Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, known as Pixinguinha (; April 23, 1897February 17, 1973) was a Brazilian composer, arranger,
flautist
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
and saxophonist born in
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 ...
. Pixinguinha is considered one of the greatest Brazilian composers of popular music, particularly within the genre of music known as
choro
''Choro'' (, "cry" or "lament"), also popularly called ''chorinho'' ("little cry" or "little lament"), is an instrumental Brazilian popular music genre which originated in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Despite its name, the music often has a ...
. By integrating the music of the older ''choro'' composers of the 19th century with contemporary jazz-like harmonies, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and sophisticated arrangements, he introduced ''choro'' to a new audience and helped to popularize it as a uniquely Brazilian genre. He was also one of the first Brazilian musicians and composers to take advantage of the new professional opportunities offered to musicians by the new technologies of radio broadcasting and studio recording. Pixinguinha composed dozens of ''choros'', including some of the best-known works in the genre such as "Carinhoso", "Glória", "Lamento" and "Um a Zero".
Early life and early career
Pixinguinha was the son of musician Alfredo da Rocha Viana, a flautist who maintained a large collection of older choro scores and hosted frequent musical gatherings at his home. Pixinguinha learned to play the flute at home but soon became a pupil of Irineu de Almeida, composing his first piece at age 14 and making his first recording at age 16. In 1912 he began to perform in cabarets and revues in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of
Lapa. He then became the flautist in the house orchestra at the Cine Rio Branco movie theater (silent films at that time were often accompanied by live music). In 1914 he joined with his friends João Pernambuco and Donga to form the group Caxangá, a group which gained considerable attention before it disbanded in 1919.
Os Oito Batutas
![Pixinguinha tocando harmônio (restored)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Pixinguinha_tocando_harm%C3%B4nio_%28restored%29.jpg)
Five years later in 1919, Pixinguinha, along with his brother China, Donga, João Pernambuco, and other prominent musicians, formed the revolutionary musical group ().
The instrumental lineup was at first fairly traditional, dominated by a rhythm section of plucked strings: Pixinguinha on flute, plus guitars,
cavaquinho
The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings.
More broadly, ''cavaquinho'' is the name of a four-stringed subdivision of the lute family of instr ...
, banjo cavaquinho, and hand percussion. Performing in the lobby of the Cine Palais movie theater, Os Oito Batutas soon become a more popular attraction than the films themselves.
Their repertoire was diverse, encompassing folk music from northeast Brasil, sambas, maxixes, waltzes, polkas, and "brazilian tangos" (the term ''choro'' was not yet established as a genre). The group appealed especially to the nationalistic desires of upper-class Brazilians who yearned for a homegrown, uniquely Brazilian musical tradition free from foreign influences. Os Oito Batutas became a sensation across Brasil, though they were not without controversy. Certain members of the white Rio elite were not happy with black men performing in venues for example.
Os Oito Batutas, and Pixinguinha specifically, were the target of attacks reflecting anxieties about race and the influence of Europe and the United States on Brazilian music. The group, which consisted of both white and black musicians, performed mainly in upper-class venues where black musicians had previously been prohibited. Moreover, they were criticized ferociously by those who felt that Brazilian musical culture should reflect primarily its European roots and that a black musical ambassador was an embarrassment. Finally, Pixinguinha's compositional style and his incorporation of trumpets and saxophones was criticized as being corrupted by American jazz, which was then becoming popular via radio broadcasts.
After performing at a gig for the dance couple
Duque and Gabi at the Assírio cabaret, they were discovered by the wealthy
Arnaldo Guinle
Arnaldo is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Arnaldo Abrantes (born 1986), Portuguese track and field sprinter
* Arnaldo Alonso (born 1979), Paraguayan footballer
* Arnaldo André (born 1943), soap-opera Paraguayan actor
* Arna ...
who sponsored their first European tour in 1921.
In Paris they served as ambassadors of Brazilian music, performing for six months at the Schéhérazade cabaret. Their tour was a complete success and Pixinguinha received much praise from many distinguished Parisian musical artists including the
Harold de Bozzi.
Upon returning to Brazil, they toured to Buenos Aires where they made recordings for RCA Victor. It is in these recordings that the mature sound of Os Oito Batutas can be heard.
Pixinguinha returned from Paris with a broadened musical perspective. He began to incorporate jazz standards and ragtime into his group's repertoire, changing the lineup dramatically by adding saxophones, trumpets, trombone, piano, and a drum kit. The name was changed to simply to reflect the new sound. He had also purchased a saxophone for his personal use which he began to experiment with.
Orquestra Victor Brasileira
In the late 1920s, Pixinguinha was hired by RCA Victor to lead the Orquestra Victor Brasileira, and during his tenure there he refined his skills as an arranger.
