close
Home > Villa-Lobos, Heitor > Bachianas brasileiras No.4

Villa-Lobos, Heitor : Bachianas brasileiras No.4 W264, 424

Work Overview

Music ID : 18539
Composition Year:1941 
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:Various works
Total Playing Time:17 min 00 sec
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection

Commentary (1)

Author : Hioki,Sumiko

Last Updated: January 22, 2015
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Between 1930 and 1945, Villa-Lobos composed the nine-piece series "Bachianas Brasileiras." This series stands as one of the representative works of the highly prolific composer. Each of the nine pieces features a different instrumentation, but No. 4 is the sole piano solo work. It was later arranged for orchestra by the composer himself. A literal translation of the original title is "Bach-like, Brazilian-like," which perhaps better reflects the essence of the work.

No. 1: Prelúdio (Introduction)

  • It possesses a majestic atmosphere, conveying the vastness of the Brazilian landscape.
  • It is written in the style of a passacaglia.

No. 2: Coral (Canto do Sertão)

  • The repeated B-flat, said to imitate the call of the Arrabonda bird native to the Amazon, evokes a tropical atmosphere.
  • From a certain point, special pedal usage resembling harmonics is indicated.

No. 3: Ária (Cantiga)

  • A cantiga is a monophonic ode from the medieval Iberian Peninsula.
  • Suddenly, the theme shifts to a rhythm characteristic of Brazil.

No. 4: Dança (Miudinho)

  • Miudinho is a male dance involving intricate footwork, featuring rhythms shared with samba.
  • Although it remains in 2/4 time throughout, the frequent shifts in accentuation may make it challenging to consistently perceive a duple meter.
  • It is performed less frequently compared to the other three pieces.

Writer: Hioki,Sumiko

Movements (4)

Preludio: Introducao

Total Performance Time: 3 min 30 sec 

Explanation 0

Sheet Music 0

Arrangement 0

Coral: Canto do Sert ão

Total Performance Time: 4 min 50 sec 

Explanation 0

Sheet Music 0

Arrangement 0

Ária: Cantiga

Total Performance Time: 5 min 40 sec 

Explanation 0

Sheet Music 0

Arrangement 0

Danza: Miudinho

Total Performance Time: 3 min 00 sec 

Explanation 0

Sheet Music 0

Arrangement 0

Sheet Music

Scores List (0)

No scores registered.