Brazilian children's songs and folk songs collected from all
regions of the country, with texts, and in most cases an arrangem ent,
harmonization or setting (ambientacao) by Villa-Lobos. The collection includes
unison, two-part, and three-part songs with piano accompaniment or instrumental
ensemble. The origin of each melody and instructions for performance practice
are included in a supplement. The two volumes of Solfejos (1942, 1946) are a
collection of vocal exercises for solo voice and chorus. Almost all o f the
exercises are textless ranging from unison to four-part arrangements. Patriotic
songs in settings by Villa-Lobos and other composers comprise the collection in
the two volumes o f Canto Orfeonico (1940, 1950), specifically designed for
school singing and civic holidays. They are "simple and uncluttered diatonic
harmonizations of melodies related to the purest of urban folk-songs with texts of
an easily memorable, unabashedly patriotic nature."22
2 2 Ibid.,p. 111.
11
As part o f his involvement to raise the public level o f music literacy,
education, and performance in Brazil as well as abroad, Villa-Lobos began the
great task of improving the singing of the Brazilian National Anthem. He
appointed a special committee to check all the inaccuracies that were being sung.
The committee reported twenty-seven rhythmic errors and thrity-two pitch errors.
After much struggle, Villa-Lobos was able to convince the officials to suspend the
singing of the National Anthem until a model interpretation was agreed upon.23
As all things music in the public schools was being organized and restructured at
home, Villa-Lobos' visibility and respect increased internationally in the music
education arena.
In 1936 he represented Brazil at the Music Education Congress in Prague
and served as one of the judges at an international piano competition in Vienna.
Four years later he went to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he conducted two
concerts and lectured on Brazilian music. In the same year, he hosted Leopold
Stokowski and the All-American Youth Orchestra in Brazil. Villa-Lobos
travelled to the United States for the first time in 1943 to receive an honorary
Doctor of Music degree from New York University. Between 1943 and 1947 he
had other opportunities to tour the USA and conducted some of the greatest
orchestras in the nation, including the Boston and Philadelphia orchestras. In
1947 he received another honorary degree from Occidental College in Los
Angeles.
Despite his active role in the public music education system in his country,
Villa-Lobos' output as a composer never diminished. He composed music in
23 Maliz, p. 23.
12
many genres but, "the challenge of having readily available groups to perform
choral compositions led to an increase in his productivity of choral works during
these years."24 Approximately 100 single choral pieces, and the educational
volumes mentioned above, comprise his impressive output of choral compositions
alone during the 1930's and 1940's.
From the age of eighteen Villa-Lobos' production o f choral music is
constantly present in his career as a composer. By designating the years 1930-
1940 as the period when he composed the bulk of choral pieces, compositions in
this genre can be divided into three major periods. Development of a single
compositional style, however, is not evident in these periods or in the study of his
total compositional output.
The first period, from 1905 to 1929, provide fewer choral works, possibly
for a number of reasons: travels around Brazil, travels to Paris, concentration
toward piano music composition after meeting A. Rubinstein, and the possibility
of simply exploring and developing as a composer. Villa-Lobos was still able to
contribute approximately nineteen choral works during this first period: Vidapura
(Oratorio Mass for chorus of mixed voices, orchestra or organ), 1918; Choros
No. 3 (for orchestra and male chorus), 1925; Choros, No. 10 (for orchestra and
mixed chorus), 1925; and Tres Poemas IndCgenas (for orchestra and chorus of
mixed voices), also from 1925. The second period, 1929 to 1949, includes four
volumes of materials for educational purposes and approximately 100 single
pieces including the Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9 (for "orchestra" of mixed

Press, 1988), p. 7.
13
with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
voices), 1945; Mandu £arara (a secular cantata for mixed voices, children's
chorus, and orchestra), 1940; and Misa Sao Sebastiao (for mixed voices a
cappella), 1937. The last period, 1950-1959, includes two more volumes: Canto
Orfeonico, II (1951) and Musica Sacra, I (1952). Only an approximate total of
seven choral pieces belong to this last period. Four are considered major works:
Magnificat-Alleluia (for mixed chorus and orchestra), 1958; Sume Pater Patrium
(Oratorio for mixed voices and orchestra), 1952; Bendita Sabedoria (1958) and
Duas Lendas Amerindias , 1952 (the latter two works for unaccompanied mixed
chorus).
In the late 1930's Villa-Lobos separated from his wife Lucila to live with
Arminda de Almeida. "Minhinha", as he called her, was a few years his junior but
offered Villa-Lobos great support and devoted companionship. She remained at
his side throughout the remaining years of his career, including the frequent
travels during the years 1946-1959.
In 1945, the fall of Vargas in Brazil and the end of World War II made a
marked difference in the composer's life. He was no longer with the SEMA and
opportunities to travel abroad were frequent. During these travels he served as
conductor of his own music, as broadcaster and lecturer, and as a self-described
unofficial Brazilian "ambassador of Art."25 At the end of his life the major center
for promotion of his music was the United States with most of his travels to this
country, including trips for health related reasons.
Villa-Lobos had been battling cancer since the late I940's. This, however,
did not interrupt his creative output, participation, and musical involvement in
25 Wright, p. 25.
14
Brazil and abroad. Until nearly the end, with Arminda by his side, Villa-Lobos
continued his activities to promote his music and that of his fellow Brazilian
composers. He died in Rio de Janeiro on November 17, 1959 at the age of 72.
15
CHAPTER TWO
Selected Works Representing the Choral Compositional

Techniques of Heitor Villa-Lobos
A minha obra musical b consequencia da predestinate*. Se eia b em

grande quantidade, b fruto de uma terra extensa, generosa e quente26 (My
musical output is the consequence of my predestination. If it is extensive,
it is the fruit of an extensive land, one which is generous and warm.)
In his book. Introduction to Latin American Music, Gerard Bdhague
defines modernism in Brazil as "a movement seeking a national artistic renovation
based on the principle of adoption of avant-garde European techniques in the arts,
mixed with an enthusiastic promotion of Brazilian folk topics."27 Nationalism, on
the other hand, asserts the interests and emphasizes the national elements of a
people's nation from its history and sociology to folklore and popular idioms. In
Brazil, artistic nationalism saw its beginning in the second half of the nineteenth
century. It was first a literary movement which eventually influenced the other
arts and "found its best known musical expression in the works of Heitor Villa-
Lobos," who rejected European ideals and traditions while at the same time
promoted all things Brazilian.28 The music of Villa-Lobos represents an
amalgamation of these two movements which culminated in the years after World
26 Martin Claret, ed„ "Villa-Lobos par elc mesrao," O Pensamento Vivo de Heitor Villa-
Lobos 18, p. 13.
27 Gerard Blhague, Music in Latin America: An Introduction (New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 1979), p. 185.
28 David P. Appleby, The Music o f Brazil, p. 53.
16
War II. Although he was active in the literary and artistic furor of Brazilian
modernism, especially through his involvement in the Week o f Modern Art
(1922), Villa-Lobos' expression of his own native culture is consistently at the
core of his com positions. His involvement in contem porary issues and
philosophies, as well as his pride and commitment to express the essence of all
things Brazilian through his music, are defined quite clearly and poignantly in the
following statement by the composer
A minha musica e of reflexo da sinceridade. No princfpio, sofri, natural,

com a revolta daqueles que se agarravan k tradigao, daqueles que nunca se
miraram no espelho da sua prdpria consciencia, procurando a fisionomia
da sua prdpria raga. O Brasil levou muito tempo, meus amigos, muitos
anos a imitar, a macaquear, a papagaiar, mas, gracas a Deus, procurou um
espelho, o encontrou, por acaso, o reflexo da realidade de uma grande
raga, de uma grande nagao, e verificou que nunca poderia ser ele mesmo,
se nao fizesse a sua maneira, nao imitando ninguem"29 (My music is a
reflection of my sincerity. At first it suffered, naturally from the revolt
expressed by those who were attached to traditions, those who could not
center themselves, those who never looked in the mirror at their own
conscience, in search of the physiognomy which described their own race.
For many years, my friends, for many years Brazil spent imitating and
parroting. But, thanks be to God, it searched for a mirror, and by chance
found the reflection of the reality of a great race, of a great nation. Brazil
realized it could never have its own identity unless it followed its own path
without imitating anyone.)
Here, Villa-Lobos' self-expression, his modernist attitude, and most
prominently, his commitment to nationalism with a patriotic coloring, are seen.
Three areas of his work demonstrate his attitude and philosophy. Participation in
the Week of Modem Art united Villa-Lobos with fellow artists and countrymen in
their cry for artistic and literary independence; an autonomy which would allow
them to break away from the conservative cultural traditions of European roots.
In addition, Villa-Lobos took a definite step toward the promotion and assertion
29 Claret, pp. 19-20.
17
of his own unique and personal style of composition. The vast quality and
diversity o f his musical output amply demonstrates his sensitivity and affinity,
which was to give musical utterance to the sounds of his Brazilian environment
His choral music stands as perfect testimony to this self-analysis. The vast
structures o f Brazilian soil, coupled with the natural instinct and unfettered
creativity o f its native composer, provides for Villa-Lobos, a musical canvas
which conveys the diverse musical tastes of its many ethnic mixes, colors,
rhythms, and often unorthodox use of instruments could be compared to the
potential of the artist's pallette.
A lengthy discussion of either modernism or nationalism in Brazilian
music is not the intent of this treatise. For the purpose of this paper, it is sufficient
to mention that Villa-Lobos responded first to his inborn talent for composition,
as he referred to it, "a biological need," and ultimately to the developments and
changes apparent in the works of his contemporaries. In the latter sense, he was a
modernist. Similarly, his ability to embody the essence of Brazil's musical soul
within a musical language accounts for his distinction as a nationalist composer,
albeit a nationalist in principle but not in the sense of a Ralph Vaughan Williams
who looked to the traditions of English composers as a foundation for his
compositions. Villa-Lobos' personal description of his style is one of universality,
"Je suis universel. "30 Universal in the sense of his own persona perhaps, for he
frequently chided his critics, that his was a "unique and personal" style unlike any
other composers of art music. More specifically, upon traveling to Paris for the
30 Alfred Heller, "The Brazilian Bach," Keynote {April 1987), p. 11.
18
first time he specified that his mission was not to learn from any other composer
but rather to have his music performed.
The collection o f choral and solo vocal music, ostensibly exceed his
instrumental productivity. It seems logical that the human voice would be a
principal means to his goals as it is often thought of as the closest intermediary to
the outward expression of human will and soul. In this collection, the essence of
the Brazilian expression and spirit as evidenced in the aural arts of its people are
conveyed through Villa-Lobos' artistic skills and objectives to his interpreters,
listeners, and participants.
Musica, que por meio dos sons une almas, purificando sentimentos
humanos, enobrecendo o cardter, elevando o espirito a um ideal mais
completo! Como indicar este guia seguro a Naijao Brasileira do futuro? -
Pela Voz Humana, pelo Canto Orfdonico!31 (Music, goes through the soul
purifying human sentiments, enabling of character, elevating the spirit to
the most complete ideal! How can one direct this assured guide to the
future of the Brazilian people? -Through the Human Voice, through
Choral Singing!)
In spite of its quality and diversity, the choral music of Heitor Villa-Lobos
can be catagorized into two major headings: (I) music for the concert hall, and
(2) music for public school education. This is not to infer that ovedapping of the
two does not exist. Many of his pieces for the "concert hall" have many
opportunities for enhancing classroom musical instruction. Likewise, pieces with
the purpose of music education as their main objective offer numerous
possibilities for public performance, especially works in the second volume of
Canto Orfeonico.
31 Heitor Villa-Lobos, "Exortaâo," Presenga de Villa-Lobos 4 (1969), p. 115.
19
The Guia Praico introduces the student to the basic principles of Villa-
Lobos' stylistic trends in a clear and unsophisticated documentation. All of the
pieces are either arranged or, ambientado. As described in Chapter One of this
treatise, the contents of this "guide" consists of children's songs and folk songs
collected from all regions of Brazil. Unlike the two volumes of Canto Orfeonico,
the Guia Praico is mostly for unison and two-part singing.
A more advanced and specialized level of composition is contained in the
Canto Orfeonico, Volumes I and II. Some compositions are arrangements or
arnbientagoes by Villa-Lobos, but many are original works. In these volumes
there is more emphasis on vocal writing, as opposed to many of the primarily
pianistic textures encountered in the Guia Pratico. Although most of the pieces in
the Canto Orfeonico, Volumes I and II are simple diatonic harmonizations of
melodies; they are written for more vocal lines than those found in the Guia
Pratico.
The second volume of the Canto Orfeonico, especially, includes more
musically and vocally challenging pieces as is also the case in Musica Sacra,
Volume 1. This sacred collection includes eight settings of the Ave Maria
antiphon, and other sacred texts, some belonging to the Roman Catholic liturgy.
Although the compositional techniques of its contents are consistent with those of
the previously mentioned volumes, these pieces tend to emphasize the Euro-
Brazilian duality. They possess more conventional elements of composition than,
for example, some of the ones included in the second volume of the Canto
Orfeonico collection.
20
Stylistically, the broad spectrum of style in Villa-Lobos' choral works can
be defined as: (1) the Euro-Brazilian duality, and (2) the combination of the
"Amerindian, African, and European style. "However, there is an overlapping of
stylistic traits from, for example, the Oratorio-Mass, Vidapura to the Choros, No.
10 and the secular cantata, Mandu Qarara. In fact, most of the sacred settings
fall under the Euro-Brazilian duality. His personal traits are still discemable but
within the context of a more traditional structure. Pieces which show a fusion of
the Amerindian, African, and European style possess a freer and more highly
developed personal and individual style with different effective techniques in the
musical gesture. Such pieces are sometimes neither Indian nor African. The
common thread which identifies all of these pieces as the work o f a single
composer must be the singular combination of techniques which ultimately
defines the Villa-Lobos creative instincts and style.
Every composer throughout the history of music has displayed common
traits throughout his/her works and Villa-Lobos is no exception. To compare and
contrast his style to that of his contemporaries or musical ancestors in the
theoretical area that Lisa Peppercorn, a Villa-Lobos scholar, uses in her book,
Some Aspects o f Villa-Lobos' Principles o f Composition would not always

