Antônio Carlos Gomes
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Antônio Carlos Gomes (; July 11, 1836 in
Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
– September 16, 1896 in
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
) was the first
New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
composer whose work was accepted by
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. He was the only non-European who was successful as an opera composer in Italy, during the "golden age of opera", contemporary to
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
and
Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...
and the first composer of non-European lineage to be accepted into the Classic tradition of music. Younger than Verdi, yet older than Puccini, Carlos Gomes achieved his first major success in a time when the Italian audiences were eager for a new name to celebrate and Puccini had not yet officially started his career. After the successful premiere of ''
Il Guarany ''Il Guarany'' (''The Guarany'') is an opera ballo composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes, based on the novel '' O Guarani'' by José de Alencar. Its libretto, in Italian rather than Gomes' native Portuguese, was written by and . The work is notable a ...
'', Gomes was considered the most promising new composer. Verdi said his work was an expression of "true musical genius".
Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
said that “it displays dense technical maturity, full of harmonic and orchestral maturity.” Cernicchiaro, Vincenzo (1926) Storia della Musica nel Brasile (p. 359) Milano: Fratelli Riccioni.


Life

He was born in
Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
,
Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...
, son of Maestro Manuel José Gomes and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso. His childhood's musical tendencies were soon stimulated by his father and by his older brother, José Pedro de Sant'Ana Gomes, also a conductor. José Pedro was the most dedicated guide and adviser in his brother's artistic career. He convinced Antônio to visit the Court where he became a protégé of Emperor
Dom Pedro II Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...
, who, being notoriously interested in the careers of Brazilian artists and intellectuals, made it possible for Antônio Carlos to study at the Musical Conservatory of
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. After having graduated with honours, Carlos produced his first opera, '' A noite do castelo'' (September 1861), which was a big success. Two years later, he repeated it with his second opera, ''Joana de Flandres'', which was considered superior to the first. These two pieces convinced the Emperor to offer him a Royal scholarship to study in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in 1864. He studied in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
at the local conservatory with
Lauro Rossi Lauro Rossi (born in Macerata, 19 February 1810;Some sources say 1812. died in Cremona, 5 May 1885), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. There is no known connection with Luigi Rossi (1597–1653). Life and career Rossi studied i ...
and Alberto Mazzucato and completed in three years a course which was normally completed in four years, obtaining the title of Maestro Composer. Interested in composing an opera which dealt with a truly Brazilian subject, Carlos Gomes chose as the theme of his next work the romance novel '' O Guarani'', by Brazilian writer
José de Alencar José Martiniano de Alencar (May 1, 1829 – December 12, 1877) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, orator, novelist and dramatist. He is considered to be one of the most famous and influential Brazilian Romantic novelists of the 19th century, ...
. The opera was given an Indian subject and setting and it premiered in May 1870 at the
La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
Theater in Milan as ''
Il Guarany ''Il Guarany'' (''The Guarany'') is an opera ballo composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes, based on the novel '' O Guarani'' by José de Alencar. Its libretto, in Italian rather than Gomes' native Portuguese, was written by and . The work is notable a ...
''. The success was enormous. Even the most strict musical critics compared the Brazilian musician to the great European maestros, such as
Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
and Verdi. The King of Italy,
Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...
, decorated the creator of the opera, which was presented in all major European capitals. Before that year was over, Gomes returned to Brazil, where he organized the premiere of ''Il Guarany'' in Rio de Janeiro. The piece achieved the same success Gomes had seen in Italy. Returning to Italy, Carlos Gomes married Adelina Peri, an Italian pianist he had met while studying in Milan. He wrote the hymn ''Il saluto del Brasile'' for the centenary of American independence which was performed in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, on July 19, 1876. In 1883 the maestro traveled to Brazil, receiving homages in every city he visited. When he returned to Italy, he dedicated himself to the composition of an opera themed against slavery, inspired by the liberation struggle of black slaves in Brazil, which got the title of '' Lo schiavo''. The composition, which had been suggested by a great friend of Antônio's, a black engineer named
André Rebouças André Pinto Rebouças (13 January 1838 – 9 April 1898) was a Brazilian military engineer, abolitionist and inventor, son of Antônio Pereira Rebouças (1798–1880) and Carolina Pinto Rebouças. Lawyer, member of Parliament (representing the B ...
, only debuted several years later in 1889. When the
Brazilian republic Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...
was proclaimed in 1889, Carlos Gomes, who at this time was in Campinas, sailed once more to Italy. Faithful to the
Brazilian monarchy Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may als ...
and
Dom Pedro II Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...
, Gomes refused the opportunity given to him by president
Deodoro da Fonseca Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca (; 5 August 1827 – 23 August 1892) was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a n ...
to compose the new Brazilian National Anthem. In the following years, he composed the opera ''Condor'' and the
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...
''Colombo'', for the Columbus Festival (October 12, 1892), in celebration of the fourth centenary of the discovery of
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Invited by the governor of the Brazilian province of
Pará Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
to direct the Musical Conservatory, the maestro traveled to the capital
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
, willing to take the position. However, shortly after arriving, Carlos Gomes, by then an elderly man in poor health, died on September 16, 1896. Besides his eight operas, he composed songs (3 books), choruses, and piano pieces.


Gallery

Many honours were given to conductor Carlos Gomes throughout Brazil and abroad where he ruled and made fame. File:Domenico De Angelis e Giovanni Capranesi - Últimos dias de Carlos Gomes, 1899.JPG, Last days of Carlos Gomes. File:Monumento-túmulo a Carlos Gomes (3).jpg, Gomes's tomb located at Bento Quirino Square, on his hometown, Campinas. File:Estátua de Carlos Gomes - Centro do Rio.JPG, Statue of Carlos Gomes in
Cinelândia Cinelândia is the popular name of a major public square in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Its official name is Praça Floriano Peixoto, in honour of the second president of Brazil, Floriano Peixoto. History In colonial times, the ma ...
, downtown
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
File:Praça Ramos de Azevedo - Fonte dos Desejos.JPG, Monument to Carlos Gomes in front of the São Paulo Municipal Theatre. File:Busto Antonio Carlos Gomes.JPG, Burst of Carlos Gomes in Front of the Municipal Theatre of Paulinia.


Antônio Carlos Gomes's operas

:See List of works for the stage by Antônio Carlos Gomes


References

*Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 8th ed., s.v. "Antonio Carlos Gomes."
Brazilian National Library Virtual ArchivesScore.ePartitura
small Brazilian website with digitalized scores (PDF) by Carlos Gomes.


Bibliography

* Góes, Marcus: Carlos Gomes – A Força Indômita; Secult, Pará, 1996 * Kaufman: Annals of Italian Opera: Verdi and his Major Contemporaries; Garland Publishing, New York and London, 1990. (contains premiere casts and performance histories of the operas by Gomes) * Vetro, Gaspare Nello: Antônio Carlos Gomes; Nuove Edizione, Milano, 1977 * Vetro, Gaspare Nello: Antônio Carlos Gomes Il Guarany, Parma, 1996 * Vetro, Gaspare Nello: A. Carlos Gomes Carteggi Italiani, Parma, 2002


External links

*
Free scores by Antonio Carlos Gomes
a
Musica Brasilis
website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Antonio Carlos 1836 births 1896 deaths 19th-century Brazilian male musicians 19th-century classical composers Brazilian classical composers Brazilian male composers Brazilian monarchists Brazilian opera composers Male classical composers Male opera composers People from Campinas Romantic composers bpy:কার্লোস গোমেস