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(Part 11) : Tiberio Nascimento

Villa-Lobos drew inspiration for some of his compositions, like the Etudes of the 1920s, from the folk rhythms he discovered while traveling through the interior of Brazil with his guitar. One rhythm that may have influenced Etude No. 8 is the Xote, a medium-tempo rhythm from Brazil's northeast region. The article examines the bass line, accompaniment patterns, and accentuation of the Xote rhythm, finding a direct relationship between it and Villa-Lobos' etude. Proper interpretation of the etudes requires understanding the nuances of popular Brazilian rhythms and incorporating them into one's playing.

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167 views2 pages

(Part 11) : Tiberio Nascimento

Villa-Lobos drew inspiration for some of his compositions, like the Etudes of the 1920s, from the folk rhythms he discovered while traveling through the interior of Brazil with his guitar. One rhythm that may have influenced Etude No. 8 is the Xote, a medium-tempo rhythm from Brazil's northeast region. The article examines the bass line, accompaniment patterns, and accentuation of the Xote rhythm, finding a direct relationship between it and Villa-Lobos' etude. Proper interpretation of the etudes requires understanding the nuances of popular Brazilian rhythms and incorporating them into one's playing.

Uploaded by

Pilar América
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Villa-Lobos and Brazilian Rhythms

(Part 11)
Tiberio Nascimento
'When the young Villa-Lobos visited the interior ofBrazil, it
was with guitar in hand that he "discovered" many rhythms
that he never heard in his native Rio. These rhythms formed
'an integral part ofhis musical ideas, and some sketches from
this time include what was later to become the Etudes in the
1920s. The guitar served him well for his purpose, not only for
its percussive qualities, but because as the national instrument,
it was always part ofthe people's musical life. Let us look at a
rhythm that may have influenced the creation ofEtude no. 8.
The Xoteis a medium tempo rhythm from the northeast of
Brazil. Here is a typical bass line: (Ex. 1)
Ex.l

_. - -#-
U ~ L - J
>
An accompaniment pattern may be: (Ex. 2)
>
) - - - - ~ ...,...d:- I I
I

,--

.-
! I
: I
I
Or a variation with arpeggios: (Ex. 3)
u
r
~
) l i ~
1
.>'l':
.,


. .
,
-
U
-
j
U
-
-re
.
i
Ifwe isolate the top voice, (Ex. 4)
and rewrite Ex. 4 like this: (Ex. 5)
r
r
..
Guitar International December 1986 37
Then change it slightly like this: (Ex. 6)
r
r

,
.
.
VI
- .-
L .,
r I

,
. 1 I
.J
-
k
L
-
,
-

,
We begin to see the direct relationship between the Xote and
Etude no. 8. (Ex. 7)

r
r

..-
.. --.....
d
-
..

..- .- "1
I
, ...
h

I A:lo'
11
l?
I

--

- -

.....-
In the Xote, as in other rhythms, the accentuation is very
important. In examples 1-6, the second beat should be the
strongest, followed by the last eighth note ofthe measure, and
then the first beat ofthe measure. Occasionally the last eighth
note is the strongest. In Etude no. 8 we see these accents
clearly emphasized: (Ex. 8) (Ex. 9)
u
> >
r
>

>
6
I 1
,
11 "
U- -.-PI

..,

T
11 ..
-
, -,
11
'-
.,
W

-.;;T -.,
y
-
-
"

T
>
By analysing a specific work with reference to a traditional
rhythm, my intention is to get at the "roots" ofwhat perhaps
inspired V. Lobos to write the piece. In the Etudes, the
rhythmic pattern determines the basic character ofthe piece.
It is the responsibility ofthe interpreter to "read between the
lines" - to knowwhat nuances in accentuation there are in the
popular rhythms, and then incorporate them into his own
interpretation.
It is a tribute to the greatness of V. Lobos' music that so
many guitarists interpret the Preludes and Etudes so dif-
ferently, that they want to "do" something with them. But
often guitarists take liberties that change the distinctive
qualities of the rhythm. For example, the rhythmic pattern
starting on bar 15 is often played with a Spanish flavour. (Ex.
10).
> >
>
> >
J


.h

...
r
.",
r...:
J ..
..
'"'!if"
"1
.
"
[
T
.
q

,
-
.........
.....
-
-
-
Throughout his life, Villa-Lobos derived inspiration from
the folk and popular music of Brazil. He considered rhythm
in music of primary importance. Turibio Santos tells us V.
Lobos' general definition ofmusic: "Music has the head as the
melody, the torso as the harmony, and the legs as the rhythm.
It raises itselfand walks when perfect, but when it is deprived
of one of its members, it does not go". *
*Turibio Santos, H. Villa-Lobos E 0 Vialao l.,luseu Villa-
Lobos, 1975, MEC-Departamento De Assuntos Culturais
(p.38).
f
T

j

.JII "..
.""

T
--.
,
"

-

---
""""""-
Guitar International December 1986 39

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