identify the more salient characteristics of the Villa-Lobos style. True, the music
of Villa-Lobos is unconventional and he stands among other iconoclasts in history
(e.g., Gesualdo, Wagner, Stravinsky, Ives, Berg, etc.). His music does not adhere
to conventional forms or to the traditional norms of functional analysis. However,
to define his music as not having any structure, or to indicate that his
compositions are conceived on the basis of parody and/or impulse due to
21
insufficient formal training, is incomplete at the very least To talk about this
composer or his music is to discuss a musical giant whose genius is of an
instinctive nature and strongly driven by an indigenous sense regarding vocal
registers, range, and color, much of which is also native to his cultural
environment. The sheer volume of Villa-Lobos' work is comparable to that of
Bach and other prolific pens which dripped musical notation but still managed to
maintain an elevated quality to most of their productivity. Alfred Heller addresses
this issue successfully in his article, "Villa-Lobos, The Brazilian Bach." First he
contradicts some of the critics' notion of the "lack of structure" in the music of the
Brazilian. Heller cites the first movement of the Quartet No. 7 as "a textbook
example of sonata form." Furthermore, Heller supports the idea that this is only
one example among other "instances that demonstrate his awareness" of structural
form. His most effective statement in the article addressing the question of
imperfections or the lack of traditional forms and techniques in the music of Villa-
Lobos is as follows: "But who cares? The concertgoer is not a grammarian
listening for "correct structure." He wants to be moved by the content of the
music, not impressed by what is theoretically correct. Villa-Lobos has certainly
given us content, as well as a few new ways of stating it."32 Thus, to apply a
basically traditional theoretical analysis to the music of Villa-Lobos is to lose the
essence of his work.
Structure in the choral music of Villa-Lobos amounts to whatever
framework he deems necessary to convey his musical ideas. This framework may
not demonstrate structural perfection by common practice standards defined by
32 Heller, p. 12.
22
traditional Western European characteristics, but it does have "a structure" and
organization. Structural "character" can vary widely among different pieces or
within one piece; the possibilities of form are numerous and non-prescriptive. A
common structural, or formal, trait of Villa-Lobos is the juxtaposition of varied
sections. There are incidents where sectionalization is suggested as well, yet not
fully realized. Seldom are sections presented in a traditional and conventional
manner where tonal schemes and relationships as well as thematic development
are dictated by the accepted norms of structure or form. Musical elements
identified in Villa-Lobos' music are manifested by his rich imaginative ability in
the same manner as a poet chooses one word over another. It is, simply stated,
writing the gestures and sounds he intuitively "hears" rather than following the
dictates of some external form or rule of eitheenth century theory. Charles Ives
chose much the same path. In a personal conversation, with Dr. Morris J. Beachy,
Professor Emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, he expressed that Villa-
Lobos' music is "a reflection of the composer's astute observational powers, both
visually and aurally, and through an indefinable metamorphosis musically depict
all that has been absorbed into his psyche." In Villa-Lobos' case, that which
surrounded him was the immense landscape of Brazil: its jungles and its
inhabitants; its natural riches and resources; and its blend of races with their
diverse folklore, and, popular idioms.
Villa-Lobos' spontaneity was one of his greatest attributes in the field of
composition although he was as capable and readily available to compose on a
commission basis. A common scenario described by various writers was his
sudden departure from a social gathering of friends ostensibly because of his
23
"biological need" to compose, most likely beginning a new piece. Lisa
Peppercorn acknowledges Villa-Lobos' "imaginative power and skill for
experimenting.” She divides his process of composition into two stages: the
spiritual conception and the actual notation of the music on paper. Furthermore,
she maintains that in many instances the time span between these two stages could
be years. Yet, once he recalled the material and documented it the date of the
work was in accordance with its spiritual genisis rather than the actual date of
manuscript completion.33
She offers no documentation regarding this process, but Villa-Lobos' vast
output probably corroborates such deductions. Of greater consequence however,
is Peppercorn's reference to his "imaginative power and skillful experimentation"
that permeates his works via all elements of composition employed, regardless of
genre or style.34 The pieces presented in the present chapter are chosen to
demonstrate this breath of Villa-Lobos' creative genius.
Ave Maria
General Description and Background
Villa-Lobos composed 12 settings of the Ave Maria, an antiphon of the
Blessed Virgin and one of the Marian prayers of the Roman liturgy. This Ave
33 Lisa M. Peppercorn, "Some Aspects of Villa-Lobos' Principles of Composition,"

Music Review 4 (1943), p. 28.
34 Ibid., p. 28.
24
Maria is for six voices, SSATBB a cappella, and was composed in New York in
1948. This motet-like setting is illustrative of his Euro-Brazilian style. The piece
is not significantly unconventional; instead, it is one in which Villa-Lobos
employs unique ways of utilizing his inventiveness in a conservative framework.
In a somewhat pandiatonic harmonic scheme the overall structure is
"centered" around D minor. G minor is also present, but Villa-Lobos does not
identify key signatures in the obvious way. The piece is structured according to
the two major sections of the text setting with a coda-like final Amen.
The use of a variety of harmonic colors and his apparent fascination with
timbre are amply evident in this piece. It is written for first and second sopranos,
alto, tenor, baritone and bass. The texture contrasts between homophonic, chordal
structures, some quasi-antiphonal blocks, and the undeveloped imitative gesture
of the second section (mm. 16-23) and, final "Amen." When all six voices are
used in a homophonic structure, the male voices double the pitches of the female
texture. This adds depth, fullness, and richer color to the overall fabric of the
piece. The approach is different when the voices move antiphonally or in an
undeveloped polyphonic style. In these sections, the juxtaposed contrast of vocal
colors are set in motion through: (1) harmony which develops out of a linear
phrase character (i.e., the gesture of each line), (2) the tempo of harmonic rhythm,
and, (3) the use of syncopated rhythms; all of which are used to provide
momentum at the beginning or middle of a musical phrase. Syncopated entrances
in the music of Villa-Lobos are often employed to provide momentum and energy
for the development of phrases as shown in mm. 5-6.
25
Ex. 1. Ave Maria, mm. 5-6
Gra Do minus cum.
Gra Oo minus
Oo minus cum.
B.C .
Copyright 1948 (Renewed) by Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP)

Reprinted by Permission.
The three lower voices provide a supportive accompaniment of open fifths
for six beats and then move forward by changing pitch on the second part of the
seventh beat. While the lower voices are rhythmically passive, the upper three
voices initiate their phrase on the second part of the first beat and repeat the
rhythm in the middle of their musical phrase.
Measures 1-6 present phrases which overlap in loose imitative gestures
between the male and female forces. Each sub-group moves in a chordal block of
texture with the syncopation clearly employed to provide additional energy to
complete the phrase. The irregular meter serves the inherent text accents in a free
but supportive manner. It allows for the flow and stress of the language to
26
become a natural partner o f the music. This treatment for providing musical
energy and flow is consistent throughout the "A" section (mm. 1-15).35 The entire
fifteen measures are pointing toward the cadential motion to C major on the word
Jesus with the baritone part containing the sixth tone of the scale.
The second section (mm. 16-23) is an expansion of the techniques
discussed above for providing musical direction through the following devices:
(I) use of smaller rhythmic units in one voice contrasted with longer rhythmic
notation in other voices; (2) voices starting on a weak beat, as contrasted with off -
beat figures; (3) simultaneous use of two chordal blocks moving in a quasi-
polyphonic gesture with the top voice moving independently of the other two
blocks of texture (mm. 19-20); and (4), use of triplets to intensify the line, and
even an instance where a variant of the habanera [ | rhythm, m. 20, is
employed. The male voices carry the entirety of the text in its prescribed order.
Meanwhile, the female voices enhance the direction of the music through a quasi-
polyphonic gesture which presents a variant of the syncopated idea creating a
musical surge toward the cadence at m. 23 (G minor to B-flat major).
At first glance, the texture of the Amen section seems to be of a standard
polyphonic character. The section is not long enough, however, to allow the
polyphony to develop; the climax of the piece is actually achieved through the use
of similar as well as contrary motion among the voices, contrasting vocal
tessituras (actually echoes), motivic treatment of the thematic material presented
35 Because of publisher and copyright regulations, it is, regretably, not possible to

include musical examples which are referred to throughout this treatise. Even so, where specific
parts of a piece are referred to, measure numbers will be provided assuming that the reader will
secure copies for reference.
27
by the first tenor, and the uncommon harmonic language in the linear approach
from D flat major to the final D minor chord. The surprise is that one expects a
cadence on B flat major, but a B-flat seventh in second inversion occurs on the
fourth beat o f m. 28 and through the penultimate measure. The lowered leading
tone of C to the unexpected D minor brings the listener back to the intimacy of a
darkened chapel rather than a jubilant proclamation and fanfare of faith.
Interpretive Considerations and Suggestions
In this piece, as in most of his choral music, Villa-Lobos utilizes sonorities
in the same manner that an artist mixes and blends the colors available on the
pallette, constantly mixing different elements to achieve special individual effects.
One of the characteristics easily observed and requiring meticulous
attention to detail, is the various harmonic sonorities and colors inherent in the
texture. For example, the thematic materials which begin the piece in the lower
three voices is then offered by the upper three voices in example two, m. 3 on
page 29.
28
Ex.2. Ave Maria, mm. 1-3
Adagio
Ma
Ma
Ma Gra
Ma Gra na
A ve Ma n a Gra iia pie na

In the meantime, the lower three parts continue to carry the line of text in a
syncopated gesture with the voices in a comfortable unison. Although dynamic
phrasing in this piece is, for the most part, inherent in the vocal lines, dynamic
considerations should be on the basis of ensemble balance as related to musicality.
With proper balance of dynamics and tempo, the fluidity of color in m. 3 of
example two on page 27, will be undisturbed.
Flexibility o f tempo throughout the piece will allow time for the shading
of colors and dynamics to take place. Tempo modification should be considered
more than an occasional use of piu mosso or moderate . Its greatest contribution
29
lies in more subtle variations of pace for heightened textual expression, as clearly
seen in the Amen.
Although the antiphonal indications of mm. 1-10 in example two, page 27,
are suggestive of a static kind of text presentation within a blocked structure,
Villa-Lobos succeeds in presenting the first verse of the Ave Maria prayer with
clarity and great potential for beautiful vocal sonorities. The characteristic
syncopated gesture in the lower voices, along with the rhythmic figures of the
texted upper three voices, provide sufficient motion toward the cadence on F-C in
m. 8. The triplet figure in m. 10 of the score, begins the initial push forward to
"Jesu" and then to the final cadence.
The opening of the B section, at the piu mosso, presents similar
challenges. The tenor line which begins its three-measure-long phrase on the
second beat, incorporates the syncopated gesture to an ascending melodic gesture.
30
Ex.3. Ave Maria, mm. 16-18
PiuMosso

Here, the goal is to shape the line with subtleness in an unhurried manner
and with an unaccented lift. At measure 19, the same idea is taken to m. 21 by the
soprano line before the entire section drives to its cadence on B flat at m. 23.
The performance goal is to express the variety and intensification o f the
juxtaposed colors and sonorities in the same manner that light may affect the color
effects of a stained glass window.
31
Preces Sem Palavras (Prayer Without Words)
This piece is set for male chorus a 5: T t . T 2.B 1 (divisi), B 2 a cappella. It
is one of the pieces in the Musica Sacra , Volume I, and, as its title indicates, it is
a "prayer without words." The date of composition for Preces Sem Palavras is
unknown but the indicated location is Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is an interesting
setting and one which displays Villa-Lobos' powerful connection and predilection
toward a varied use of harmonic colors. This piece can be described as a sacred
work which is representative o f the combined style, namely, Amerindian,
Africian, and European. In Preces Sem Palavras the manner in which he uses
ostinato and pedal point creates a rhythmic drive which contributes intensity; and,
an effective accompaniment through the use of the onomatopoeic rhythmic setting
of the pattern. This, coupled with the harmonic colors employed, provides an
obvious contrast to the Ave Maria. Although both pieces share common Villa-
Lobian compositional characteristics, they are quite different in effect: (1)
nonsense syllables replace words, (2) the scoring is for all men's voices, (3) the
harmonic language produces contrasting timbres, (4) the texture is more varied
and contrasted, (5) melodic lines are sometimes sectionalized and shared by two
voices, and, (6) the rhythmic gesture is also more varied and complex. The
rhythmic drive in Preces Sem Palavras, which is created by the ostinato and pedal
point, contributes an intensity and effective accompaniment throughout the piece.
32
In a through composed idea with juxtaposed sections suggesting a
freamework of ABCAB, the harmonic gestures evolve around pandiatonicism,
which travels through relative and parallel relations and secondary dominants of
"tonalities." The key signature is G major but the piece starts on the dominant, D,
which outlines the beginning and the ending of the first section (mm. 1-17). G
major is not introduced until m. 23, six measures into the second section (mm. 18-
43). After the da Capo the piece ends on an effective and colorful cadence in G-
major at m. 43. The rhythmic figuration slows down, and a glissando in all the
voices departs from an open vertical chord structure on a G-major root position
triad and ascends to an identical structure an octave higher.
In Preces Sem Palavras, nterpretive freedom and opportunities are
numerous but their successful realization are challenging for both conductor and
singer. The vocal sounds dipicted as text require different vocal and articulative
techniques to make them fully effective. For example, the rhythmic and vowel
articulations of the first baritone line on a repeated pitch and rhythmic pattern
must be internalized and interpretively sung every time while the lengthened
rhythmic figures in the other voice parts present phrases with lengthened rhythmic
figures which are, for the most part, initiated on metric weak beats and sometimes
providing a section of the melodic phrase.
Dynamic phrasing is imperative in this piece. For example, in the textural
build-up which begins with the puoco animando on m. 34 the entering first tenor
33
line on m. 35 evolves out of the second tenor and baritone lines while the bass and
first tenor entrances in the same measure also play a major role in the texture.
Proper dynamic phrasing will take these measures (mm. 34 - 38) to an effective
return of the habanera figure and the beginning of G major. The rhythmic,
melodic, and harmonic role of the bass line in these measures contrasts that of the
other voices. A repeated two-measure phrase emphasizes the leading tone F sharp
to the beginning of the next section on G. The bass part's participation in the
dynamic phrasing of these measures will enhance the drive to the cadence at m.
38, essentially taken by the first baritone in m. 37 as shown in example four.
Ex.4. Preces Sem Palavras, mm 35-39
Boca fecJiada
Nan nan nan nan nan! Na na na
Nan nan nan nan nan! Nan nan n a na na!
Nan nan n am an nan n an nannannamannan nan nan Lu hi hi hi hj futu
Nan nan nan nan nan Nan n an n am an na na na! Um! Um1
Nan! - Nan! Nan! Nan! Boca fachada
Copyright by Marios Nobrc, President, Academia Brasileira de Musica

34
Preces Sem Palavras requires strong and secure vocal technique for the
successful performance of any Villa-Lobos choral piece, whether they be
independent concert pieces or those for educational purposes included in the Guia
Pratico and the Canto Orfeonico. 7his setting, like any textless setting, has only
musical structures as a guideline for producing and shaping different sounds. In
such works, vowel modification is an important "tool" for creating diferent colors.
A brief introduction is needed for the next seven pieces to be discussed.
They are all from the second volume of the Canto Orfeonico. Some are original
compositions by Villa-Lobos while others are his arrangements, or adaptations, of
pre-existing works. Regardless of a piece's origin, his "combined" styles, the
Amerindian, African, and European, are always evident. Some of these pieces
have Amerindian or African themes, as do many other pieces in the volumes
which are not included in this treatise.
It is among the Amerindian pieces where one finds not only great musical
originality but also unfamiliar textual and rhythmic challenges which only skilled
singers can achieve. There is also a translation problem because the dialects or
languages are obscure and the problem of singing text for which there is not even
minimal opportunity for understanding, im poses requirem ents seldom
encountered by choristers, that is, to make sense of textless or abstract music.
Whether Villa-Lobos had some working translations or even a text, is not
known.36 One must be guided solely by musical language and this is not a source
which can provide specific ideas; singing sounds which have no specific meaning
or concept is, to say the least, disturbing to the singer.
36 No sources provide any translations.
35
As Costureiras
This piece is referred to in the score as an embolada. According to Willi
Apel this type o f Brazilian song "involves alliteration and onomatopoeias sung
very fast and requiring enormous skill in diction. Each syllable of the text is set to
one note in patterns of rapid sixteenth notes."37 As Costureiras (Sewing Girls),
for four-part chorus of female voices (SSAA) a cappella, was presumably
composed in 1933. Its place of composition, however, is not known. It is a good
example o f a relatively short and effective piece where he com bines
onomatopoeia with the Portuguese text:
As costureiras, somos nesta vida! Ate amdres unimos alinha, nostra

balhamos sempre alegres nalida! Como alguem que adivinha, o bello
futuro que nos vae sorrir! Nos vae sorrir! Com alma a chorar! Alegre a
sorrir! Cose, cose, cose a caslureira, cose a manga, a blusa, a saia, cose
co'interesse e mostrale faceira, bem faceira a quem provares o ponteado,
o alinhavado, o costurado, o chuliado, o preguiado Ah!
The poetic translation is as follows:
With the soul seeping, happy and smiling singing their pain! We are the
dress makers in this life! We even join lovers with thread. We always
work happily at our chores! As someone who foresees the beautiful future
which will smile on us! Sew, sew, sew the dressmaker. Sew the sleeve,
the blouse, the skirt. Sew with conviction and show yourself vain, very
vain. To whom you demonstrate stitching, basting, sewing, hemming,
pleating. Ah!
37 A pci, p. 287.
36
The form is A B Bi A i, with the last section being shortened and varied.
The key centers throughout are all of a conventioanl nature, as is the structural
form. The gesture of the embolada style permeates throughout the piece and is
often joined with the other voices of contrasting longer rhythmic units which
carry the text. This gesture, the onomatopoeia, on the nonsense syllables "La-la-
ri-la" consists of a relentless rhythmic pattern that migrates from voice to voice
parroting the continuous rhythmic motion of a spinning wheel, or, in modern
industrial terms, a sewing machine. It is made-up of only two pitches except for
an interim of seven measures (mm. 19-26), as shown in Ex. 5 on page 36, where it
changes pitches before returning to its original pattern.
37
Ex.5. As Costureiras, mm 19-24
dal
ooconB.
s-/
La la ri la la! La ri la la! l a ri la la! La ri la
poeonIL
La la rf la la! La ri la la! La ri la la! La ri la!
C o - mo a! -guem que - nha,
Co -m o al guem que nha.
La! U!
La
ro q u e n o s v a e sor
O bel • to fu - lu - ro q u e n o s v a e sor
$
LalarilalalLarilalalLartlalalLarilal
m
La! La la «i la la! La ri la la! La ri la (a lL a rila !
Copyright 1945 (Renewed) by Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BM1)

