A Brazilian composer and pianist, Ernesto Nazareth was born on March 20, 1863, in Rio de Janeiro. His father worked as a tax official, but their family lived in modest circumstances. Nazareth received his first piano lessons from his mother, a pianist, from an early age, but his mother passed away when he was ten. Nevertheless, he continued his piano and composition studies with a scholarship from the Bank of Brazil, under the tutelage of Eduardo Medira and Lucien Lambert. Among various composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin, it was Chopin who most influenced Nazareth and whom he dearly loved.

Nazareth's musical talent, which soon began to emerge prominently in his early teens, led him to compose polkas and mazurkas. At the age of 14, he published his self-composed polka, "Você bem saba!" (You know well!). Three years later, at 17, he held his first recital, marking the beginning of his career as a pianist. At 21, his polka "Beija-Flor" (Hummingbird), for which he not only composed the music but also wrote the lyrics, became immensely popular throughout Brazil, making Nazareth famous overnight. From then on, Nazareth would pursue a dual career as both a composer and a pianist, performing works by Chopin and Beethoven, as well as his own compositions.

The late 19th to early 20th century, when Nazareth lived, was an era when new entertainment arts such as radio, records, and cinema emerged one after another due to technological innovation. Nazareth's works, with the spread of radio and records, came to be heard not only throughout Brazil but also across borders. He also expanded his activities into the field of silent films, beginning to perform at "Cinema Odeon" in Rio, which opened in 1909. "Cinema Odeon" was a state-of-the-art cinema at the time and served as a social gathering place for intellectuals and the upper class. His performances there quickly gained popularity, and it is said that crowds would gather an hour before opening to hear Nazareth play. Among those who performed with Nazareth at this theater was Heitor Villa-Lobos, a leading Brazilian composer, who later praised Nazareth as "the musician who truly embodies the soul of Brazil."

Nazareth's style masterfully fused the sweet melodies he loved since childhood, reminiscent of Chopin's, with the rhythms of Brazilian folk music such as "Brazilian tango" and choro. Just as Chopin elevated his native Polish dances into artistic piano works, Nazareth also established Brazilian folk dances as art music using the piano.

The number of pieces Nazareth composed in his lifetime exceeds 220. Due to financial reasons, he was unable to pursue higher education such as studying abroad or attending a conservatory, so he did not compose large-scale works like orchestral pieces. The majority of his works are piano pieces and songs. However, with his innate melodic sense and excellent rhythmic and harmonic sensibility, he expressed Brazilian music with freshness and is still loved by many as "the Chopin of Brazil."