Brazil’s national motto, Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress), is emblazoned across the centre of its flag, and perfectly encapsulates the nation’s indomitable efforts to harness its natural and cultural resources to the rigours of the modern world. With the 200th anniversary of Brazil’s declaration of independence from the former United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, it seems timely to assess the musical developments the country has seen during those two centuries, when with the same spirit of ‘order and progress’ it forged its own identity in the concert hall, and developed globally successful pop and jazz styles with the vibrancy of its folk and popular musical traditions.
Brazil has forged its own identity in the concert hall, and developed successful pop and jazz styles
Before the Empire of Brazil was created in September 1822, the Portuguese colony had seen a steady rise in the quantity and quality of sacred music composed for its churches, particularly in the southeastern province of Minas Gerais, the state of São Paulo, and – after Portuguese royalty made it their base in 1808 – Rio de Janeiro, where, premiered at La Scala, Milan in 1870, which was based on a novel about an interracial love affair in 16th-century Brazil.