Used by Permission.
38
The music is of a generally descriptive or pictorial character. Villa-Lobos
depicts the thoughts of the working girls in the freely moving and often soaring
triplet figure and the sound of sewing machines through the onomatopoeic
gesture.
The most consistent phrasing and characteristic aspect of this piece is the
"La-la-ri-la" pattern which poses challenges in the areas of balance and vocal
articulation. Proper tongue articulation and the avoidance of unwanted accents in
any part o f the sixteenth-note pattern will enhance the presentation of this pattern
in a seamless reiteration as it migrates from voice part to voice part with musical
freshness. The pattern is presented within a texture which includes lines with text,
humming, and the combination of both. The hummed phrase in a low tessitura, as
seen in mm. 43-45 of this piece is difficult to project for most alto voices.
Initiating the hum with an accent would highlight the line and increase the
probabilities for better balance.
An added challenge to the texture of this piece is the irregularity of some
phrases. For example, the sustained notes in the alto lines of mm. 23-24 are part
of a four-measure phrase (mm. 23-26) that divides into a l+ l+ l+ l grouping rather
than separate ideas. Measures 33-39 comprise an irregular phrase of seven
measures which moves towards the "Ah!" on m. 39, followed by a two measure
bridge, and culminating in a reprise of the first section (m. 48).
39
The challenges of delivering the text in this piece exist throughout the
composition. An example is m. 33, at the Muito artimado. He sets the second alto
line low (mm. 33-39) with longer and accented rhythmic figures. Meanwhile, the
upper three voices must deliver a land of tongue twisting text setting which is in a
chordal and rhythmically fast tempo. By m. 36 however, only the first soprano
carries the text in this manner while the middle voices join the second alto in the
slower rhythmic notation. This is how Villa-Lobos moves away from the
anitnado to the "sigh" on the syllable "Ah" at m. 49.
Although the musical and vocal demands are great, this setting is of such
individual character that its appeal to audiences, and singers is guaranted once the
technical requirements are mastered.
O Trenzinho
O Trenzinho is written for three-part treble voices a capella, with a divisi

in the second soprano (mm. 43-47). The date and location of this composition is
unknown. Although it is not designated as being an embolada in the score, it is
included in this chapter as another example of that style. Here, however, the
articulations required for the sixteenth-note patterns are much more challenging
than what is required in As Costureiras. This type of technique is not limited to
the two works discussed in this chapter. A well known document of this
technique can be seen in his nationalistic works, Noneto, subtitled, "Impressdo
40
Rapida de Todo o Brasil" (Rapid impression of all Brazil). In this work as in the
shorter O Trenzinho (The Little Train), the sounds of a train's locomotive are
musically depicted as well as many other natural sounds heard by Villa-Lobos on
his Brazilian journeys. Both pieces exemplify his experiments with timbres, and
in the case of O Trenzinho, his daring experiment with the voice through the
onomatopoeic setting. The onomatopoeia includes the challenging syllabic
sounds: "Ta!," "Ca!,n "Tch xa," "Ca xa ca ta!," "Xa ca tac!,11 "Teh xa," and
"Urn!" The text, by Catharina Santoro is nine lines in length and carried primarily
by only one voice part.
Vamos todos bem depressa, bem depressa vamos todos. Para a casa da
avosinha. Vai o trem suvindo a serra. Oh! que pressa que nos temos. De
beijar nossa velhinha! Adeus oh! gente. Que alegria nos sentimos.
Avistando, bem de longe. Sua saia pintadinha. Adeus oh! gente
Its poetic translation follows:
Let us ail hurry, let us hurry and all go to dear grandmother's house. The
train climbs up the mountain. Oh! We are in such a hurry to kiss our dear
old grandmother! Goodbye folks! What joy we feel seeing from afar her
painted skirt.
The texture in this piece is imitative and gives the impression of layers,
varying from one to three layers. It is similar to that of As Costureiras but carries
the demands of rapid articulations to a more difficult and demanding level
bordering on the virtuosic due to: the articulation requirements that are very
challenging to vocalize (especially those of "Ta!" "Ca xa ca la!"); because of the
rapid change of consonant sounds the texture is thicker and individual lines are
much more involved; inclusion of onomatopoeic kinds of vocal effects; it is much
longer so it demands more vocal and articulative flexibility and endurance; the
layered texture; and, the variation of the sixteenth note pattern is rhythmic and
41
"textual". The structure is suggestive of a three-part form: mm. 1-17 encompass
an introduction; mm. 18-58 provide the presentation of text, or body of the work;
and mm. 59-70 is sim ilar to the introduction in reverse, and serve as the
conclusion. The most visible and audible stylistic traits throughout the piece are,
his use of syncopations, voices moving in parallel motion, and, most important,
his ability to imitate non-musical sounds in notated music through imaginative use
of text, and vocalized sound.
The first section of this piece is nine measures (mm. 1-9) of a homophonic
texture on the syllables, "Ta!" "Ca!" "Tchxa!" which try to vocally depict the
initial starting sounds of a locomotive engine. The articulative technique for these
syllables is similar to the double and triple tongueing by brass instrumentalists.
The next section, which is eight measures in length (mm. 10-17), increases the
texture through imitation of the primary rhythmic figure by adding one voice at a
time until three voices move simultaneously in parallel sixteenth notes (mm. 12-
17). When all three voices are participating and one voice reiterates one pitch, the
individual voice overlaps and contrasts with the other voices. The shifting of
strong beats through text accents within the measure, essentially removes the
barline from consideration. All of this serves to depict the relentless rhythmic
sounds of a train at full speed.
The texture in the next section (mm. 18-58) contains more contrast than
the first seventeen measures. Villa-Lobos adds the text on rather leisurely
melodic arches with longer rhythmic units and combines it with the onomatopoeic
effects. The onomatopoeia and the added line of texture on the syllabic "Urn!"
could represent extrinsic sounds which contrast with that of the engine's steady
42
motion or it could ju st be color variation. W hatever the purpose, the
chromaticism plus the closed vowel sound make this line extremely difficult to
negotiate in a successful manner. The "Um!" line in mm. 30-39 displays the same
kind of syncopated gesture to energize the music and is combined with a
previously stated three-note descending motive (mm. 30-33). When the text is
present, only one voice carries the embolada technique, perhaps with the intent to
avoid covering the words with the embolada figure.
The articulations for the onomatopoeic syllables involve more tongue,
teeth, quick jaw coordination and breath omission (aspirate Xa) than the sole
tongue articulations of "La-la-ri-la" in As Coslureiras (Ex. 6, page 36). The
varied rhythmic patterns within the sixteenth note pattern requires further
flexibility in articulation and clarity, as does the superimposed rhythmic and
onomatopoeic pattern in the vertical texture. When singers are asked to imitate
sounds external to the normal musical process an entire new vocabulary is
required and must be learned slowly through many repetitions, just like any other
language. Such techniques as a glottal accent on almost every note, carrying the
"Um!" in the second alto line of mm. 38-39, will keep the individual pitch from
being lost in a vocal slide, falling behind the tempo of the two upper vocal lines.
43
Ex.6. O Trenzinho, mm. 8-13
r»l C a n c a ta! (jjw h )
Ta! Ca! Tdua! Ca! Ta! Ca! T d u a! Ca! Ta!
Ta! Ca! Tahxa! Ca! Ta! Ca! T d u a! Ca! Ta!
TatCaxaca ta!
Ta! Xa ca ta d
Copyright by Marios Nobre, President, Academia Brasileira de Musica

Reprinted by Permission
The extrinsic effect added to the onomatopoeia are the texted lines in mm.
30-34. These lines would be lost if the embolada phrasing is not properly
articulated or balanced, a challenge that exists throughout the piece. O Trenzinho
is made up largely of special sound effects and if the proper effect is not
communicated, the intent of the piece is lost.
44
Canide loune-Sabath
In theCanto Orfednico, Volume II, it is indicated that this piece, which is
based on a Brazilian Amerindian theme from 1530, was collected by Jean de
Lery. The volume also refers to the date of composition as 1933, Rio de Janeiro.
The Amerindian sacred song (referred to in the collection as canto elegiaco ) with
an anonymous text which appears to be in an Indian dialect, is scored for mixed
chorus of six voices a cappella. The choral musician will need to approach this
piece in the same manner that an instrumentalist would: looking at the musical
ideas to the fullest in hopes to adequately portraying its meaning. In this case, the
music and meaning of the text.
The tonality of the piece suggests E minor in an ABA form which includes
repeats in the first A (mm. 1-12) and B (mm. 13-18) sections. One can assume
that B is the "choral response" or "refrain" to the prayer recitation in the A
section. To convey a general effect of the Amerindian setting, Villa-Lobos uses
an accompanying figure in the bass line on the pitch E and syllable "E!" as a pedal
point, which provides support for the more melodic lines.
The harmonic structures of the B section present some challenges in
balancing and coloring the sonorities. Most structures are triadic with occasional
use of open fifths and fourths. The male and female voices double each other on
each pitch of the triad. There are many instances where five or more voice parts
are written. However, instead of utilizing big chord structures he employs octave
45
doubling of given pitches in a triadic or seventh chord structure. In the open
chord structures of Ex. 7, mm. 13-18, the overlapping of the alto and tenor voices,
the doubled tenor and soprano voices in relatively higher vocal tessituras, and, the
persistent sound of open fifths and fourths, plus additional weight of the lowered
registration o f all voices, gives this setting a distinctive sonority and color
provided that all vocal sounds are adjusted for color and balance.
Ex. 7. Cartide loune-Sabalh, mm. 13-18
He! Heu ra! Heu Heu ra! Heu ra!
nt
Heu ra! Heu ra! Heu Uo ech!

aflarg. poco poc
Copyright by Marios Nobre, President, Academia Brasileira de Miisica

In this relatively short and simple composition by Villa-Lobos, the
frequently used syncopated gesture to energize phrases is used in a creative and
peculiar manner. The 2/4 measure, which initiates the A sections (mm. l-l I ; mm.
46
19-30), can be considered as having an implied rest and as the beginning of a
phrase which continues through the 3/4 meter and a part of a four-measure phrase
structure. Thus, the implied rest initiates the phrase on beat two, a weak beat of
the triple meter. The text entry on Canide is then the continuation of the phrase
started by the accompanying pedal point on the syllable "E!"
The metric shifts from duple to triple and the prescribed accents in the
score follow the rhythmic gesture of the text. This is an example of how musical
ideas in the score can convey the text meaning or at least capture its spirit.
Although the text setting is syllabic, the vocal sound should be sustained through
the beat. The slower formation of consonant sounds with abundant support will
sustain linear intensity. An example is the short exclamatory phrases of mm. 16-
17 and mm. 28-29 ("Heura! Uo ech!"), where vocal dynamics and strength must
be maintained beyond the initial accent (Ex. 8).
Ex.8. Canide loune-Sabath, mm. 27-31
morrentfo
a tempo Heu - ra! Uo ech!
Heu • ra Uo Ech!
a tempo
Copyright by Marios Nobre, President, Academia Brasileira de Miisica

47
Xango
This piece is described as belonging to the macumba genre which Willi
Apel defines as a "secret religious ceremony accompanied by songs and dances,
performed by Brazilian Negroes. It combines Christian symbols with others
originating in Africa and passed on by Amazon Indian tribes."38 Villa-Lobos sets
this short ceremonial piece for five voice parts a cappella. Possible vocal
combinations may include an a cappella chorus of SATBB or for solo voice and
SATBB chorus (sopranos can sing the alto line). The soprano line carries the text
on a simple melodic line presenting the "incantation." It is responsible for
providing the musical goals of this somewhat static piece. The tied triplet figures
in the soprano give the impression that the line moves freely and independently
from the regular 4/4 meter while the lower four voices provide the sonorous
support and rhythmic accentuation on the syllables "Ah!" and "E!"
The harmonic expression involves an abundant use of parallel fifths
between the baritone and bass parts and doubled in the tenor and female voices.
The parallel perfect fourths between the baritone and tenor voices present an
opportunity for tuning and vocal coloring. This openness of intervals, coupled
with the tessituras and accented "Ah!" and "E!" vowels create a hollow
percussive, yet darkly sonorous effect which is a common characteristic in the
choral music of Villa-Lobos.
38 Ibid., p. 496.
48
The tempo marking of Animado [ J = 126], in combination with the varying
triplet combinations and the text underlay, provide this piece with effective
rhythmic energy and direction. Tempo modification, however, is acceptable and
in some cases, depending on the ensemble and concert hall, an enhancement to
vocal color, sonority, and general effect.
The brevity of this piece however, presents a problem for programming. It
could be effective if included within a set of Villa-Lobos pieces in a given
program. Because it is esoteric in both text and muscial style, it requires singers
of some artistic maturity to provide a suitable and convincing interpretation.
Estrela e Lua Nova
This piece is also ascribed to the macumba genre. Estrela e Lua Nova is
an ambientacion, or adaptation, on a popular theme and is scored for mixed
chorus of five voices and mezzo-soprano and alto soli. Its date of composition
and place are unavailable. Ambientar means to adapt to a favorable environment.
Ambieniacao may have been a way for Villa-Lobos to express music which was
49
adpated to the favorable environment of Brazil. A poetic English translation
follows the Portuguese text.
Estrela do ceu e lua nova cravejada de ouro makumbebe. O'ia

rnakumbebe. O'ia makumbaribd! [A star of the sky is a new moon crafted
out of gold.]
The style in this piece, as is so common to Villa-Lobos, makes use of a
continuous accompanying rhythmic figure supporting the moving lines in the two
upper voices a quasi-ostinato gesture, and parallelism.
The texture of the accompanying lower four voices is rather thick but rich
in color. Except for a total of five measures, the vertical structures for these
voices consist of: parallel triads in root position for the bass, baritone, and tenor,
respectively; and, doubling of the root and third of the triad by the upper two
voices. The measures which depart from this gesture include some triads which
simply shift from root position to an inverted position (mm. 19-21 in Ex. 9, page
49). In these measures, the reiterated interval of a major third in the first baritone
and tenor lines contributes to the mildly dissonant sonorities when the triadic
expression changes.
The overall harmonic sound is traditional and consonant. Basically, Villa-
Lobos moves the harmony from tonic D major through the supertonic (ii) E-minor
triad to the dominant on A. The only "twist" is in m. 20 where he lowers the
sixth, B flat, of the D-major scale which results in a diminished E-major triad (Ex.
9, page 49).
50
Ex.9. Estrela e Lua Nova y mm. 19-21
be. - ta ma kum oe bo.
Ma icum ba be be! Ma fcum ba be be!
Editions Max Eschig

