Vasco Martins is a
Cape Verdean musician and composer. Born in
Queluz,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, in 1956, he lives now in
Calhau, Cape Verde.
Biography
Self-taught, he began his studies in 1974. He was a member of the band Colá in 1976, but then went to Portugal where he studied with
Fernando Lopes Graça
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
and later to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
to pursue his musical education with
Henri-Claude Fantapié. In 1979 he recorded his first LP. He returned to Cape Verde, and it is there that he has created most of his work as a composer and instrumentist, but also as musicologist and producer, he organized and founded the
Baía das Gatas Music Festival along with his friends in 1984, the first music festival in the nation. He released more albums including ''Quinto Mundo'' (1989), ''Eternal Cycle'' (1995), ''Memórias Atlânticas'' (''Memories from the Atlantic'') (1998) and ''Lunário Perpétio'' (2001). He released ''4 Sinfonias'' in August 2007 which is related to his first four symphonies he made. His album ''Lua água clara'' (''Clear Moon Water''), a CD was recorded in Paris in 2008. He later made ''Li Sin'' which was released in June 2010, one of his singles were first heard on
Praia FM, nearly two years later in January 2012, he released ''Azuris'', the Latin name for Blue His recent album released was ''Twelve Moons'' released in Spring 2014
Other works
Vasco Martins is the first Capeverdean to ever perform symphonies, the first one was related to the Spring Equinox, the second symphony started in 1998 and completed in 2002 and titled ''Erupção'' (''Eruption''), one of them the last eruption at the time which was on Fogo, it was revised in 2004. The third one was titled ''Arquipélaco magnético'', the Magnetic Archipelago, the
fourth one was titled ''Buda Dharma'' (''Buddha Dharma'') made in 2001. The fifth one was set in the Eastern parts and divided into six parts, the first four were the directions, the other two were in space titled
nadir
The nadir (, ; ar, نظير, naẓīr, counterpart) is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface.
The direc ...
and
zenith
The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction ( plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location ( nadir). The zenith is the "high ...
. The sixth one was set in his family's island's tallest summit
Monte Verde
Monte Verde is an archaeological site in the Llanquihue Province in southern Chile, located near Puerto Montt, Southern Chile, which has been dated to as early as 18,500 cal BP (16,500 BC). Previously, the widely accepted date for early occu ...
which was also ''Pandion halieatus''. The seventh one was ''Alba'', the eighth was titled ''A Procura da Luz'' (''The Search for Light'') and the ninth one was for Orchestra which was performed with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Martins also made works related to instrumentals including ''4 Notes on the City of Mindelo'' using a solo clarinet. He also performed chamber music, piano works including ''Piano Azul'' (''Blue Piano'') in 1998, guitar works including the ''Subtle Desert'' and electro music.
In 2008 he performed the opera play titled ''Crioulo'' (''Creole''), it premiered at Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon on March 27, 2009, he was componist and performed the cantata "Lágrimas na Paraise".
He also made three poems including ''Universo da Ilha'' (''Island Universe'') in 1986, ''Navegam os olhares com o voo do pássaro,'' in 1989 and ''Run Shan'' in 2008.
Interviews
He was interviewed on October 10, 1997 with FM Stéreo and later with the major newspaper ''
A Semana
''A Semana'' ( Portuguese meaning "The Week") is a Cape Verdean daily that covers its top stories in the archipelago and local stories ranging from each island. ''A Semana'' is located in the Cape Verdean capital city of Praia and is one of the mos ...
'' on April 23, 2005
Musical styles
In the Cape Verdean musical panorama, Vasco Martins may be considered unique. A composer who refuses to be labeled, he may be considered a
classical musician
[A Semana online - Interview with Vasco Martins](_blank)
/ref> because of his incursions into symphonic orchestra music, but he may also be considered as a new age musician because of his instrumental compositions, mostly using synthesizers, but in both cases, always inspired by traditional Cape Verdean music.
Compositions
Symphonies
* ''Symphony No. 1: "Celebração do equinócio de Março"'' (''Celebration of the Spring Equinox'')
*1998-2002 rev. 2004: ''Symphony No. 2:: "Erupção"'' (''"Eruption"''), for orchestra
* ''Symphony No. 3 "Arquipélago magnético"'' (''Magnetic Archipelago''), for orchestra
*# Assim
*# melodicamente em três partes
*# Final generoso (expressão jubilosa)
*2001: '' Symphony No. 4: "Buda Dharma"'', (''"Buddha Dharma"''), for orchestra
*''Symphony No. 5: "Oriente"'' (''"Eastern"''), for orchestra
*# norte (North)
*# este (East)
*# oeste (West)
*# sul (South)
*# nadir (Nadir)
*# zenite (Zenith)
* ''Symphony No. 6: "Monte Verde
Monte Verde is an archaeological site in the Llanquihue Province in southern Chile, located near Puerto Montt, Southern Chile, which has been dated to as early as 18,500 cal BP (16,500 BC). Previously, the widely accepted date for early occu ...
