Heitor Villa-Lobos

Choros No. 7 (1924)

As a teenager, Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) played guitar on the streets and cafes and cello in the movie theaters of Rio de Janiero. The most popular style of music in Rio at that time was the choro (pronounced “shoru”), lively instrumental dance music played by bands featuring flute, guitar, cavaquinho (ukelele), percussion and other instruments as available. Villa-Lobos knew choro musicians and choro styles well and also got to know the music of Brazilian provincial towns and villages on a series of trips he took to the Northeast and other regions of Brazil. Influenced by the modernism and cultural nationalism of Mario de Andrade, Villa-Lobos made Brazilian popular music the basis of what they hoped would become a Brazilian national style. Villa-Lobos wrote many instrumental pieces with the name “choro” or “choros,” as well as many others that alluded to choro style.

Chôros No. 7, was composed in 1924 when Villa-Lobos was living in Paris. It is scored for an ensemble of flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, violin, cello, and off-stage gong, hardly a typical choro band, but capable of many of the same effects, like offbeat rhythmic riffs and virtuoso passagework by the wind soloists. Like most chorinhos (choro songs), Choros No. 7 is organized as a string of choruses on different themes, each featuring a characteristic rhythm. Unlike most chorinhos the opening chorus does not return as a refrain and the harmonies wander far from the opening key.

For some examples of choro music by Brazilian musicians – classics from before World War II as well as modern revivals – check out the following clips on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psfMuGRAPlM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqFbWNHMIJ0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyU1wEkyf28&feature=related