It was common for choro musicians at the time to improvise their parts based on a simple piano score, but the growing demand for radio music from large ensembles required fully realized written scores for every instrument, and Pixinguinha was one of the few composers with this skill. It was in this role that he created some of his most famous compositions, which were popularized by well-known singers of the age such as
Francisco Alves and
Mário Reis.
Lacerda's ''conjunto regional''
In 1939 he was succeeded by well-known composer
Radamés Gnattali
Radamés Gnattali (27 January 1906 – 3 February 1988) was a Brazilian composer of both classical and popular music, as well as a conductor, orchestrator, and arranger.
Biography
Radamés Gnattali was born in Porto Alegre (the capital of Rio Gr ...
, and Pixinguinha left Victor to join flautist Benedito Lacerda's band,
where he took up the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument and continued to compose music for the group.
Lacerda's band was a ''conjunto regional'' (or just ''regional''), the name given to in-house bands hired by radio stations to perform music and accompany singers, often live in front of a studio audience. Throughout the 30s, 40s ''regionais'' provided steady employment to the very best choro musicians of the day and led to the professionalization of the Brazilian music industry. It was with Lacerda that Pixinguinha began another fertile period of composing and recording. Due to economic troubles as the ''regionais'' fell out of favor in the late 40s, Pixinguinha had to sell the rights to his compositions to Benedito Lacerda, who for this appears a co-composer of many of Pixinguinha's tunes, even those composed while Lacerda was a boy. In the recordings with Lacerda, Pixinguinha plays secondary parts on the saxophone while Lacerda plays the flute part on tunes that Pixinguinha originally wrote on that instrument.
Retirement and death
By the mid 1950s, changing tastes and the emerging popularity of samba and American jazz in Brazil led to the decline of the choro ''regional'' as other genres became dominant on the radio. Pixinguinha spent his time in retirement, appearing in public only on rare occasions (such as the "Evening of Choro" TV programs produced by
Jacob do Bandolim
Jacob do Bandolim born Jacob Pick Bittencourt (February 14, 1918 – August 13, 1969) was a Brazilian composer and musician. Born to a Brazilian-Jewish mother and a gentile father in Rio de Janeiro, his stage name means "Mandolin Jacob", after th ...
in 1955 and 1956).
Pixinguinha died in 1973 in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Paz in
Ipanema
Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipane ...
while attending a baptism.
He was buried in the Cemitério de Inhaúma. The day, which was believed to be his birthday, April 23, is today commemorated as the National Day of Choro in Brazil. The day was officially established in 2000 after a campaign by bandolim player
Hamilton de Holanda
Hamilton de Holanda is a Brazilian bandolinist known for his mixture of choro and contemporary jazz, and for his instrumental virtuosity. Born in Rio de Janeiro he moved to Brasilia with his family as a boy. He started playing the mandolin a ...
and his students at the Raphael Rabello School of Choro. In November 2016, however, it was discovered that Pixinguinha's real birth date was May 4, and not April 23. Despite that, Brazil's National Day of Choro remained unaltered.
Pixinguinha is depicted in the 2021 biographical film ''Pixinguinha, Um Homem Carinhoso''. He was portrayed by Brazilian actor
Seu Jorge
Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his stage name Seu Jorge (Seu, an abbreviation of "Senhor"; born June 8, 1970; ), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu ...
.
Musical contributions
Compared to the older ''chorões'' of the late 19th century from which he drew inspiration, Pixinguinha's compositions were more sophisticated in their use of harmony, rhythm and counterpoint. Whereas many of the older compositions were intended to be played on piano, Pixinguinha's works took full advantage of the larger musical groups (''regionais'') with which he worked, incorporating intricate melodic lines, brassy fanfares, contrapuntal bass lines, and highly syncopated rhythms. Pixinguinha was one of the first band leaders to regularly include afro-Brazilian percussion instruments, such as the
pandeiro
The pandeiro () is a type of hand frame drum popular in Brazil. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, coco, and capoeira music.
The drumhead is tunable, and the rim holds metal jingles (''platinelas'') ...
and
afoxé
The afoxé is an Afro Brazilian musical instrument composed of a gourd
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of spec ...
, that have now become standard in choro and samba music.
His arrangements were probably influenced by the sound of
ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
and American jazz bands that became popular early in his career. When he released "Carinhoso" in 1930 and "Lamentos" in 1928, Pixinguinha was criticized for incorporating too much of a jazz sound into his work. Today these famous compositions have become a respected part of the choro canon.