Used by Permission of the Publisher
Sole Representative U. S. A.. Theodore Presser
It is not so much the harmonic rhythm that provides phrase energy but
rather the aggregate of the variety of techniques employed which are: ( I ) the
steady rhythmic drive of the accompanying voices and its variations through shifts
of accents and syncopations, (2) the extension of vocal phrases in the solo vocal
line, (3) the syncopated entrances at the beginning or middle of phrases, and, (4)
vocal ornaments.
The accompanying texture simultaneously conveys the beating of drums
and chanting which build and climax into a trance. The soloist can be visualized
51
as the "priestess" who is referring to the new moon as a metaphor for the "goddess
of gold." Her sigh at the end of the piece may convey her falling into the trance.
The texture of this piece is easy to balance but a very specific depth of
color and resonance is desired in order to convey the spritual effect of the practice
of voodoo. The accompanying texture on "E Makumbabe" must be kept fresh and
alive with each reiteration. Approaching the consonant sound "m" through a hum
which is started slightly before the beat in the same way that the middle "M"
consonant should also close into a hum to anticipate the "B" of "BA" which
follows will enhance this goal. Otherwise, the sound of every syllable will cave
in vertically and possess little color, balance, or sense of direction. The accents of
the "E Makumbabe" patterns are not indicated throughout the score. These,
however, are to be consistent throughout. Performance goals are further
challenged by the repeat indicated at the end of the otherwise, relatively short
piece.
Estrela e Lua Nova is very effective and can be successfully programmed,

if the appropriate mezzo-soprano solo voice is available, in a Villa-Lobos set
which may include, for example, such pieces as: Xango, Jaquibau, Bazzum, and,
Canide loune-Sabath. It would create a fresh ambiance from almost any other
piece.
52
Jaquibau
Based on themes from the Black experience, this piece relates to the
period of slavery in the state of Minas Gerais. The text of the African dialect
"concerns famine among slaves in a mining district in the eighteenth century."39
Jaquibau Bexiga de boi Puita esticada de cascatatu. Berimbau de ferro

que foi de roda que guincha e o caxambu. Pai Joao la paratizando, Pai
Joao, ta assuntando, Pai Joao ta cum fome. Pru que nao temp jao, fuba
p'ra cume e carne de porco e so osso. Jaquibau Pai Joao ta
cachimbando. Pru que Pai Joao ta veio. Pai Joao ta sojrendo. £ ' pruque
nao tern sape p ’ra mora. Pru que e escravo dosinhd mogo. Jaquibau....
The poetic English translation is as follows:
We watch the starving oxen and pigs. AH in a row, bellys stuck out. We
play the Berimbau, the wheel (may refer to some type of mining
equipment) squeaks, and blacks dance the caxambu.
This piece shares common features with the macumba types previously
referred to in the discussions of Xango and Estrela e Lua Nova. All three pieces
have similar textures but Jaquibau specifically indicates that the upper two lines
be sung by solo voices. Once again, the lower voices carry the responsive
exclamations which is limited to "Ua!,""Tum!," "Dan!," and "Um!" The text is
carried mostly by the solo lines except for some repeated figures in the last
section when the choral accompaniment re-emphasizes isolated words in the text.
The form is ABAi. In the A sections (mm. 1-12) a solo duet is briefly
stated but it is immediately contrasted by a recitative-like tenor solo in the B
39 Dr. Morris J. Beach, program notes. Fall Concert (Austin: The University of Texas,
1979).
53
section of the structure (mm. 13-25). The solo lines move the music mostly
through the rhythmic figure [.-j-j -^=1. This habanera variant, syncopated and
triplet figures, and meter changes, are common throughout These techniques are
generally working toward avoiding the regularity of beat accents. The style for
the accompanying voices is similar to that in other pieces discussed in this
chapter chord structures with octave doublings, parallelism, syncopated gestures
on beat one, accented and sustained triadic sounds, open vertical structures, and
some variants of the habanera rhythm. These are some of Villa-Lobos' common
compositional characteristics but in Jaquibau they are presented in a distinctive
manner. The ability to vary his style so creatively and with such diversity through
the use of few compositional techniques is distinctive to Villa-Lobos.
Musical direction or motion, or the sense of such for the choral ensemble,
can be difficult to achieve in this piece. The ensemble texture can easily seem
disconnected from the solo voices because of the interruptive nature of some of
the rhythm and the recitative style of the middle section. The sustained notes in
the accompanying voices should be well supported with consistent energy and
tonal support throughout, especially at mm. 17-25 to avoid what could become a
lackadasical, "sing-song" expression.
The text in the choral parts of mm. 27-35 should join the solo part in a
seamless, natural fashion, while providing the necessary emphasis of collective
response. This section is especially challenging in that it is difficult to achieve a
54
complimentary synthesis of all parts. To avoid ragged rhythmic relationships
between solo and choral parts ask the choristers to sing the solo parts mentally,
then voice the sounds at the designated times. Choral voice doublings from mm.
36-40 can be considered optional.
The accompanying "Turn!" (mm. 13-15) will be very effective if the
dynamic indications in the score are followed. The sforzando gives each chord
the accented approach necessary for the "T" consonant (which should be given the
Spanish articulation with the tip of the tongue more active against the back of the
upper teeth) as well as the following vowel accent. The "Turn" should be
sustained on the closed "M" sound not the open "ooo" vowel.
Jaquibau is a very effective piece provided that capable performers are
available not only for the solo voices but the supporting "effect" parts as well.
The contralto solo has a suggested second part (tenor) written below it but it can
also be effective as a female duet. The tenor solo could also be performed by a
lyric baritone.
Bazzum
In the printed score this piece is referred to as an essay for popular song
(Ensaio Para A Cangao Popular) written in 1936, Rio de Janeiro. It calls for
three-part male chorus, unaccompanied. The actual scoring is for five voice parts,
T T B B i ( divisi), but without any indications of solo lines. However, on the basis
55
of the texture it can be performed as a piece for a male chorus of three parts which
supports a tenor duet. Other vocal combinations of this piece are possible: tenor
duet and three-part male chorus; soprano and contralto duet with choral
accompaniment being adapted for soprano and alto on the first baritone line,
tenors on the second baritone line, and all baritones and basses on the bass line;
or, straight SATBB chorus. Regardless of the forces employed, the texture still
combines the texted upper "solo" texture supported by the accompanying lower
voices in an quasi-ostinato pattern of chord structures.
The Portuguese text by Domingus Magarinos is as follows:
Diz o nobre pazendeiro velha e tragica legenda! Foi Bazzum, o f

feiticeiro, quern poz fogo na fazenda! Vidas, bens, o proprio gado, os
virentes cattaviaes, tudo ardeu! Foi devorado pelas chamas infernaes!
Tudo ardeu!
Negro e sombra! Nao e gente! Onde ha sombra nao ha luz! Sombra e

dor e e dor pungenie o negror da minha cruz! Aue!
Mas, porque Bazzum fez isso?! Accendeu esse brazeiro?! E Bazzum, no

seu feiligo, respondia ao mundo inteiro:
Negro e sombra!. . .
Eis, porque, Bazzum poz fogo - accendeu aquelle cirio! - precisava um

desafogo para a cruz do seu martydio!
Negro e sombra! . . .
Eis, porque, Bazzum, que e forte, provocou esse clarao e, affrontado a

propria morte, reduziu tudo a carvao!
56
According to the program notes in Professor Morris Beachy's concert of 1979,
Bazzum refers to a witch. In the same source, the description o f the text's
meaning is: 40
The noble estate owner tells this tragic legend: "It was Bazzum, the witch,
who set the ranch on fire. Lives, goods, the cattle themselves, the growing
sugar cane, everything burned - It was devoured by the infernal flames.
Chorus: Black men are shadows, they are not people. Where there is
shadow, their is no light Shadow is a pain, a pungent pain, it is the
blackness of my cross.
But why did Bazzum do this? He lit this all consuming fire, and from his
witchcraft replied to the entire world: 'Black men are shadows, they
are....
This is why Bazzum started the fire: he lit that candle to release him from
his cross of martyrdom. It is because of this Bazzum, who's strong,
provoked this intense light, and facing his own death, reduced everything
to charcoal.
On the basis of the above translation, the text makes reference to slavery
in Brazil. It is an original composition by Villa-Lobos to the text by Domingos
Magarinos and dedicated by the composer to Arminda Neves d'Almeida.
Interpretive Considerations and Suggestions:
Phrasing is inherently provided by rhythmic gestures and accents: they
never begin on a down beat but rather on the off-beat of any four of the beats in
the 4/4 meter; and the shifting of the rhythmic gesture [from to J.
One of the most striking features in this piece is the syncopated gesture
which acts to constantly energize phrasal definition and shape (m. 8). It is again,
40 Ibid., 1979.
57
the syncopated gesture which is used to provide the same interpretive reasons as
in other pieces discussed in this chapter. Here, however, the complexities are
greater due to the amount of text which is set syllabically to a rapid rhythmic
notation. This also has severe impact on proper control of dynamics. For
example, the phrase in mm. 3-5 involves two lines of text which present
challenges in the attempt to accomplish the necessary phrasing due to its text
underlay. More specifically, the first line ends on the first part of beat one in m. 3
and immidiately on the second part of the group of four sixteenth notes begins the
next line which in itself requires two other separations in the phrase (see Example
10, page 56). This exists throughout the piece; thus, there is no relief or rest for
the singers who really must have mature voices with excellent technique to
succeed with the articulation and vocal demands of this piece, although it is also
one instance where very little textless effects of pitched sound are suggested or
employed.
58
with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Ex. 10. Bazzum, mm. 3-5.
Diz no ca
M is. per que fez so?l Ac d eu se bra
zum! Baz Baz • zum! Baz
zum! Baz zum! Baz * zum! B az * zum! Baz
gen * da! zum. ro. quern poz fo - go na

zei - ro?! zum. co. ree • pon dai zo mundo
zum! Baz - zum! zum! zum! B az - zum! baz
Baz - zum! zum! zum! B az - zum! baz
b en s. o pro pro gado.6s ren > tes ca

som - bra! Nao e ogente! On de ha - som - bra nao
zum! Baz - zum! Baz * zum! B az
zum! Baz* zum! B az - zumi b az
Copyright by Marios Nobre, President, Academia Brasileira de Musica

59
O Canto do Page
This original setting by Villa-Lobos o f C. Paula Barros' text was
composed in Rio de Janeiro in 1933. According to the statement in the score, it is
based on the primitive music of Brazilian aborigines with rhythmic fragments of
popular Spanish music. The Portuguese text by C. Paula Barros is as follows:
O' manha de sol!

Anhanga fugiu.
Anhangza he! he!
Ah! foi vocle! quern me fez sonhar para chorar a minha Terra!
Coaraci he! he!
Anhanga fugiu!
O' Tupan Deus do Brazil queceu enche de sol de estrelas, de luar e de

esperanga! O' Tupan lira de mim esta saudade! Anhanga me fez sonhar
com a Terra que perdi.
The title translates to The Song o f the Indian Chief and the translation of the
Portuguese text is:
Sunny morning
The evil spirit ran away
The evil spirit he, he! Ah! it was you!
Who made me dream to cry for my land sun he! he!
The evil spirit ran away!
60
Oh Tupan (thunder) god of Brazil who fills the sky with sun, stars,
moonlight and hope.
Oh god free me of this longing
the evil spirit made me dream of the world I lost
Oh sunny morning
the evil spirit ran away
the river's voice is singing
everything is dreaming, the sea and the sky.
The field and the flowers.
The form o f O Canto do Page is ABAB. The A section (mm. 1-20)
presents seven lines of text each time, and the B section (mm. 21-36) presents
four lines of text in the top voice and four in the lower voice. At section B, the
rhythmic figures of the top voice are slower and contrasting to the smaller
rhythmic units of the lower voice, the reason for the need to repeat some text.
Upon the repeat of the "A" section the only variation is the presence of seven new
lines of text. The harmonic tonality of C major supports this musical structure
throughout.
A common practice for Villa-Lobos, and one that has been discussed in
this chapter already, is his use of a choral accompanying texture to support a
"solo" line. In the first section (mm. 1-20) of O Canto do Page, the contralto line
carries a rhythmic onomatopoeic pattern (possibly representing the sounds of
drums) that is slightly varied by occasionally altering the second pitch of the first
pattern throughout and one pitch at the end of the section (mm. 19-20). In this
section, second sopranos and first altos articulate the interval of a parallel major
61
third relentlessly to a variant of the habanera rhythmic pattern [ ■! -J~ -2 ]
throughout The onomatopoeic patterns of each line remain the same for every
musical pattern in the section. The solo line presents two-measure phrases over
this pattern, except for mm. 13-16 where the line of text is presented over four
measures. These musical phrases are determined by the lines o f text.
The second part (mm. 21-36) has a two-part texture with superimposed
lines of text. The top line carries the melody with the lower voice acting as an
accompanying countermelody. O Canto do Page displays some of Villa-Lobos'
compositional characteristics which are common to his choral works: cross
rhythmis, parallelism, quais-ostinati, pedal point, the syncopated gesture, and the
use of onomatopoeia. Of special interest to this score is the ommission of the
habanera rhythm or variants of it. The rhythmic contrasts, especially when cross
rhythms occur, are very common to popular music and show their obvious
influence on Villa-Lobos.
Interpretative Considerations and Suggestions
Again, this piece presents a situation where the repeated patterns
(rhythmically as well as melodiclaly and/or harmonically) will require that each
reiteration be presented in an interpretively fresh, vocally consistent, and energetic
manner. To imitate the percussive and resonant sound of drums singers will need
to vocally control and support the onomatopoeic patterns as a means for achieving
depth of color and sonority.
62
As in other Villa-Lobos scores, a discrepancy exists in this setting in
reference to the number of voices indicated at the top of the manuscript. It states
that it is written for chorus o f three-part a cappella. The number of parts written
in the staves however, is four. As seen in other pieces, one being Bazzum, the
choral-type accompaniment in the piece under discussion is for three voices. It
may be concluded that the fourth and highest voice, therefore, the soprano, must
have been written for solo voice. However, it lies more in the "mezzo" or alto
range, thus, by calling it a soprano line may suggest a soprano section. It could be
done either way. Possibilities include: SAA chorus and solo voice a cappella, or
SSAA chorus, a cappella. Villa-Lobos may have wanted to provide different
options of vocal combinations to be at the discretion of the choral director. The
practice of allowing an open-ended choices for vocal combinations is consistent
with other composers o f choral music who realize that by giving the director
freedom of choice in assigning parts will probably provide a better performance.
In fact, a review of his total choral compositional output will show that this
concept of "one manuscript" but with different options for performing forces is a
common characteristic. A good example which supports this view is the
Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9 which is composed for voices or an ensemble of

