Bachianas brasileiras

The Bachianas brasileiras constitute a series of nine suites by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written for various combinations of instruments and voices between 1930 and 1945. Each represents a fusion between Brazilian folk and popular music and the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. Most of the movements in each suite have two titles: one "Bachian" (Prelúdio, Fuga, etc.), the other Brazilian (Embolada, O Canto da Nossa Terra, etc.).

The works are:

• No. 1 for 8 cellos (1932):
  • Introdução (Embolada)
  • Prelúdio (Modinha)
  • Fuga (Conversa) (Conversation)
• No. 2 for chamber orchestra (1933). There are four programmatic movements, each reworking an earlier piece for piano or for cello and piano:
  • Prelúdio (O Canto do Capadocio)
  • Ária (O Canto da Nossa Terra)
  • Dança (Lembrança do Sertão)
  • Tocata (O Trenzinho do Caipira) (The Little Train of Caipira)
• No. 3 for piano and orchestra (1934)
  • Prelúdio (Ponteio)
  • Fantasia (Devaneio) (Digression)
  • Aria - Modinha
  • Tocata (Picapu)
• No. 4 for piano (1930-41); orchestrated in 1942 (dedicated to Tomas Teren)
  • Prelúdio (Introdução)
  • Coral (Canto do Sertão)
  • Aria (Cantiga)
  • Dansa (Mindinho)
• No. 5 for soprano and 8 cellos (1938/45). This is probably Villa-Lobos's single most popular work:
  • Aria (Cantilena) (lyrics by Ruth V. Corrêa) (Later arranged for solo guitar and soprano by Villa-Lobos)
  • Dança (Martelo) (lyrics by Manuel Bandeira)
• No. 6 for flute and bassoon (1938)
  • Aria (Choros)
  • Fantasia
• No. 7 for orchestra (1942) (dedicated to Gustavo Capanema)
  • Prelúdio (Ponteco)
  • Giga (Quadrilha Caipira)
  • Tocata (Desafio)
  • Fuga (Conversa)
• No. 8 for orchestra (1944)
  • Prelúdio
  • Aria (Modinha)
  • Tocata (Catira batida)
  • Fuga
• No. 9 for chorus or string orchestra (1945)
  • Prelúdio e Fuga

Villa-Lobos recorded all nine compositions in Paris with the French National Orchestra for EMI. These landmark recordings were issued on both LP and CD. Other conductors and musicians, including Michael Tilson Thomas, Jesus Lopez Cobos and Kenneth Schermerhorn, have subsequently recorded the music.

References