The mother of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was a skilled pianist but did not agree with the idea that her little child should devote himself to music as a professional. And his father, also a talented amateur, died before Heitor was ten years old. So it had to be an aunt, Zizinha Monteiro, who exerted the decisive influence on the future composer's youthful training.
Family evenings Zizinha, also a pianist and fervent admirer of Bach and a passionate enthusiast of the Well-Tempered Clavier, used to organize in her house every Saturday real family concerts, greeted with enthusiasm by neighbors and friends. It was in this atmosphere that the child Villa-Lobos met JS Bach, whom he would later call "the universal folkloric spring", and to whom, as a mature man, he would pay homage with his famous Bachianas Brasileiras.
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959)
The nine Bachianas Brasileiras
As the title suggests, the nine Bachianas, composed between 1930 and 1945, are inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach in a novel blend with the composer's Brazilian heritage.
It is a set of uniquely varied works, both in their formal aspect and in their instrumental arrangement.
Thus, there are works for eight cellos (No. 1, dedicated to Pau Casals), chamber orchestra (No. 2), and flute and bassoon (No. 6), among other ensembles.
Bachiana No 5
The most famous of them is the Bachiana No. 5, composed for voice and eight cellos, and whose origin is dated between 1938 and 1945. The piece consists of two movements, the Aria (Cantilena) and the Dance (O Martelo). The singer Victoria de Los Angeles in the 1960s recorded a performance of the Cantilena which is legendary today and has made the piece undeniably popular to this day.
Following, a rendition by the Puerto Rican soprano Ana Maria Martínez, accompanied by soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
In the theme's repetition, the soloist must sing "a bocca chiusa", that is, with her mouth closed, as if she were mumbling or humming. The hard part will be, forced to do so, to do that with the last note.
