Gonzaga: Guitar Arrangements

Description

Chiquinha Gonzaga stands as a monumental pioneer in Brazilian music. Born in 1847 in Rio de Janeiro, she emerged in a society where the idea of a woman composer or conductor was almost unthinkable. As a pianist, composer, and the first woman to conduct an orchestra in Brazil, she broke countless barriers. Her importance lies not only in being the first, but in shaping the very foundations of Brazilian urban music: choros, lundus, modinhas, serenades, and even the early carnival marches.

I would venture a personal reflection: while her instrument was the piano, one could argue that the guitar would have been an even more natural voice for her expressive, richly Brazilian idiom. Serenades, modinhas, and lundus seem to find a more intimate and direct vehicle on the guitar than on the piano — and I deeply believe that.

Now, with the talented Brazilian guitarist Octávio Deluchi preparing to publish his set of twelve arrangements of Chiquinha's music with the Canadian publisher Les Productions d'Oz, we witness a beautiful act of re-interpretation. His arrangements are faithful to her melodies, harmonically fluid in the guitar's language, and truly worthy of her pioneering legacy.

Sérgio Assad

For many years I have been following Octávio Deluchi's great accomplishments as a performer, educator and champion of Brazilian guitar music abroad. The scope of his work is remarkable as it covers composers from the past as well as music by his contemporaries. Among the many projects that Octávio is currently involved, I consider the publication of his arrangements for guitar of the music by Brazilian composer and pioneer Chiquinha Gonzaga his most ambitious one. Only in recent years has the legacy of Chiquinha Gonzaga been recognized, and although an increasing number of publications about her life and works is now finding its way into the mainstream, there is still much to do, especially regarding the availability of her music catalog.

Octávio's carefully selected arrangements display the variety within Chiquinha Gonzaga's output, confirming that she was at the forefront of the development of Brazilian popular music at the turn of the century. Another feature of the present collection is how idiomatic these arrangements are for the guitar. The core elements of Chiquinha's original piano writing were kept in these new versions, offering a unique blend of syncopated rhythms with great melodic inventiveness.

These arrangements are perfectly suited for the concert stage. I am confident that once guitarists become aware of its artistic value and historical significance, it will be a matter of time for these beautiful pieces to enter the guitar repertoire.

João Luiz Rezende

The path is open for the music of women composers for guitar! Through years of stories, and social and political transformations, the guitar has always found new ways forward. An instrument born amid such diverse cultural practices cannot deny its multiple expressions, genres, messages, colors, and manifestations. Throughout its history, different figures, along with their communities, have continued to open new routes for the six strings. One of them was Chiquinha Gonzaga, and that did not happen without struggle and resistance.

She was one among many women who defied patriarchy, enduring violence and prejudice from a society that still tries to tell us that we, as women, are not composers for the guitar. Yet we, as women in the arts and in music, have always worked to clear the way. Mlle Bocquet, in the 17th century, wrote preludes in seventeen tonalities; Catharina Pratten, two hundred years later, published guitar methods and wore pants and Women composers for guitar have opened their wings!

Through years of stories, and social and political transformations, the guitar has always found new paths forward. An instrument born amid such diverse cultural practices cannot deny its multiple expressions, genres, messages, colors, timbres and manifestations. Throughout its history, different figures, along with their communities, have continued to open new routes for the six strings. One of them was Chiquinha Gonzaga, and that did not happen without struggle and resistance.

She was one among many women who defied patriarchy, enduring violence and prejudice from a society that still tries to tell us that we, as women, are not composers for the guitar. Yet we, as women in the arts and in music, have always worked to clear the way. Mlle Bocquet, in the 17th century, wrote preludes in seventeen tonalities; Catharina Pratten, two hundred years later, published guitar methods and wore pants and used a footstool to play with greater comfort and pedagogical awareness; Chiquinha Gonzaga, in the 1800s, transcended colonial structures, shaping Brazilian music while confronting gender oppression and the exploitation of artists; Rosinha de Valença, in the 20th century, composed, produced, arranged, and performed on the guitar in all its dimensions; and Mayara Amaral, in the 21st century, embodied virtuosity through her performance, research, and teaching of repertoire by women composers for both classical and popular guitar. It is essential to acknowledge and honor them, for they have collectively shaped the creative practices of the guitar.

Among its many dimensions, the guitar may be a solo instrument, but it has never been, and never will be, alone. If we come to know this instrument, hearing it in concert halls, on streaming platforms, and in communities, it is thanks to ongoing collective work. The same is true now, as we witness this historic project by Octávio Deluchi. Recognizing that the guitar has told humanity's stories through time reminds us that playing is more than technique: it's about belonging to a living, sensitive, and ever-evolving artistic tradition. Each of us, with our own gender identities, carries those legacies forward.

Thus, this book becomes a historical milestone in guitar practice and its many Brazilian expressions. These manifestations are represented in each narrative and musical scene of Chiquinha through the creative work of Octávio, a guitarist who refuses to separate art from life and who is a reference for me, and for the guitar itself. Thank you so much, Octávio.

Thaís Nascimento

Chiquinha Gonzaga played a significant role in shaping Brazilian cultural identity, not only through artistic originality but also as an advocate for social causes. Although she did not compose original works for solo guitar, her music established an early connection with the instrument, most notably when Brazil's first lady, Nair de Teffé, performed a guitar transcription of the famous "Corta-Jaca" at the presidential palace in 1914. Bridging the past and present, Octavio Deluchi's fine arrangements honor the legacy of Brazilian guitar pioneers, enriching the repertoire with works deeply rooted in the memory of Brazilian music.

Luciano Lima

I have closely followed the creative process behind the new guitar arrangements of Chiquinha Gonzaga's works, conceived by Octávio Deluchi, and I have been truly amazed for several reasons. The first is of a pioneering nature: an artist of Gonzaga's stature and her narrative, musical, and social importance has long deserved greater attention. The second lies in the fortunate convergence of the people involved: restless souls like Deluchi's are precisely those best suited for works that demand such depth of responsibility and engagement.

However, beyond its historical relevance, gathering and making these arrangements available in a single collection places before guitarists versions of Gonzaga's works whose musical solutions have been conceived to meet the inherent demands of the instrument, while preserving the fidelity of her writing and stylistic essence.

If, perhaps, the limited adoption of Gonzaga's repertoire by the guitar community has been due to the difficulty of assimilating and reflecting her style and language on the instrument, I can confidently say that Octávio Deluchi's new arrangements of Chiquinha Gonzaga's music have resolved that challenge.

Nicolas Porto Silva