Heitor Villa-Lobos

As a young man, Heitor Villa-lobos packed his cello on his back and headed into the wilds of Brazil. In the spirit of Bartók and Kodaly in Eastern Europe, he was in search of the native song of his homeland; like those composers, he found it, studied it, and absorbed its essential qualities. Equally important to the young composer was the music of J.s. Bach; in the blending of these two influences, Villa-lobos created a distinctive, very personal musical vocabulary. His music was further colored by a love for both Puccini and Wagner as well as an interest in the music of certain of his contemporaries, including Stravinsky and Debussy. Incredibly prolific and versatile, Villa-lobos explored the complete spectrum of musical genres-producing efforts diverse as a Broadway musical and a harmonica concerto--though only a few of his compositions remain well-known to the musical public.



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