string instruments.
63
Duos Lendas Amerindias
These two legends are in Nheengatu, the "Langue autochtone du Brasil,"
(indigenous language of Brazil) according to the indications in the 1958 edited
score by Max Eschig Editions in Paris. In the score the date is 1952, Rio de
Janeiro, and the dedicatory is to Mindinha, Villa-Lobos' companion after his
divorce from his first wife, Lucilla. Both pieces are written for mixed chorus a
cappella and no substitution of voices, other than what is in the score, are
recommended. The first piece calls for eight voice parts and the second is written
for six.
O lumpari e o Menino (Irupari Curumi Irumo)
The first legend is scored for SSAAATTBB chorus a cappella. The quasi-
ostinato accompaniment figure on the word Martha permeates the piece. This
pattern is presented in contrasting textures. Initially, it is introduced in imitation
at the interval of a fourth beginning with the bass line until all three male voices
join in continuous parallel motion. Over this accompanying gesture, which is
varied in pitch but not in the rhythmic pattern, the sopranos and altos present the
thematic material in a tuneful duet setting which moves the voices in parallel
fourths. This thematic material is set in a 12/8 Allegro throughout the piece. He
64
uses the compound meter to give the music additional forward direction as seen in
the bass line of mm. 15-23. This piece is very different in effect to all others
discussed in this chapter. In this setting of an Amerindian legend, the technique
which is used, is basically the use of duplets to enhance intensity.
The use of parallel octaves adds fullness to the texture. Vertical sonorities
are enhanced in "fullness" and "color" by assigning the same melody in parallel
thirds to the tenor and soprano while the alto line fills in the fifths of triads
presented by the three upper voices (mm. 15-18).
Setting one voice off in the texture from the others is a common trait: it
varies the texture; or, it may add tension, rhythmic interest, intensity, and even
conflict; but, most obviously, especially in this score ( the bass line in mm. 15-17;
mm. 19-25), it moves the musical lines forward even if the clarity of the text may
suffer.
II
lurupari e o Cagador (lurupari Camundugara Iruno)
It is important to point out that just about every aspect of this piece is motivically
related to the theme presented at the very beginning of the composition by the alto
and soprano voices. The following are examples: the descending pitches G-F-E
of the first soprano in m. 8 comes out of the second part of the theme, mm. 4-5;
65
the alto line E-F-G is a reversed presentation of the same pitch collection; and, the
same is seen in m. 7 where the first three pitches in the tenor line follow the same
pattern. This treatment of the theme in a quasi-motivic style throughout the piece
gives it cohesiveness and musical direction.
Other musical concepts which vary from those present in the first piece:
(1) the simultaneous use o f contrary motion and parallelism, as well as voice
crossing, (2) the challenge o f tuning due to the nature of the texture coupled with
the rhythmic gestures and uncommon language, (3) the seemingly layered texture
due to its complexity, and, (4) some of the text extends the difficulty of the
uncommon articulations as seen in the lower voices (Ex. 11, mm. 26-28).
Ex. 11. Duas Lendas Amerindias, No.2, O, lurupari e o Cagador, mm. 26-
Manha cue
*ce Manha
m a - nu... ma - nu...
U u ma * nu... U u ma - nu... U u m a - nu.~
Copyright 1952 Editions Max Eschig

Used by Permission of the Publisher
Sole Representative U. S. A., Theodore Presser
66
Interpretive Suggestions and Considerations
Some challenges in this piece include: (1) the continuous presence of
parallel fourths in the accompanying voices as seen in mm. 1-3 of the first piece,
(2) the linear expression of the bass line in unison at the octave in mm. 19-27 also
in the first piece, where an entire section is given direction principally through
this line, (3) the two-note phrases on the word Manha which is presented
continuously, in sections of the piece, and moves in a horizontal manner, (4) the
challenge for the performer to become acquainted with an uncommon series of
sounds, their pronunciation and inflections, (5) contrary motion among voices in
the second piece, and (6) the need to give each "layer," in quasi-layered structures
their musical identity and direction in order to allow the fabric of the pieces to
weave. The two Amerindian legends are artistically challenging and demanding.
Fuga
This fugue is dedicated to Mindinha and is based on a Brazilian theme of
popular character. It is set for four-part mixed voices a cappella; it is an
incredibly challenging, comprehensive synthesis of popular rhythmic gestures.
Although Villa-Lobos considered J. S. Bach to be the true "folklorist" of
all times and admired his works to the level of having composed the Bachianas
Brasileiras in 1930-1945, this particular fugue is not in the style of a Bach fugue.
67
He presents the theme in every voice at the beginning of the piece and although
the theme occurs throughout, the form does not entirely correspond to eighteenth-
century fugue structure. The use of fugal techniques are limited basically to:
thematic presentation; thematic treatment; use of countermelody-like lines; and a
constant motor motion, which in this case is achieved primarily through the
combinations of rhythmic gesture.
It is the contrasting linear and vertical gestures of cross rhythms,
syncopations, off-beat accents, and, especially, variants of the habanera rhythm
that allow this piece to develop and continuously move forward in the style of a
fugue.
Although this setting does not have lush cadences as punctuation marks in
the overall form, the following grouping of measures are recommended to assist
the interpreter in sensing the desired direction of the music: mm. 1-26; mm. 26-
32; mm. 31-40; mm. 40-51; mm. 51-63. Close observation of these groups will
determine that every group overlaps and that a single voice always initiates the
group of parts which follows.
All the lines move toward the syncopated gestures of the phrase as seen in
mm. 1-3, the first part of the thematic material presented by the bass. The second
part of the phrase, mm. 4-7, aims for the same kind of effect but with a different
rhythmic figuration although both share the same linear principle. This "new"
gesture is the equivalent of the so-called "motor rhythms" of the baroque style.
68
As a norm, fugues have inherent challenges for the choral ensemble on the
basis o f their rhythmic, textural balance, and contrapuntal complexities, to
mention a few. Villa-Lobos' version of a fugue in this piece shares these demands
among others which are characteristics of his style and not o f the fugue as a
compositional form. Because this is a fugue which never really develops in a
classical sense, the challenge o f sensing the proper phrasal direction is great, in
addition to rhythmic, vocal, and general musical demands presented by Villa-
Lobos. One of the most difficult aspects of this piece is the demand for constant
clarity of articulation and independent line identification.
The recommended syllable for this textless setting is "Pah," although
others can be used. This syllable will enhance opportunities for: clarity of
articulations; good tone quality and resonance; flexibility and agility; and, a good
vowel sound preceded by a consonant which will facilitate vocal placement,
accuracy of pitch, and good vocal colors. The motion in Fuga is one that is
unceasing from beginning to end. This requires constant vocal stamina,
concentration, and musical endurance.
69
CHAPTER THREE
Extended Works: An Introduction
A musica 6 a linica expressao da Arte que reune os requisitos de forâ

dominadora compreensivel a todas as raâs, e por isso mesmo capaz de
uma conciliaâo racional entre os povos"4141 (Music is the only artistic
expression which reunites all the required dominating forces which are
understanding of all races. It is precisely that which makes it capable of
racial conciliation between people.)
Introduction
The more extensive choral works included in this chapter are selected
from a group of major works which are encompassed in Villa-Lobos' choral
output. These pieces are very accessible for performance. Considering them for
programming one can conclude that they are vocally more within the realms of
possibilities than the Choros, No. 10, for example. Their scoring is either for a
cappella chorus or for very adaptable instrumentation, as for example, in the
Magnificat-Alleluia.
41 Martin Claret, p. 77.
70
Missa Sao Sebastiao
The Missa Sao Sebastiao (Saint Sebastian Mass), in Honor o f Saint
Sebastian, is written for three-part female voices (SSA) a cappella, but in the
score it is indicated that each voice can be doubled at the octave by male voices.
This means that the score is adaptable for six-part mixed voices (SSATBB) or
even an all male ensemble (TBB). This flexibility, of voice combinations is
common in Villa-Lobos' choral music, a point which has already been discussed
in Chapter Two.
The Mass could be performed by any of the vocal combinations mentioned
above. The smaller the ensemble the stronger the possibilities to control the
ensemble sound and its potential for richness of sound. Regardless o f the
director's choice of voicing, this piece can be effectively programmed but, the
author favors the programming of this work for the Women's Chorus repertory.
Its compositional style, a combination of polyphonic and homophonic textures
which relate to the sixteenth century style of motet writing, will contribute to the
development of any choral ensemble's sound.
The text is taken from the Ordinary of the Mass of the Roman Catholic
Liturgy. This latin Mass text is presented in a fairly straightforward manner.
Some minor alterations of text occur but these do not change the main character of
the music. Omissions are shown in parenthesis brackets.
71
Gloria
[Gloria in excelsis Ddo.]
Et in tdrra pax homfnibus bdnae voluntatis.
LaucMmus te. Benedfcimus te.
Adordmus te. Glorificdmus te.
Grdtias dgimus tfbi propter mdgnam gldriam tuam.
Ddmine Ddus Rex coeldstis,
Ddus Pdter omnfpotens.
Ddmine Ffli unigdnite. Jdsu Chrfste.
Ddmine Ddus, Agnus Ddi, Fflius Pdtris.
Qui tcSIIis peccdta mundi, suscipe deprecati6nem ndstram.
Qui sddes ad ddxteram Patris, miserdre ndbis.
Qudniam tu sdlus sdnctus.
Tu s61us Ddminus.
[Tu solus Altfssimus, ] Jdsu Christe.
Cum Sdncto Spfritu in gldria Ddi Pdtris. Amen.
Credo
[Crddo in unum Ddum,]
Pdtrem omnipotdntem, fact6rem codli et tdrrae,
visibilim dmnium, et invisibflium.
Et in unum Ddminum Jdsum Christum,
Fflim Ddi unigdnitum.
Et ex Pdtre ndtum ante dmni sdecula.
Ddum de Ddo, lumen de lumine,
72
ddum vdrum de Ddo vdro.
Gdnitum, non fdctum, consubstantidlem Pdtri:
per quem dmnia fdcta sunt
Qui propter nos hdmines,
et propter ndstram salutem descdndit de cadlis.
Et incamdtus est de spfritu Sdncto
ex Maria Virgine. ET HOMO FACTUS EST.
Crucifixus dtiam pro ndbis sub Pdntio Pildto:
pdssus, et sepultus est.
Et resurrexit tdrtia die, secundum Scripturas.
Et ascdndit in cadlum:
sedet ad dexteram Patris.
Et iterum venturus est cum gldria,
judicdre vfvos et mdrtuos:
cujus rdgni non drit finis.
Et in Spfritum Sdnctum Ddminum, et vivificdntem:
qui ex Pdtre Filidque procddit
Qui cum Pdtre, et Fflio simul adordtru et conglorificdtun
qui locutus est per Prophdtas.
Et unam, sdnctam, cathdlicam et apostdlicam Eccldsiam.
Confiteor unum baptisma in remissidnem peccatdrum.
Et expdcto resurrectidnem mortudrum.
[Et vftam venturi sadculi.] Amen.
73
In this work, Villa-Lobos does not depict its meaning through a dramatic
musical setting, as do the traditional mass settings of eighteenth-century and
nineteenth-century composers. For example, the "Cum Sanctus" section in the
Gloria, mm. 190-200, is presented against tradition in that it is in a non-imitative
texture of only eleven measures in length rather than a fully developed polyphony.
This work presents a musical setting which relates more to a sixteenth-century
style than to any other period of composition but this is not to imply that
expression of the text is lacking in the musical setting. The setting is intense and
expressive as seen in specific portions of the work: the three entrances of
"Domine Deus", mm. 92-105; the "Et incamatus est" stays within traditional
concepts o f setting such a text but here it is presented in a very short and intimate
section of only sixteen measures which contrasts with the tender presentation of
the Benediclus. Regardless of his other expressive gestures,the text, is given a
syllabic setting throughout. What variation exists is limited mostly to short
phrases of simple to moderate rhythmic activity.
All of the six movements in this Mass setting have some type of "theme."
From the quasi-modinha line of the Sanctus to the short thematic statements of the
Gloria and Credo, most of the themes cannot be labelled as being "tuneful" or
developed. The lines of the Sanctus resemble the Brazilian modinha on the basis
of: the duet-like texture which is sometimes present in the first section of this
movement; the syncopated vocal lines; the intense but lyrical qualities of the
lines; and some thirds in parallel motion. In contrast with this is the opening of
the Kyrie which involves a two-measure phrase of four pitches, C-D-E-F, which
are then presented in the Christe section as, F-C-D-E. This is a motivic treatment
74
of the first theme but, one which is not developed until Villa-Lobos expands it in
the "Gratia agimus" section to a four-measure phrase. Another instance of how he
treats "thematic" material is seen in mm. 62-65.
A technique which Villa-Lobos utilizes in lieu of thematic development is
seen in mm. 92-94 of the Gloria, where he seems to present a four-measure
thematic idea that is left and never treated or developed. Actually, as seen in
example one, he initiates a melodic line with one voice and continues it with the
other two voices, resulting in a fourteen-measure line which breaks up into phrase
groups of 4 + 4 + 6. Contrasting to this technique is what is seen in the closing
"Amen" section of the same movement (mm. 201-14). The thematic material
relates again to m. 1-3, but in this section the "theme" is treated by all three voices
though never fully developed throughout this closing section which is in fact
comprised of twenty-four measures in length.
Ex. 12. Missa Sao Sebastiao, mm. 92-97
Meno. qua# lento
D eus. -------
D eus. - - - R ex coe les Do mi ne Deus.
Copyright 1937 (Renewed) by Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI)

