"Cidade maravilhosa" (, ''Marvelous City'') is a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

that was written and composed by André Filho and arranged by Silva Sobreira for the

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 ...

carnival in 1935. It has since become the anthem for the city of Rio de Janeiro. In the same year,

Aurora Miranda Aurora Miranda da Cunha Richaid (20 April 1915 – 22 December 2005) was a Brazilian singer and actress. She began her career at the age of 18 in 1933. Miranda appeared in several films, including '' The Three Caballeros'', where she danced with ...

recorded a sung version of the song that became extremely popular. The name of Rio, however, does not appear in the song. ''Cidade Maravilhosa'' as a nickname for the city of Rio de Janeiro was coined by the writer

Coelho Neto Henrique Maximiano Coelho Neto (February 21, 1864 – November 28, 1934) was a Brazilian writer and politician. He founded and occupied the second chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, from 1897 until his death in 1934. He was also the pr ...

from the north-eastern Brazilian state of

Maranhão Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...

as a tribute to the city's natural beauty. He had lived there briefly as a child and for much of his later life. Its title was also inspired by a highly successful radio program of the time, presented by César Ladeira. The anthem was popularized by

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The Br ...

and was declared the "official song of Brazil's new state of Guanabara" in 1960, after being converted into a samba.

References

{{authority control Rio de Janeiro (city) March music 1935 songs Brazilian songs Songs about Rio de Janeiro (city)