João Pernambuco

Despite a life of difficulties and struggles for the recognition of his work, as was the case for "Luar do Sertão", his legacy is frequently associated with the "most legitimate epression of the Brazilian way of playing the guitar".

• Name — João Pernambuco • Born — 2 November 1883 • Birthplace — Jatobá, Pernambuco, Empire of Brazil • Died — 16 October 1947 • Place of death — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil • Occupation — Musician, composer, guitarist

João Teixeira Guimarães was born in the municipality of Jatobá, in the sertão of Pernambuco, the son of Teresa Vieira and the Portuguese immigrant Manuel Teixeira Guimarães. His childhood was marked by the popular culture of the region, where he had direct contact with the viola and the local scene with repentistas and guitar players, such as Bem-te-vi, Mandapolão, Manuel Cabeceira and the blind Sinfrônio, whom performed at local fairs and parties. These musical experiences formed the base of his artistic identity. After his father's death in 1891, his mother married again and the family moved to Recife. While there, he continued his musical development while working as an assistant to help sustain the family.

In 1902, at 19 years old, Pernambuco moved to Rio de Janeiro, the then capital of Brazil. Initially he lived in Cordovil and worked at a foundry. In 1908, he became a servant of the municipality, going on to live in a boarding house in the city center. For many years, he led a double life: working as an ironsmith and on civil construction projects during the day and dedicating himself to music at night. In the cultural environment of the Belle Époque in Rio, his talent gained notoriety. He rapidly became a member of the rodas of Choro music and, by 1908, he was recognized as one of the most well-known guitarrists in the city, alongside Quincas Laranjeiras and Satyro Bilhar. His accent and the songs and stories that he brought from his homeland yielded him the nickname with which he became known as going forward. The boarding houses and student housing that he lived in were important centers where musicians met. Beginning in 1912, at Rua do Riachuelo, 268, brought together Pixinguinha and Donga. Later on, between 1928 and 1935, his house at Avenida Mem de Sá, 81, in Lapa, was the base for famous rodas de choro, frequented by many famed musicians, including the aforementioned, along with Patrício Teixeira and, sporadically, Heitor Villa-Lobos. It was at Pernambuco's house that he met a young Dilermando Reis.

The toada song "Luar do Sertão" became an unofficial album of sertaneja music, but it became a source of great frustration for Pernambuco, who authored it. He presented the melody, based on the folkloric theme of the coco song "É do Maitá", to poet Catulo da Paixão Cearense, which was responsible for the lyrics. Catulo, however, registered the song in his name only, alleging that the melody was in the public domain and that Pernambuco had only just "recollected" the folklore. As a result, Catulo received all of the rights as author for the song, while Pernambuco was denied recognition and royalties. Pernambuco's authorship was only broadly defended after his death through accounts from artists such as Pixinguinha, who confirmed in an interview with the Museu da Imagem e do Som to have heard Pernambuco play the melody before the existence of lyrics. This was also confirmed by researchers such as Almirante.

In 1914, Pernambuco, Pixinguinha, and Donga founded Grupo do Caxangá. The group, notable for their performances with traces typical of the sertão, was important for the spread of Northeastern music in Rio de Janeiro. In 1919, the group was the base for the formation of the Oito Batutas, one of the most influential groups of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). With the Oito Batutas, Pernambuco participated in historic performances, such as ones held at the Assírio cabaret, connected to the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, which contributed to valorization of choro and MPB to the cultural elite of the city.

Pernambuco also collaborated with the Turunas Pernambucanos, a group formed by musicians from the state of Pernambuco who lived in Rio. His participation reinforced their image as the main representatives of the musical culture of Pernambuco in Rio at that time period.

Heitor Villa-Lobos was an admirer of Pernambuco's music and frequented the rodas de choro at his house. According to reports, Villa-Lobos had stated that "Bach would not be embarrassed to sign the studies of João Pernambuco as being his." The sentence, despite scant documented evidence, is widely cited in biographies and studies, reflecting the high degree of esteem that the erudite composer had for his popular guitar works.

Despite having died in financial difficulty and without widespread recognition in life, Pernambuco's importance has been celebrated more and more. In 2023, on his 140th birthday, the book "Raízes e Frutos da Arte de João Pernambuco" was released, a project that revised and published his scores, seeking to preserve his work.

The following is a selection of his most well known works. • Araponga (Choro) • Brasileirinho (Choro) • Cabocla di Caxangá (com Catulo da Paixão Cearense) • Céu e Mar (Valsa) • Dengoso (Choro) • Estou Voltando (com Pixinguinha e Donga) • Estrada do Sertão (com Hermínio Bello de Carvalho) • Graúna (Choro) • Interrogando (Jongo) • Lágrimas (Valsa) • Luar do Sertão (com Catulo da Paixão Cearense) • Magoado (Choro) • Pó de Mico (Choro) • Rebuliço (Choro) • Recordando (Choro) • Rosa Carioca (Choro) • Sentindo (Choro) • Sons de Carrilhões (Choro-maxixe) • Valsa em Lá

João Pernambuco's legacy is vast, extending his repertoire to define a school of Brazilian guitar playing.

Pernambuco's work directly influenced famous guitarists such as that of Dilermando Reis, Luiz Bonfá, and, later on, Raphael Rabello and Turíbio Santos, the latter of whom recorded his entire body of work. The guitarist and researcher Maurício Carrilho noted that it would be hard to encounter a Brazilian guitarist, regardless of whether they were erudite or popular, who did not have some work by Pernambuco in their repertoire. His main student principal aluno, Jaime Florence, known as "Meira", became one of the most important professors and followers of the guitar in Brazil, being responsible for transferring the technique and style of Pernambuco to generations of musicians.