Used by Permission.
75
This presentation of brief thematic statements that never develop within
the structure o f any of the movements is seen throughout the Credo in the
following measures: 3-9; 28-32; 81-88; 125-130; and, 177-185. What is present
throughout this movement, and throughout the Mass, is the use o f small sections
within each movement.
The Kyrie follows the standard tri-sectional movement following the
structure o f the text: "Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison." The Gloria,
has nine "sections" which present both polyphonic and harmonic textures
including some thematic material. Obviously, with such short, sectionalized
presentations there is little opportunity for full thematic development. The Credo
follows along the same lines of the Gloria but, the former having more text, is set
in thirteen musical "sections." The Sanctus and Benedictus are relatively short,
following the standard format of presentation, "Sanctus, Hosanna, Benedictus,
Hosanna." Closing the work, the Agnus Dei presents a structure of two-sections;
the first employs a "tuneful" five-measure theme, again, without full development,
while the second section combines a homophonic and polyphonic approach
moving the piece through D minor, D major, C minor, and finally to C major at
the conclusion.
Rhythm is of central importance to this work. Villa-Lobos uses a variety
of simple and compound metric combinations and gestures such as: (1) the use of
syncopations; (2) cross rhythms; (3) over the barline suspensions; and, (4) even
some variants of the habanera rhythm [ ]. Some of the rhythmic gestures
employed to set the text demonstrate Villa-Lobos' originality. Some examples
include: the setting of the "et sepultus est" section of the Credo (mm. 107-112)
76
and the setting of "Qui tollis peccata mundi" in the Gloria (mm. 143-176). The
choice of tempo and the changes of such in combination with his choice of
rhythmic formulae contributes to the individuality of this piece.
The Largo opening of the Credo on the word "Patrem" followed by an
Allegro two measures later on the continuation of the line, "omnipotentem
factorem," is singularly effective. Other phrases of unique character on the basis
of tempo, rhythmic expression, and even texture, include: (1) the Allegretto
section of "Qui cum Patri" in the Credo movement, mm. 186-213, and (2) the
Andantino setting of "Et resurrexit" (mm. 113-124) followed by "Et ascendit" in
4/4. These measures exemplify how tempo and rhythm are his tools for
contrasting the juxtaposed sections. The quasi-juxtaposed musical sections and an
almost abrubt and abbreviated presentation add special character to the
movements.
In a linear approach the harmonic language is one of quasi-pandiatonicism
with the overall scheme implying E-flat major as the tonal center. None of the
movements are in E-flat major as is illustrated in the figure below, showing the
key relationships of all six movements.
Fig. 1, Missa Sao Sebastiao
Kyrie Gloria Credo Sanctus Benedictus Agnus
-------- — V --------- — r vi/IV------- -------V-------- ------vi— [
Cm in. B-flat C major F min. B-Flat C min -C M
vi/E-flat V/E-flat VI/E-flat vi/A-flat V/E-flal vi/E-flal-VI
77
The tonal strength and progression of the movements coincide with the
strength and dramatic fluctuation o f the textual meaning. It is significant to point
out how he contrasts the Sanctus with all the other movements through the use of
a more distantly related key. It is also significant to observe how he uses the key
of C major for the central and most important text of the Roman Mass, the Credo
and how he re-emphasizes C major in the final statement of the Amen.
The textures of the movements fluctuate between polyphony and
homophony. He works with colors and provides musical direction through: his
typical use of octave doubling; parallelism in the vertical structures; use of
contrary and similar linear motion, or combinations of both within a phrase;
rhythmic activity and variety in the vertical sense; open vertical structures; use of
range and tessituras; and asymmetrical phrase groupings in the different voices.
In the opening of the Kyrie the phrase grouping of each voice entering the
polyphonic texture varies. The grouping for each voice, alto, second soprano,
first soprano is respectively as follows: (2+4) (2+3) (3+2+3); (3+2) (4) (3+3); and
(2+4) (4+4). This kind of irregular overlapping linear gesture combined with the
tessituras and motions of the lines enhance the openness and "ethereal" quality of
the movement. The Gloria also exemplifies his use of varying rhythmic gesture
in each voice in an overall texture that varies in the number of voices used in
counterpoint or homophony.
The Credo achieves color and variety of such through: the varying
tessituras; octave doubling; his common trait of moving the texture in and out of
the unison; use of contrary motion, especially between the alto and first soprano;
and, his use of similar motion as well. This movement shows the diversity of
78
techniques used yet none too consistently. Since the Sanctus is a contrasting and
shorter movement, it presents a more consistent treatment of the texture. It is
basically homophonic throughout but the rhythmic and metric formulae provide
longer lines that are rhythmically more independent. Parallelism is used when
two voices are paired in a duet-like structure, a characteristic of the Brazilian
modinha. The sixth and last movement, the Agnus Dei, presents its first part in
counterpoint and the second section in homophony. It remains in three voices
until the very end where he uses an ascending gesture to the final C major on the
word "pacem." The divisi calls for a total of five voices as the sound expands to
an open chord structure in C major.
The Missa Sao Sebastiao has intrinsic musical properties suitable for the
cultivation of musicianship and choral sound of the ensemble. The intense legato
style of the vocal lines challenge the individual voices to consistently support the
line with sufficient breath control. The vocal range and tessitura is usually
comfortable except for some of the low alto line parts which at times includes an
F below middle C (very common for Villa-Lobos to use this extreme of the alto
lower range). These fairly easy vocal ranges contribute to the individual voice's
ability to project shaded lines in an intense, legato, and clear linear style.
79
Magnificat-Alleluia
Composed in 1958, the Magnificat-Alleluia is written for SATB chorus
and contraltino or contralto solo and an orchestra of: piccolo, two flutes, two
oboes, two B-flat clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, two french homs in F,
two B-flat trumpets, two trombones, tuba, timbales, organ, and, full complement
of strings. This orchestration is adaptable to the use of the instruments available.
While the use o f all the instruments designated in the score is preferred, rather
than leave such pieces unperformed due to unavailability of full instrumentation
because of budgetary reasons or other obstacles, a possible solution is to perform
with select instrumental forces. For example, the work can be performed without
an organ or without strings because these double each other.
The Latin text is part of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. The
setting involves the verses of the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:46-
55) which is sung by the solo voice in alternation with the choral Alleluia, thus its
name Magnificat-Alleluia. The Alleluia sections serve as a "textual" refrain only,
the musical contents of each presentation varies. Both solo and choral parts have
a syllabic setting of the Latin words in a straightforward manner without
omissions o r repetitions of any of the words or lines of text. The canticle has a
total of sixteen lines of text plus the final "amen." The musical setting is in the
following o rd er Alleluia, 7 lines. Alleluia, 5 lines. Alleluia, 2 lines, Alleluia, 2
lines, Amen-Alleluia-Amen.
80
Alleluia. . .
Magnilcat dnima mda Ddminum.

Et exaltdvit spfritus mdus in Ddo salutdri mdo,
Qui respdxit humilitdtem ancfllae suae
ecce enim ex hoc bedtum me dfcent dmnes generatidnes
Quia fdcit mfhi mdgna qui pd tents est;
et sactum nomen djus,
et misericdrdia djus a progdnie in progenies timdntibus dum.
Alleluia. . .
Fecit protdntiam brdchio suo:

dispdrsit supdrbos mdnte cdrdis sui.
Depdsuit potdntes de sdde,
et exaltdvit humiles,
Esurientes impldvit bonis: et dfvites dimfsit indnes.
Alleluia. . .
Suscdpit Israel [servum] pudrum suum, recordatus misericdrdiae suae.

Sicut locutus est ad pdtres ndstros, [ergo] Abraham et semini djus in
saecula.
Alleluia. . .
Gloria Pdtri, et Fflio, et Spintui Sdncto

Sicut drat in princfpio, et nunc et sdmper, et in sadcula sadculorum. Amen.
Alleluia. . .
There are no tuneful melodies as such that arise from the linear approach
which Villa-Lobos employed in this composition. The lines are part of a fabric
that abounds with sonorous instrumental and choral colors in a fairly
straightforward and uncomplicated rhythmic gestures. The overall harmonic
language uses C major as a tonal point of reference in a pandiatonic type of
structure. As in the Missa Sao Sebastiao, Villa-Lobos moves to the relative major
to conclude the work. This is a technique that is a common harmonic preference
of his choral music, especially the sacred works. The Magnificat-Alleluia is a
81
beautiful setting of this often used text and a very effective and programmable
composition on the basis o f its duration (twelve minutes), its beauty and its
technical accessibility. It should be strongly considered for performance as an
alternative to frequently performed Magnificat settings.
Bendita Sabedoria
Also written in 1958, Bendita Sabedoria, which translates to "Blessed
Wisdom," is a setting of five lines of text from the Book of Proverbs arranged in
six musical movements. The five lines of text are as follows:
[Sapientia foris predicat, in plateis dat vocem.]

Wisdom cries aloud in the street;
in the marketplace she raises her voice! (Prov. 1:20)
[Vas pretiosum labia scientiae.]

Tools of great value are the lips of knowledge. (Prov. 20:15)
[Principium sapientiae, posside sa pientiam.]

The beginning of wisdom is this: Receive wisdom (Prov. 4:7)
[Vir sa piens fortis est.]

The wise man is stronger than a man of strength. (Prov. 24:5)
[Beatus homo invenit sapientiam et qui affluit prudentia; melio acquisition

eins negotiatione argenti et auri primissimi. Dexeteram tuam sic notam
fac: et eruditos corde in sapientia.]
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets
understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver, and its
profit better than gold. (Prov. 3:13).
82
The a capella work is scored for mixed chorus of up to six voice part. The
style of the musical lines within the textures in the movements is one of varied
colors and full sonorities. The parts often resemble instrumental characteristics
rather than vocal, resulting in striking sonorities and dynamic contrasts. For
example, the first twenty-five measures of the first movement could be effectively
accomplished by a string or wind quartet. The singers must approach the lines as
would an instrumentalist due to the extraordinary technical demands, unusual
gestures and lack of text. Many other examples exist, including the last two
measures of the second movement and the accompanying vocal lines in the fifth
movement.
The amount of text treated is minimal. A total of five lines is set to the six
movements respectively: two lines; one line; two short lines; one line; and, four
lines of text for the last movement. All lines of text are accompanied by voices
carrying the open vowel sounds which vary from movement to movement. The
open vowel technique in this piece is not difficult and limited to accompanying
gestures.
The text setting is generally syllabic with some melismatic passages that
are limited to very moderate phrase lengths and rhythmic activity. The texture
serves to contribute to the clarity of the lines of text and/or open vowel sounds.
The melodic language is based on a thematic and "motivic" treatment
without observable development. The first movement is based on a three-measure
theme which is treated throughout the first section (mm. 1-25) and varied in the
second section (mm. 26-40) of the section. The second section presents a two-
measure phrase throughout in imitation which is based on a four-note motive
83
while the third section treats a one-measure theme which is varied and used
continuously throughout the entire nine measures o f the section. The fourth
section does not present any "thematic" material but rather a block of tonal, or
"tuneful-like," music with a steady, harmonic, musical direction which points to
its final I - V- I cadence. The fifth section is the most lyric and melodic in style,
presenting a continuous melodic idea in the first and third sections of the
movement (mm. 1-16 and mm. 29-45, respectively); the final section presents
three phrases (4 + 6 + 4 + 1) incorporating a linear style to move the piece
harmonically from A-flat major to G to B-flat and finally, to E-fiat. The fourth
and sixth sections are in great contrast with the other four. To identify thematic
activity in the fourth and sixth movements is not possible; they contrast in texture,
harmonic color and rhythm.
The middle sections. Numbers 3 and 4, are the most "conventional" in
harmonic "progressions," although the fourth section drifts the furthest away from
E flat major which is the "tonal" reference framing the entire structure. The third
section is clearly in C major and can be identified as the parallel major of C minor
in E-flat major. The fourth section, however, is framed by A major and D major.
The A major is a V of V in G minor and the D major is the dominant of G minor.
In E fiat, G minor is the relative minor of the dominant B fiat. This quasi-
pandiatonic "scheme" or harmonic language has been seen throughout many of
the works discussed in this treatise, especially the sacred works.
A view of the harmonic idioms in all six sections of the Bendita Sabedoria
can serve as a representative synthesis of Villa-Lobos' harmonic traits. The first
section presents a harmonic language that cannot be classified in a traditional
84
manner; mention o f this deviation from the norm or idiosyncracy has been
previously identified in this treatise. When using a linear style, chromaticism and
parallelism are generally present. Parallelism is used especially when the alto and
bass lines are divisi. The second section presents an abundance of secondary
dominants, a technique that he uses in many of the pieces in the first volume of
the Musica Sacra and the oratorio-mass, Vidapura.
The short third section, which contains only nine measures presents a
rather functional and conventional harmonic language built around C major. It is
more contrasting in style and complexity of chord usage than the fourth section.
The fifth section is in three parts that are framed by I - V-1 progression around A
minor. The middle section (mm. 17-28) is juxtaposed with a quasi-chromatic
setting that moves the piece to conclude in E major, creating a smoother transition
to the third and final part (mm. 29-45) which opens in A minor and concludes in
its parallel, A major. The final section begins with a descending half-step from A
major to A-flat major, achieving a smooth transition to this movement and
towards the final E-flat major through its dominant, B-flat. The motion to the
final cadence of this entire work is strong and effective yet, to the untrained eye
seemingly thin in texture and sonority. He establishes an E-flat pedal point in the
second bass over which he gradually stacks parallel fourths by adding voices until
he arrives at an open structure o f E-fiat major seventh followed by a descending
unison E-flat major scale ending on B-flat followed by a cut-off to the final
unison E-flat pitch doubled at multiple octaves and implying an E-flat major
ending.
85
Other than some variants of the habanera rhythm, triplets, syncopations,
some cross rhythms, and accented beats, the rhythmic gesture is simple,
straightforward, and within Villa-Lobos' musical style.
This is a work that again provides ample opportunities for displaying a
rich and varied palette of choral colors. It is precisely these opportunities that
allow this score to serve as an enhancement to any choral program or to the
educational objectives for the development of any choral ensemble.
Choros, No. 3
Translated from the French in the Max Eschig edition of the full score, the
term choros, is defined as representative of "a new form of musical composition
in which different characteristics of Brazilian music, Indian and popular (based
principally on the elements of rhythm and typical melodies of popular character),
are synthesized and transformed by the personality of the author. In reference to
the choros under discussion, the process of harmonization is a complete
stylization of the original."40 According to Adhemar Nobrega in his book, Os
Choros de Villa-Lobos, Villa-Lobos advises that, "the ambiance, the rhythmic
atmosphere and harmony of the choros are formed from material which has been
consciously processed from diverse musical elements which have been
meticulously absorbed from short and irregular rhythmic and melodic cells
86
derived from, in a general manner, the various aboriginal races o f all Brazil."42
Furthermore, Nobrega summarizes this third choros as an "adaptation of melodic
motives that are of aborigine inspiration, syllables without literary sense, or words
without syntactic relationships, simply presented as an onomatopoeic effect, or as
a last analytical resource, he is simply looking for pure effects in timbre ."5 He
cites such works as Descobrimenlo do Brasil, Sinfonia No. 10 ( Sume. Pater
Patrium ) and, Choros, No. 10.

