Chôros No. 1
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''Chôros No. 1'' (Chôro típico brasileiro) is a 1920 composition for guitar by Brazilian composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has globally bec ...
.


History

Villa-Lobos composed ''Chôros No. 1'' in Rio de Janeiro in 1920, originally publishing it under the title ''Chôro típico'', then ''Chôro típico brasileiro''. The title is taken from an improvisational genre of Brazilian instrumental popular music that originated in Rio de Janeiro in the nineteenth century. The Portuguese word ''choro'' (pronounced ˆÊƒoɾu, means "cry" or "lament", though most music of this type is far from being sorrowful. Four years after composing this work, at the time of his first visit to Paris, he decided to make it part of an extended cycle of works collectively titled ''
Chôros ''Chôros'' is the title of a series of compositions by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, composed between 1920 and 1929. Origin and conception The word ''chôro'' (; nowadays spelled simply ''choro'') is Portuguese for "weeping", "cry", ...
'', which eventually included fourteen numbered compositions, plus an ''Introduction aux chôros (Introdução aos chôros): Ouverture'', for guitar and orchestra, designed to be played before a complete performance of the cycle, and '' Chôros bis'', a two-movement duo for violin and cello, considered as a sort of
encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
piece. A Quintet ("em forma de chôros"), for five woodwind instruments (1928) is sometimes considered as related. In the context of the larger cycle, ''Chôros No. 1'' "is like the essence, the embryo, the psychological model that will be developed technically in the conception of all the ''Chôros''". The score of ''Chôros No. 1'' is dedicated to
Ernesto Nazareth Ernesto Júlio de Nazareth (March 20, 1863 – February 1, 1934) was a Brazilian composer and pianist, especially noted for his creative maxixe and choro compositions. Influenced by a diverse set of dance rhythms including the polka, the habanera ...
, and a recording of it made by the composer lasts just under four minutes. Unlike the successor works, there is no attempt here to synthesize different aspects of Brazilian music into a stylistic montage. Instead, it employs the patterns, figurations, and simple structure characteristic of the improvised music of such celebrated
chorões ''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 fa ...
of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as
Zequinha de Abreu José Gomes de Abreu, better known as Zequinha de Abreu (September 19, 1880 – January 22, 1935), was a Brazilian musician and composer. Abreu was born in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, São Paulo state. He is best known for the famous chor ...
, ,
Chiquinha Gonzaga Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga, better known as Chiquinha Gonzaga (; October 17, 1847 – February 28, 1935) was a Brazilian composer, pianist and the first woman conductor in Brazil. Chiquinha Gonzaga was the first pianist of " choro" and ...
, and . This simplicity and the beauty of its composition have made it a favourite with professional guitarists.


Analysis

According to the composer: ''Chôros No. 1'' is formally and tonally both the simplest and the most traditional of the series of Chôros, consisting of a five-part
rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...
in an ABACA pattern. The substance of the work draws on traditional elements of the Brazilian popular ''
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 fa ...
'', including the three-note opening gesture, where each note is marked with a
fermata A fermata (; "from ''fermare'', to stay, or stop"; also known as a hold, pause, colloquially a birdseye or cyclops eye, or as a grand pause when placed on a note or a rest) is a symbol of musical notation indicating that the note should be ...
, and a four-measure introduction.


References

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Further reading

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External links


villalobos.iu.edu
Villa-Lobos site at Indiana University: Maintained by th
Latin American Music Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choros No. 1 1920 compositions Chôros by Heitor Villa-Lobos Music with dedications Guitar compositions by Heitor Villa-Lobos