" (Pandion halieatus)'', for orchestra
* ''Symphony No. 7: "Alba"'', for orchestra
* ''Symphony No. 8: "A procura da Luz" (The search for light)'', for orchestra
* ''Symphony No. 9'', for orchestra ''Symphony No. 9'', performed by the "Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra" with Vit Micka
/ref>
Instrumental music
* ''4 Notas na cidade do Mindelo'' (''4 Notes on the City of Mindelo''), solo clarinet
* ''Anámnesis'', guitar
* ''Concert'', guitar
* ''Dôs temp p'um valsa'', clarinet, in São Vicente Crioulo
* ''Musique pour adoucir le Coeur'', in French
Other works
* 1989 ''Danças de Câncer'', symphonic suite
*# Abertura (Overture)
*# Pulsações (Pulsations)
*# Noites mágicas (Magic Nights)
*# Terra vulcânica (Volcanic Land)
* ''A garça por cima das ondas''
* ''Clara Luz'', (''Clear Light'')
* ''Golfinhos no horizonte''
* ''Oceano no coração'' (''Ocean With a Heart'')
* ''Calmas tardes no Monte Verde'' (''Calm Winds in Monte Verde'')
* ''Tardes caminhando'' (''Afternoons on a Lane'')
Discography
Albums
*1979: Vibrações (''Vibrations'')
*1985: Para além da noite
*1987: Oceano imenso (''Immense Ocean'')
*1989: Quinto mundo
*1995: Quiet moments
*1995: Ritual periférico (''Peripheral Ritual'')
*1995: Eternal cycle
*1996: Island of the secret sounds
*1997: Sublime delight
*1997: Memórias atlânticas (''Atlantic Memories'')
*1998: Danças de Câncer
*2000: Apeiron
*2001: Dôs
*2001: Lunário perpétuo
*2007: 4 sinfonias (''4 Symphonies'')
*2009: Lua água clara (''Clear Water Moon'')
*2010: Li Sin
*2012: Azuris
*2014: Twelve Moons (CD-r)
Chamber music
*''Primeiras Meditações'' (''First Meditations''), with a flute, cello piano, violin and a guitar
*''Azul Ibérico'' (''Iberic Blue''), string quartet
*''Azul Caboverdiano'' (''Cape Verdean Blue''), string quartet
Piano works
*''Piano Azul'' (''Blue Piano'') (1998)
*''Amendoeira celeste''
*''Amornando''
* ''Lua de Abril'' (''April Moon'')
* ''Lua de Dezembro'' (''December Moon'')
* ''Luz e sombra no deserto'' (''Light and Sleep in the Desert'')
* ''Memória da água'' (''Memories of Water'')
* ''Orion''
* ''Peregrinações''
* ''Ventos oceânicos'' (''Ocean Winds'')
Guitar works
* ''Deserto subtil'' (''Subtle Desert'')
* ''Estudo'' (''Studies'')
* ''Gesto flutuante''
* ''Molto continuum''
* ''Num varanda''
* ''Prelúdio''
* ''Sattva''
* ''Situações triangulares'' (''Triangular Situations'')
Electronic music
* ''Apeiron''
* ''Divinas of S. Nicolau''
* ''Lunario Perpetuo'' (''Lunar Perpetuary'')
* ''Ocean-Light''
* ''Ocean and Moon''
* ''Sarva Mangalam''
* ''Sublime Delight''
Musicals
Operas
Literary works
*''Música Tradicional Cabo-verdiana'' (''Cape Verdean Traditional Music'')
**''Vol. I - A morna'' (''Vol. I - Morna'')
Poems
*''Universo da Ilha'' (''Island Universe''), 1986
*''Navegam os olhares com o voo do pássaro'', 1989
*''Run Shan'', 2008
References
External links
Official website
(in Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martins, Vasco
1956 births
Living people
Cape Verdean musicians
Cape Verdean composers
Cape Verdean poets
New-age musicians
People from Queluz, Portugal
People from São Vicente, Cape Verde