Villa-Lobos composed fourteen choros of which only two are choral
compositions, Numbers 3 and 10. Both are written for chorus and instruments.
Instrumentation for the tenth choros, a larger-scale work, is for full orchestra, a
complete battery of typical instruments, piano, harp, and strings. Only six
minutes in duration, the third choros includes B-flat clarinet, alto saxophone,
bassoon, three horns in F, and trombone.
Written in 1925, Choros, No. 3 (Pica - Pau) draws its thematic material
from the Precis Indian song Nozani - Na Orekua, collected by E. Roquette-Pinto.
According to Nobrega it was collected in 1912 and is a baquica song .44 Nobrega
also mentions that it was dedicated to Tarsila do Amaral and Oswaldo de
Andrade, both participants of the Week of Modern Art in 1922. Its world
premiere is recorded as having been in Paris on December 5, 1927, under the
direction of Robert Siohan .43
42 Adhemar Nobrega, The Choros o f Villa-Lobos (Rio de Janeiro: Museu Villa-Lobos,

1975), p. 37.
43 Ibid.. p. 18.
44 Ibid.. p. 19.
87
In Choros, No. 3, the Nozani-Na theme is presented immediately in the
opening measures by the voices and doubled by the instruments in an imitative
texture. Upon stating this theme six times it becomes fragmented and thus, the
basis for rhythmic and/or melodic material throughout the piece. According to
Nobrega a literary presentation of Amerindian themes was not common to the
music of Villa-lobos except for those employed in the Choros, No. 3 and No. 10.
Choros, No. 3 is scored for TTBB chorus but it can be effectively performed by a
chorus of mixed voices provided that extra careful attention be paid to the
cincorporation of different vocal colors so that the effects in sonority are not
totally altered in the process. For example, if the tenor parts are assigned to the
soprano and alto voices, there is an inherent risk in this transition to lose richness
of sound.
The text is in the dialect or language of the Parecis Indians although
nothing is known about its source. The only guidelines for pronunciation appear
in the Eschig scored edition - "The Indian "u" should be pronounced "ou" (French
vowel sound).45 A phonetic approach should be applied to all other aspects of the
text.
The setting is generally syllabic with contrast of open vowel sounds and
onomatopoeia. Lines with open vowel sounds serve as the accompaniment.
However, some of the onomatopoeia is challenging and requires an imaginative
vocal approach. Such challenges are present in mm. 28-32; mm. 101-104; and, the
last measure, 133. In these measures Villa-Lobos calls for vocal glissando effects
on such nonsense syllables as "zzzizzz," "vuzfzfzf," (according to Nobrega this
45 Eschig, p. I.
88
effect is to illustrate the wind), and, again, "vuzfzfzf."46 To create pitched vocal
sounds on such onomatopoeia are rather challenging. The only sign of hope is the
call for a glissando which, in order to happen successfully, travels through pitches
in a quick and open manner allowing the voice to have space to phonate the
desired sound effect and pitch. These specific onomatopoeic settings plus all
others in the score, besides the extremely syllabic and rhythmic setting of the text
present a percussive approach to vocal writing in this score.
The lines are rhythmic and conjunct in style. The combination of: (1)
varied textures; (2) active and constantly varied rhythmic expressions; (3) syllabic
text setting; (4) phrase lengths; (5) nuances; and, (6) tempo [ J = 9 6 1 makes these
lines vocally challenging but very exciting.
The general rhythmic style is angular, complex and deceiving but also
energetic and exciting. In the rhythmic gestures Villa-Lobos shows a penchant
for syncopations, many combinations of accents, metric changes, variants of the
habanera rhythm, cross rhythms, and syncopated triplets. A typical rhythmic
contrast seen in Villa-Lobos is that of long melodic phrases in opposition to short,
articulate, and insistent rhythmic motives as seen in mm. 39-50. The rhythmic
language is most often presented angularly in each voice but it becomes more
involved and interesting when the voices are in opposition at the vertical level.
In this score the harmonic language is very colorful and somewhat
contrasting to the other works discussed in this chapter thus far. It spans from the
type of "chord schemes" that are indicative of pandiatonicism, to very distantly
related chords, to even "chordless" passages. Villa-Lobos' frequent departure
46 Nobrega. p. 41.
89
from the conventional and functional style is mainly through a linear style over
ostinato patterns. For example, the manner in which he distributes the pitches in
the vertical structures, the open vertical spacing (voicing), and rhythmic contrast.
All these create a sometimes dissonant, chromatic, somewhat modal expression
without any real obvious tonal center or functional chord progressions. The result
is an effective representation of the Amerindian original source.
The "Pica-Pao " Choros presents several challenges for an effective
performance. The rhythmic aspect of the score, in addition to the piece's written
and inherent nuances, require articulations that contribute to the most challenging
aspects of the piece. At the same time, this is what makes the Choros, No. 3 very
attractive and unique for programming as well as uniquely Villa-Lobos.
Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9
The Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9, written in 1945, is the last suite in the
collection of Bachianas which Villa-Lobos composed during a span of fifteen
years, 1930-1945. Of the nine suites, it is the only one that does not have dual
titles. Each title in the other suites refers to a traditional and conventional form of
composition as well as to one of Brazilian character and origin. For example, the
fifth suite is composed for soprano voice and an orchestra of eight cellos, and
90
includes the following titles for its two movements, Aria (Cantinela) and Dance
(Martelo).
The ninth Bachianas was composed in New York and dedicated to Aaron
Copland. It was originally written for optional "orchestra" of voices or orchestra
of string instrum ents, a unique scoring. This suite, unlike many other
compositions of Villa-Lobos, was conceived with both scoring options in mind
for performance. A perusal of his total compositional output will demonstrate that
the composer would at times compose a piece and later rearrange it for a different
musical idiom.
The original scoring of the Bachianas Brasilerias, No. 9 is a reaffirmation
of his concepts and perception of the human voice as a musical instrument. Other
choral settings such as, the Choros, No. 10, Mandu f arara (a secular cantata),
Noneto, Regosijo de Uma Raga, several smaller works in the Canto Or/eonico
volumes, the Guia Pratico and even the Musica Sacra collection, to name a few,
demonstrate Villa-Lobos' perceptions of the timbraic resources of the human
voice. Many would classify these vocal challenges as impossible for most
singers. The level of difficulty cannot be disputed but, a creative performer will
be able to adapt the effects of these settings in a successful and effective manner.
The performance of this type of composition requires great vocal control, vocal
flexibility, and most important, creativity in adapting and stylizing the written
requests in the score to the resources of the individual human voice in a realistic
but not apprehensive way.
Evidently, this interest in stretching and exploring the boundaries of the
human voice beyond the norm was not a new concept which Villa-Lobos
91
introduced with his ninth Bachianas. Rather, it was a concept that he identified
and cultivated throughout his choral output. Furthermore, it cannot be referred to
as a technique that developed in the course of his compositional output for it was
as uniquely presented in 19 with the Noneto as in 1945 in the Bachianas
Brasileiras, No. 9.
At first glance, the texture appears to be uncomplicated because no
instances occur where all voices are included in complex rhythmic activity. Only
mm. 79-99 are mildly suggestive of a more compact texture. Evidently, the
musical intensity and direction are mounting toward the sonorous and powerful
final unison on the pitch C. But, even in these measures the most active rhythms
are carefully assigned to one line that is doubled, or partially doubled, by another
voice. This technique in conjunction with the openness of the vertical structures
which in turn launch the voices into extremities of range, is what allows the
texture in this piece to breathe in order to exploit the potential for balancing and
shading the colors available in the index of timbres presented.
The tonal "reference" is to the "lost" tonality of C major. The prelude
opens with a C pedal in the bass and baritone supporting the six-measured theme
that is presented by the tenors twice (the second time with a slight variation). The
prelude moves the "tonality" at its conclusion from V 7/I to vi/I (A minor). The
chromatic progression in mm 20-25 in a layered texture containing strong
dissonances, created by the very open vertical structures, makes this section and
other portions of this movement suggest polytonality. The fugue that opens in F
minor concludes with a V-I cadence. In this fugue the reference to the "lost" key
of C major is principally through the C-minor chord in m. 29 (this concludes all
92
first statements of the theme by all voices and introduces the section that follows).
Looked at in relationship to the entire movement however, the C minor relates to
the other chords in the following manner: the C minor is the relative minor of E
flat that is the dominant of A flat, the relative major of F minor. The movement
ends in C major, the suggested opening key of the prelude and the dominant of F
minor that is the opening key of the fugue. From the standpoint of a functional
analysis, which is not possible here, one can suggest that the final cadence is V/V
- V if looked at on the basis of F minor. The reason time is taken to adapt this
kind of analysis is due to the strength of the final cadence. It seems to be totally
unanticipated but if one looks more deeply into the chord usage, the "implied" or
"lost" tonalities are present and, explain Villa-Lobos' harmonic process. Other
harmonic expressions that are not immediately obvious are the transition from the
prelude to the fugue that suggests an abrupt motion on paper but, the suspended
pitches, especially the B flat, are part of the fugue's opening tonality, F minor.
The rhythmic gesture in the prelude is simple and straightforward and set
in a homophonic texture. Rhythmic complexity in the fugue, when all voices are
included, is limited to two voices doubling the same gesture. This is not to imply
that there are no rhythmic complexities or challenges to consider. The rhythms
are angular and require clarity, flexibility, and independence of line. In general,
the rhythmic complexity lies in some of the syncopated figures, rhythmic
groupings, the 11/8 meter, and the articulations. The onomatopoeia further
challenges the possibilities for achieving clear articulations. However, when more
active rhythm occurs in the score, Villa-Lobos stays very close to the style that
has been presented in the description of other pieces discussed in this treatise.
93
These include syncopations (especially those achieved through tied notes and
dotted figures), variants of the habanera Figure, and the insistent approach of
creating musical energy by initiating phrases on off-beats or weak beats.
The lack of text serves the piece well, whereas specific textual content
would intrude on this superb and universal theme. He takes away words and uses
open vowel sounds in long lyric phrases which contrast with active rhythmic ones,
all of which demand clarity in articulations. Balance and color are expected of
either the vocal or the instrumental ensemble but such are more demanding of the
human voice in terms of flexibility, sonority, and vocal endurance.
The vocal challenges alone in this piece are great. The interpreter must
have a very clear concept of the ensemble sound needed to successfully present an
effective performance. This expectation from the vocal sound, in addition to the
challenging musical elements inherent in the composition, limits the programming
of this piece strictly for a very advanced or professional choral ensemble. It is not
as easy to articulate open vowel sounds with clarity as it is to articulate vowels
that are initiated through a consonant. If the technique in the vocal approach is
accurate, the consonant must occur before the beat -- otherwise the vowel (the
conveyor of voiced sound) is late to the beat. It requires a much more technically
and vocally advanced choral ensemble than if being considered for a string
orchestra.
94
Regosijo de Uma Raga (Aboticao)
The description of this piece was written by Villa-Lobos.
Num pitoresco recinto, coberto da sombra de arvores gigantescas e

rodeado de espessa floresta, surgem tres picadas invisiveis com
tres grupos de ragas diferentes. Como se o acaso os atraisse,
aproximando-se uns dos outros, mudos e irrequietos, cheios de
alegria e encantamento.
Felo regosijo de um grande acontecimento humano unem-se

homens, mulheres, criangas, mestigos, negros e bronzeados, que,
de longe, vem comemorar no centra da floresta virgim a liberdade
de tres ragas: o espfrito, a alma e o corpo do Brasil.47 (In a
picturesque, enclosed area, covered by the shade of gigantic trees
and surrounded by a thick forest, appear three invisible trails with
three different race groups. As if betrayed by the approximation of
others, speechless and restless, abundant in happiness and
enchantment.
Of great pleasure is the human occurrence where men, women,

children mestigos (European with Indian), blacks and bronzeados
(European with African), from far away gather to commemorate at
the center of the virgin forest the freedom of three races: the spirit,
the soul, and the body of Brazil.)
In the second edition of Villa-Lobos, Sua Obras, three subtitles are
included for this particular work. (1) Aboligao/Bailado (Liberation or freedom in
dance), (2) Canto Africano (African song), and, (3) Canto Mestigo (Amerindian
song). On the basis of the narration in the catalogue of works and the descriptive
subtitles, it is evident that this work celebrates the amalgamation of the three basic
component races of the Brazilian population and the freedom of all three.
47 Heitor Villa Lobos, Villa Lobos, Sua Obra, 2nd ed. (Rio de Janeiro: Musco Villa-
Lobos. 1971), p. 233.
95
Composed in 1937, Regosijo de Uma Raga (Pleasure of One Race) is scored for
SSATBB voices and complement of percussion instruments: timpani, cuica,
lambor, lamborete, pandereta, reco-reco. latinha, garrafa, coco, tamborin, and
chucalho .
The text employed for the Amerindian song is that of the popular Indian
song, Nozani-Na Orokua. Its text is the dialect of the Parecis Indians. It is
phonetic and presented in a syllabic and straightforward manner. The text used
for the African song belongs to the makumba genre. This too is phonetic and
presented in a syllabic and straightforward manner. The most challenging aspect
is presenting it in a crisp, clear, and well-articulated vocal style without losing
depth and color. The soprano and tenor voices include the onomatopoeia, an
effect contributing to the whole Villa-Lobian and Brazilian signature of the all-
encompassing national style.
Villa-Lobos' program is not expressed through his choice of texts but
rather in the manner he presents the musical materials that represent the three
races. The angular style in which he presents the Amerindian and African themes
emphasize the uniqueness and independence of the two races while the longer and
more intense soprano and tenor lines come out of both the rhythmic and
intervallic expression o f the Amerindian and African themes. In this way he
consolidates the three races.
All the vocal lines are centered around a theme and presented in repetition
throughout: (1) the Nozani-Na theme is stated only nine times although, between
statements, the melodic material stays very close to the core of the original four-
measure theme; (2) the first African theme presented by the contraltos and basses
96
encompass a total o f two measures with a simple linear expression of 1 - 3 - 5
while the second theme assigned to these voices is also two measures long
presents a rhythmic and intervallic variation o f the first theme.
Rhythmic gesture is of great importance in this piece. Each of the vocal
lines establish a rhythmic gesture that is ethnically expressive or representative.
This is immediately established by each voice and then expressed throughout in
an ostinato style. The persistence of the ostinato style represents the pride, value,
importance, and individuality of each ethnic group. The vertical rhythmic
expression unites the three.
Villa-Lobos' last statement in the narration for this piece confirms the
philosophical objectives that he chose to convey in Regosijo de Uma Raga. He
removes specific ethnic labels from each race and refers to them in very
philosophically human terms, namely, the spirit, the soul, and the body of Brazil
(o espirito, a alma, e o corpoJ.48 The spirit must refer to the rhythmic drive and
energy of the African music, the soul must refer to the native Aborigines (the first
"Brazilians"), and the body of Brazil must refer to a population without
segregation. Respectively, these correspond to the vocal lines as follows: spirit
(contralto-basses), soul (mezzo-soprano-baritone), body of Brazil (soprano-tenor).
The instruments support and reinforce the ethnic presentation by the voices while
the relentless use of ostinato reaffirms the unique character and pride of each
group. The overall presentation is one of a systematic and organized musical
expression (one that he refers to as "Abolition Dance") which emphasizes the
48 Ibid., p. 233.
97
abolition of slavery (taking into consideration that all races have experienced
slavery at one time or another) and/or the freedom of each man.
The message and narration of Villa-Lobos' "musical program" in Regosijo
de Uma Raga, is effectively conveyed in the score. It is a summary of his
philosophical views on racial discrimination. To him there was only one race
with many cultures. This ideal is illustrated in his compositional style through the
combination of the "Amerindian, African, and European" idioms. It is appropriate
to assume that in present-day public school choral music education Villa-Lobos
would be a vital figure in promoting multicultural perspectives in choral
programs. In Villa-Lobos' absence, however, his choral repertoire can serve as his
"ambassador."
APPENDIX A
Bibliographical Data for Selected Works
98
Single Pieces
As Costureiras [MD]
SSAA
a cappella
4 '
Portuguese (Heitor Villa-Lobos)

Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI)/G. Schirmer
Ave Maria [VD]

SSATBB
a cappella
330 "
Latin
in Musica Sacra, VI. I
Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP)/G. Schirmer
Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9 [VD]

SATBB (or orchestra of strings)
a cappella
15 '
open vowels setting

Max Eschig
Bazzum [VD]
TTBBB (SATBB)
a cappella
4'
dialect
in Canio Or/eonico, II
Bendita Sabedoria [VD]

SSATBB
a cappella
10 '
Latin
Max Eschig/Theodore Presser
Cangao da Folha Morta (Seresta, No. 3) [E]

SATB/duet solo
piano
3'
Portuguese (poetry by Olegario Marianno)
99
Canqao da Saudate [E]
SATB
a cappella
3'
Portuguese (Sodre Viana), some open vowel and nonsense syllable settings
Rio de Janeiro: V. Vitale
Cartide loune-Sabath [E]

SSATB
a cappella
r
Amerindian (anonymous)
in Canto Orfednico, II
Cantiga de Roda [E]

SSA
piano
3'
Portuguese and some nonsense syllables
Canto do Page [M]

SSA (SSAA)
a cappella
2'
Portuguese (C. Paula Barros)
in Canto Orfednico, I
Choros, No. 3 [MD]

TTBB
clarinet, sax, bassoon, 3 horns and trombone
Parecis Indians' dialect, onomatopoeia
6'
Max Eschig
Duas Lendas Amerindias [VD]

