Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian Musical Trailblazer

Abstract

Previous literature on the life and music of the Brazilian composer Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga (1847-1935) reveals her as a historical figure of cultural and musical significance. Her contributions to society include political leadership in Brazilian campaigns for the abolition of slavery and artistic copyright. She also became the first female conductor in Brazil and shaped the music of Carnaval as it is known today in Brazil. However, her music is not well-known outside of Brazil, and her piano music has not received the attention that it merits. In addition to a closer look at her compositions for piano, this monograph offers biographical and musical details of Gonzaga’s unique career, including her role as a female composer amidst a patriarchal society; her pioneering synthesis of traditional Brazilian and European classical style, and a discussion of her place among her better-known Brazilian contemporaries, Ernesto Nazareth and Heitor Villa-Lobos. The last chapter presents interviews with living musicians—a pianist, a traditional folk artist and a musicologist—who have each continued the traditions of Gonzaga’s music to the present day.