Pixinguinha's compositions
*A pombinha (com Donga)
*A vida é um buraco
*Aberlado
*Abraçando Jacaré
*Acerta o passo
*Aguenta, seu Fulgêncio (com Lourenço Lamartine)
*Ai, eu queria (com Vidraça)
*Ainda existe
*Ainda me recordo
*Amigo de povo
*Assim é que é
*Benguelê
*Bianca (com Andreoni)
*Buquê de flores (com W. Falcão)
*Cafezal em flor (com Eugênio Fonseca)
*Carinhos
*Carinhoso (com João de Barro)
*Carnavá tá aí (com Josué de Barros)
*Casado na orgia (com João da Baiana)
*Casamento do coronel Cristino
*Céu do Brasil (com Gomes Filho)
*Chorei
*Chorinho no parque São Jorge (com Salgado Filho)
*Cochichando (com João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro)
*Conversa de crioulo (com Donga e João de Baiana)
*Dança dos ursos
*Dando topada
*Desprezado
*Displicente
*Dominante
*Dominó
*Encantadora
*Estou voltando
*Eu sou gozado assim
*Fala baixinho (com Hermínio Bello de Carvalho)
*Festa de branco (com Baiano)
*Foi muamba (com Índio)
*Fonte abandonada (com Índio)
*Fraternidade
*Gargalhada
*Gavião calçudo (com Cícero de Almeida)
*Glória
*Guiomar (com Baiano)
*Há! hu! lá! ho! (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Harmonia das flores (com Hermínio Bello de Carvalho)
*Hino a Ramos
*Infantil
*Iolanda
*Isso é que é viver (com Hermínio Bello de Carvalho)
*Isto não se faz (com Hermínio Bello de Carvalho)
*Já andei (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Já te digo (com China)
*Jardim de Ilara (com C. M. Costal)
*Knock-out
*Lamento
*Lamentos (com
Vinícius de Moraes
Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...
)
*Lá-ré
*Leonor
*Levante, meu nego
*Lusitânia (com F. G. D. )
*Mais quinze dias
*Mama, meu netinho (com Jararaca)
*Mamãe Isabé (com João da Baiana)
*Marreco quer água
*Meu coração não te quer (com E. Almeida)
*Mi tristezas solo iloro
*Mulata baiana (com Gastão Vianna)
*Mulher boêmia
*Mundo melhor (com Vinícius de Moraes)
*Não gostei dos teus olhos (com João da Baiana)
*Não posso mais
*Naquele tempo (com Benedito Lacerda e Reginaldo Bessa)
*Nasci pra domador (com Valfrido Silva)
*No elevador
*Noite e dia (com W. Falcão)
*Nostalgia ao luar
*Número um
*O meu conselho
*Os batutas (com Duque)
*Os cinco companheiros
*Os home implica comigo (com
Carmen Miranda)
*Onde foi Isabé
*Oscarina
*Paciente
*Página de dor (com Índio)
*Papagaio sabido (com C. Araújo)
*Patrão, prenda seu gado (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Pé de mulata
*Poema de raça (com Z. Reis e Benedito Lacerda)
*Poética
*Por você fiz o que pude (com Beltrão)
*Pretensiosa
*Promessa
*Que perigo
*Que querê (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Quem foi que disse
*Raiado (com Gastão Vianna)
*Rancho abandonado (com Índio)
*Recordando
*Rosa (com Otávio de Sousa)
*Rosa
*Samba de fato (com Baiano)
*Samba de nego
*Samba do urubu
*Samba fúnebre (com Vinícius de Moraes)
*Samba na areia
*Sapequinha
*Saudade do cavaquinho (com Muraro)
*Seresteiro
*Sofres porque queres
*Solidão
*Sonho da Índia (com N. N. e Duque)
*Stella (com de Castro e Sousa)
*Teu aniversário
*Teus ciúmes
*Triangular
*Tristezas não pagam dívidas
*Um a zero (com Benedito Lacerda)
*Um caso perdido
*Uma festa de Nanã (com Gastão Vianna) * Urubu
*Vamos brincar
*Variações sobre o urubu e o gavião
*Vem cá! não vou!
*Vi o pombo gemê (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Você é bamba (com Baiano)
*Você não deve beber (com Manuel Ribeiro)
*Vou pra casa
*Xou Kuringa (com Donga e João da Baiana)
*Yaô africano (com Gastão Vianna)
*Zé Barbino (com Jararaca)
*Proezas de Solon
*Vou Vivendo
See also
*
Afro-Brazilians
*
choro
''Choro'' (, "cry" or "lament"), also popularly called ''chorinho'' ("little cry" or "little lament"), is an instrumental Brazilian popular music genre which originated in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Despite its name, the music often has a ...
References
Bibliography
* Choro: a social history of a Brazilian popular music. Tamara Elena Livingston-Isenhour and Thomas George Caracas Garcia. Indiana University Press, 2005, pp. 91–98.
External links
Official website*
Pandora Project's biography of Pixinguinha(in English)
A Short Biography(in Portuguese)
* (Video)
IMS reveals documents about Pixinguinha with new choros and new birth date. O Globo 2016-11-29(in Portuguese)
{{Authority control
Brazilian composers
Afro-Brazilian people
Choro musicians
1897 births
1973 deaths
Brazilian saxophonists
Male saxophonists
20th-century composers
20th-century saxophonists
20th-century male musicians