SATB
a cappella
6'
Indigenous language of Brazil
100
Estrela e Lua Nova [MD]
SATB(S)
a cappella
230"
Portuguese
Theodore Presser
Fuga [MD]
a cappella
230"
untexted
Jaquibau [MD]
SATB and solos
2'
Portuguese/Neulogisms
Magnificat-AUeluia [M]
SATB and soloist
orchestra (piano reduction)
12’
Latin
Max Eschig
ManduQcurara [D]
SATB and children's chorus
orchestra (piano reduction)
13'
Indian legend (collected by Barbosa Rodrigues)

Max Eschig
Afissa Sao Sebastiao [M]

SSA, boys' voices, orTTB*
a cappella
30 '
Associated Music Publishers/G. Schirmer
*each voice may be doubled at the octave
Noneto (Impressao Rapida de Todo o Brasil) [VD]

SAi(div), A 2(div),T, Bari(div), Bar2(div), Bas(div)
orchestra
15'
onomatopoeia
101
O Trenzinho [VD]
SS(div)A
a cappella
3'
Portuguese/onomatopoeia
Preces Sent Palavras [MD]

TTBBB
a cappella
230"
untexted
in Musica Sacra, I
Regosijo de Uma Raga [D]

SSATBB, soloists
percussion
5'
Text by Julio Cesar d'Almeida Dutra
from Canto Orfednico, II
Vidapura [M]
SATB
organ or orchestra
25'
Latin
Xango [E]
SATB
a cappella
r
African dialect
Associated Music Publishers, Inc., (BMI)/G. Schirmer
NOTE: Levels o f difficulty code; E (easy) M (moderate) MD (moderately difficult) D

(difficult) VD (very difficult)
102
Collections
Canto Orfednico, I [E-M]

various voice combinations
mostly a cappella (some piano)
41 pieces included
vary in length
mostly Portuguese
Canto Orfeonico, II* [M-VD]

various voice combinations (mostly 3 and four parts)
a cappella
45 pieces included
vary in length
Portuguese, dialects, and onomatopoeia
♦much more difficult than pieces in VI. I and selections are
more appropriate for the concert hall than those in VI. I or the
Guia Pratico
Guia Pratico (Practical Guide) [E-M]

various voice combinations
a cappella, piano, or varied instrumentation
137 pieces included
vary in length (most are relatively short)
Portuguese (various authors)
Consolidated Music Publishers, Inc., a division of Music Sales
Corp. (ASCAP)/G. Schirmer
Musica Sacra, VI. I* [M-VD]

various combinations ranging from 2 - 6 voices
a cappella
23 sacred pieces
vary in length (3' average)
Latin/Portuguese/untexted
♦very appropriate for the concert hall
NOTE: Levels of difficulty code; E (easy) M (moderate) MD (moderately difficult) D

(difficult) VD (very difficult)
103
APPENDIX B
General Guidelines for the Pronunciation of Portuguese
104
The Portuguese Alphabet:
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z
Note: K, W, and Y, with few exceptions, are rarely used today.
Symbols:
Acute accent ( ')
Grave accent ( ' )
Tilde ( ~ )
Cedilla ( g )
Circumflex ( A)
Vowels:
a -in a stressed syllable, before L or final R is pronounced as

the a in "far"
a -becomes nasal
a -remains mute as u in "cut"
-in a stressed syllable and before L has an open sound as in

"set"
-in an unstressed syllable it becomes mute as e in "flute"

but in Brazil it is replaced by an ee sound
-before a final R is pronounced similarly to the final E in

"seance"
-by itself or as the first syllable of a word, it is equivalent to

th ee in "fee"
-generally pronounced as "ee" in English
105
o
o -or when stressed or before L it sounds open as in "tall"
o -before a final R, or in a stressed potition, it has a close

sounds. It is pronounced "oo" in unstressed syllables and
when it is on its own (in Brazil it is "oo" when a word ends
in 6 )
5 -before an N it becomes a nasal sound
u -is always pronounced "oo"
Oral dipthongs:
ai = i as in "why"
ei = a as in "take"
eu -
ay'oo*
oi - oy'e
ou - o
*no simple equivalent in English
Nasal vowels an d dipthongs:
i, o and u before M and N are nasal
106
Consonants:
Pronuciation of consosnats is equivalent to English with few exceptions.
c -before e or i is pronounced as s
9 -changes sounds to ss
ch -is equivalent to sh in English
g -before e or i sounds as s in "pleasure"
-before a, o, u and before another consonants sounds as g in

"guard"
gu -before e or i makes the u silent as in Spanish
h -is never sounded
j -before a, o, u, and sometimes e sounds as the s in"pleasure"
I as a final consonant is prolonged (in Brazil the sound is faint)
Ih -is a liquid sound as Hi in "billion"
nh -n as in "opinion" or n in Spanish (nifia)
r -between vowels is equivalent to "caro" in Italian (closest in

English would be the first r in "brother")
-at the beginning of a word or when rr it becomes harder
-Brazilians usually drop the final r
s -at the beginning of words, ss or after a consonant, is pronounced as

"see"
-final s is equivalent to sh in "sharp" but Brazilians sound it as s in

English "prose"
t -regular t in English before e and i (Brazilians sound it as ch in

English)
107
X
-sh as in "sharp" (at beginning of words or between vowels)
-s as in "sound" between vowels
-z when in the prefix ex plus a vowel
-ey'sh when ex is followed by an consonant
-ksas in "taxi"
z -sh when at the end of a word
-z as in "zebra" ( Allen, pp. 7 - 11)
108
Bibliography
Allen, Maria-Femanda. Portuguese in Three Months, [n.p.]: Hugo's Language

Books, 1985.
Almeida, Renato. "La Miisica del Brasil," Revista Musical Chilena 1-9 (1945-
46), pp. 13-16.
Andres, Andre Luiz Fernandes. Villa-Lobos Composition Na Opiniao da Critica

Especalizada. Rio de Janeiro: Museum Villa-Lobos, 1975.
Apel, Willi. Harvard Dictionary o f Music. 2nd ed., revised and enlarged,
Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1970.
Appleby, David P. The Music o f Brazil. Austin: University of Texas Press,

1983.
. Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography. New York: Greenwood

Press, 1988.
Becerra, Gustavo. "La Musica artistica latinoamericana en el Mundo de hoy,"

Boletin Inter-Americano de Musica 80 (1971-1973), pp. 3-11.
Behague, Gerard. Music in Latin America: An Introduction. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1979.
The Beginnings o f Musical Nationalism in Brazil. Detroit: Information

Coordinators, 1971.
. Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Search for Brazil's Musical Soul. Austin:

Institute of Latin American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin,
1994.
Burns, E. Bradford. Nationalism in Brazil: A Historical Survey. New York:

Frederick A. Praeger, 1968.
. Perspectives on Brazilian History. New York: Columbia University

Press, 1967.
Carpentier, Alejo. "Un gran Compositor latinoamericano Heitor Villa-Lobos."

Gacete Musical 4 (1928), pp. 6-13.
109
Chase, Gilbert. A Guide to the Music o f Latin America. Washington D.C.: Pan
American Union, 1962.
Claret, Martin, ed. "Villa-Lobos por ele mesmo" O Pensamento Vivo de Heitor
Villa-Lobos 18, 1960, pp. 19-20.
Correa de Azevedo, Luiz Heitor. Brief History o f Music in Brazil. Washington,

D.C.: Pan American Union, 1948.
Dalhaus, Carl. Between Romanticism and Modernism. Trans, by Mary Whittall.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.
. Nineteenth-Century Music. Berkeley: University of California Press,

1989.
Downes, Olin. "Villa-Lobos as a Nationalist Composer." Olin Downes on Music.

Irene Downes, ed. (New York: Greenwood Press, 1968), pp. 267-281.
Eschig, Max. "Editor's Notes," in Heitor Villa-Lobos Choros . No. 3, 1978.
Fernandez, Oscar Lorenzo. "A Contribucao Harmonica de Villa-Lobos Para a

Musica Brasileira." Boletin Latino Americano de Musica 5 (April 1946), p.
20-30.
Franca, Eurico Nogueira. Villa-Lobos Sintese Critica e Biografia, 2nd ed. Rio de
Janeiro: Med/Dac/Museu Villa-Lobos.
A Evolucao de Villa-Lobos Na Musica de Camera. Rio de Janeiro:

Museum Villa-Lobos, 1976.
Gladstone, Ralph J. "An Interview with Heitor Villa-Lobos," Guitar Review 21

(1967), p. 13.
Harrison, Lou. "On the Choros of Villa-Lobos," Modern Music (1945), pp. 50-75.
Heller, Alfred. "The One-World "Style" of Villa-Lobos," Guitar Review

(Summer 1989). pp. 18-19.
"The Brazilian Bach," Keynote 10 (April 1987). pp. 8-12.
Lange, Francisco Curt. "Villa-Lobos, Un Pedagogo Creador." Boletin Latino

Americano de Musica 1 (1935), pp. 189-196.
Mariz, Vasco. Villa-Lobos: Life and Work. Washington, D.C.: Brazilian

American Cultural Institute, 1970.
110
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Compositor Brasileiro, 5th ed. Rio de Janeiro:
Museu Villa-Lobos, 1977.
Martins, Wilson. The Modernist Idea: A Critical Survey of Brazilian Writing in

the Twentieth Century. New York: New York University Press, 1970.
Marx, Burle. "Brazilian Portrait - Villa-Lobos," Modern Music 17 (1939), pp. 10-
17.
Nettl, Bruno. Folk and Traditional Music o f the Western Continents, 3rd ed.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990.
Nist, John. The Modernist Movement in Brazil: A Literary Study. Austin:

Universiy of Texas Press, 1967.
Nobrega, Adhemar. Ay Bachianas Brasileiras de Villa-Lobos. Rio de Janeiro:

Museu Villa-Lobos, 1976.
A Evolucao de Villa-Lobos Na Musica de Camera. Rio de Janeiro:

MEC/DAC - Museu Villa-Lobos.
The Choros of Villa-Lobos. Rio de Janeiro: Museu Villa-Lobos, 1975.
Peppercorn, Lisa M. "Some Aspects of Villa-Lobos' Principles of Composition,"

Musical Review 4 (1943), pp. 28-34.
Villa-Lobos, New York: Omnibus Press, 1989.
Villa-Lobos, The Music: An Analysis o f His Style. Transl. Stefan de

Haan. N.Y.: Pro/Am Music Resources, 1991.
Segovia, Andres. "I Meet Villa-Lobos." Guitar Review 13 (1958), pp. 22-23.
Stomi, Eduardo. Villa-Lobos. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, S.A., 1988.
Villa-Lobos, Heitor. O Ensino Popular da Musica no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro,

Oficina Grafica da Secretaria General de Educacao e Cultural, 1937.
"Musica de Papel, Que Nasce No Papel e Marre No Papel," Presenga

VI. 1 (1940), pp. 93-94.
"Sobrevirea a Musica." Presenga VI. 1 (1940), pp. 99-103.
Wright, Simon. Villa-Lobos. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
"Villa-Lobos: Modernism in the Tropics." Musical Times 128 (March

1987), pp. 15-30.
I ll
Vita
Patricia Fleitas-Gonzdlez was bom in Havana, Cuba, on October 9, 1952,
to Antonio B. Fleitas, M.D. and Nieves Estrada Fleitas. In 1962, she and her
brother were exiled in Miami, Florida to escape communist Cuba. Her parents
followed in 1966. After graduating from Marlin High School, Marlin, Texas in
1970, she entered Barry University, Miami, Florida, where, in 1974, she received
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. In 1975 she was admitted to
the Graduate Program in Music Education at Florida International University
receiving the Master of Science degree in 1977. From 1975 to 1977 she taught
public school music in Dade County, Florida. In 1977 she was admitted to the
Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin receiving the Master of
Music degree in 1980. From 1979 to 1988 she served as Assistant Coordinator of
Vocal Music at Texas A&M University. In August, 1988, she returned to The
University of Texas at Austin to begin her doctoral studies; and, while there, held
a Graduate Teaching Assistantship as Director of the Women's Chorus in the
Department of Music from 1988 to 1992. Dr. Fleitas-Gonzdlez is presently the
Director of Choral Activities at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton,
Florida.
4511 South Ocean Boulevard, # 102, Highland Beach, Florida 33487
This document was typed by the author.

A Study of Selected Choral Works of Heitor Villa-Lobos

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INFORMATION TO USERS

The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the

Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by

Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced

Patricia Fleitas-Gonzalez, B.A., M.S., M.M.

The University of Texas at Austin

for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

UMI Microform 9705997

This microform edition is protected against unauthorized

father whose unconditional love and encouragement, in partnership with my

mother, inspired me to attain my educational goals; to my husband, Josd R.

enriched the path to my achievements.

themselves to support me throughout my educational endeavors has also been His

prevents me from listing each of them individually, it would be remiss not to

his continual support, encouragement, and inspiration. I am indebted to him for

He taught me the true meaning of continuously striving for excellence in choral

Heller, D. Mus., whose expertise and scholarship on the music of Villa-Lobos,

Department at Florida Atlantic University, for his supportive counsel in this

Director of Choral Activities; Dr. Graciella Cruz-Taura, Assistant Professor of

History, Florida Atlantic University, for agreeing to be a member of my

committee regardless of the difficulties that being out-of-state have presented;

concerning computer use. To Marie Reithler-Barros I extend my appreciation for

opportunity to learn and grow with them.

Patricia Fleitas-Gonzdlez, D.M.A.

The University of Texas at Austin, 1996

Co-Supervisor. Morris J. Beachy

Co-Supervison John Grubbs

Over 150 choral works composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos were studied.

study is to introduce eighteen pieces which represent a broad span of the

discussed are accessible and desirable for performance.

Following a biographical chapter, a general description, background

pieces included are: Ave Maria, Preces Sem Palavras, As Costureiras, O

Trenzinho, Canide loune-Sabath, Xango, Estrela e Lua Nova, Jaquibau, Bazzum,

Sabedoria, Chorus, No. 3, Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 9, and Regosijo de Uma

Raga. The Appendices include a General Language Pronunciation Guide for

Portuguese and an expanded listing of choral works by Villa-Lobos.

education. However, overlapping of the two does occur. Styles discussed

include: (I) a Euro-Brazilian duality, and (2) a combination of "Amerindian,

or to the traditional norms of functional analysis.

a greater understanding of Villa-Lobos' choral music as a valuable and accessible

place in present-day concerts, especially in an era and society which actively

attempt to cultivate and promote multicultural education.

Selected Works Representing Choral Compositional Techniques....................... 16

Extended Works: An Introduction............................................................................70

Considero a musica, em principio, como um indispensdvel alimento da

Heitor Villa-Lobos, nicknamed by his mother T uhu," and bom in Rio de

functionary of the Brazilian Library in Rio, Raul was also an accomplished

Noeomia Unbelina Santos Monteiro Villa-Lobos, refrained from encouraging

Heitor's inclination toward music.

L Heitor Villa-Lobos, "Conceitos Sobre Arte," Presenga de Villa-l/>bos 4 (1969), p.

oriunda da expressao popular, mas nunca julga-la definitiva em relacao ao

of their popular expression, but never judge it definitively in relation to the

consequently had to share the responsibility of securing the family's finances

forced him to seek various kinds of employment. However, this kind of

opportunities. His previous studies in guitar and cello became a convenient

In Rio de Janeiro while seeking opportunities for work as a popular

an instrumental and improvisatory type of music called choros. David Appleby,

in his book, Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography, defines the term as "related

accompanied by instruments whereas ihechoros is strictly an instrumental form.4

A true chorao never serenaded a woman, he "lived to play, to compose, and to

creativity available to him within this genre is extremely important.

become a major influence in his life.