Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) was one of
the most original of twentieth-century composers because his style
blends strong influences of the music of his native Rio de Janerio
with traditional European compositional techniques.” He was a
prolific composer, and produced over 1000 diverse works.
Essentially a self-taught musician, Villa-Lobos assimilated many
different influences into his compositional style. His father,
Raúl Villa-Lobos, was an amateur musician who worked at the
National Library and was a staunch disciplinarian when it came to
Heitor’s music education. He encouraged Heitor to listen carefully
to identify the instruments, the form, genre, character, and
origin of compositions. Heitor Villa-Lobos learned how to play the
cello, clarinet, and eventually the popular instrument of his
culture, the guitar. He was fascinated with the chorõs, and
the impressions of his early experiences in hearing the music of
the street were long lasting; “He later gave the generic
designation of choros to his portrayal, in the 1920s, of a variety
of Brazilian musical styles”. It was only after his father died in
1899 that Villa-Lobos felt that he could explore the popular
musical culture of Rio.