Native Brazilian Music
Vários
1942
Why This Album Matters
Native Brazilian Music, released in the United States in 1942, is a unique landmark in the history of Brazilian music. Selected and recorded under the personal supervision of conductor Leopold Stokowski, the album represented an ambitious initiative to present Brazil's authentic popular music to a foreign audience, bringing together a cast of legendary musicians in an unprecedented collaborative effort. This pivotal work captures the essence of Brazilian music of the period, highlighting its rich Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous influences. Its relevance is underscored by the first recording of a samba composed by the young Cartola, a historic moment that alone attests to the project's cultural and artistic importance. The album not only documents, but also celebrates the vitality and rhythmic and melodic diversity of the national songbook.
Context
The album was conceived within the context of the Good Neighbour Policy, a diplomatic strategy by the United States to strengthen ties with Latin American countries. In 1940, Leopold Stokowski, a British conductor based in the USA, approached Heitor Villa-Lobos with a request to select and record the "most legitimate Brazilian popular music" for international dissemination. The recording event took place on 7 August 1940, aboard the transatlantic liner S.S. Uruguay, docked at Praça Mauá, in Rio de Janeiro.
Recording
The recording of Native Brazilian Music was a grand undertaking, with Heitor Villa-Lobos inviting names such as Pixinguinha, Donga, Luiz Americano, Zé Espinguela, João da Bahiana, Jararaca and Ratinho, in addition to the young Cartola, and over one hundred musicians. Around forty songs were recorded for the project, but only sixteen were selected and divided into two volumes, each containing four 78-RPM records. The direction and compilation were handled by Leopold Stokowski, while Villa-Lobos was responsible for the orchestration.
Songs
The sixteen tracks on Native Brazilian Music were carefully chosen to encapsulate the typically Brazilian music of the period, with notable Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous influences. The album is particularly significant for recording the first time Cartola recorded a samba of his own authorship. Although the liner notes of the original album promoted the authenticity of the music, it is important to note that the material included inaccurate and incorrect information about the names of the compositions, their performers, and authors.
Legacy
Despite extensive journalistic coverage in Brazil at the time of the recordings, the album Native Brazilian Music would only be released in the country 46 years after its initial launch in the United States. In 2006, the album's songs were recognised and archived in the National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress, a collection that annually selects important recordings for the preservation of cultural heritage. More recently, in June 2020, the Villa-Lobos Museum, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, organised the free virtual exhibition "Native Brazilian Music: 80 anos", which presented images and curious stories about the historic event.
Rankings
Tracks
Credits
Jairo Severiano
Marcelo Rodolfo
Leopold Stokowski
Pastoras Da Mangueira
Aluísio Dias, Laurindo Almeida
Luiz Americano
Donga
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Pixinguinha
João Da Baiana
Suetônio Soares Valença
Ary Vasconcelos, Suetônio Soares Valença, Turibio Santos
Books
Analyses
Discogs
Native Brazilian Music – Discogs
discogs.com