Symphony No. 10 (Villa-Lobos) Explained

Symphony No. 10
Subtitle:Sumé pater patrium: Sinfonia ameríndia com coros
Type:Oratorio
Composer:Heitor Villa-Lobos
Image Upright:1.1
Translation:Sumé, Father of Fathers: Amerindian Symphony with Chorus
Catalogue:W511
Text:"Beata Virgem" by Padre José de Anchieta
Dedication:Mindinha
Duration:67 min.
Occasion:400th Anniversary of the founding of the City of São Paulo
Movements:5
Publisher:Max Eschig
Scoring:Orchestra, SATB chorus, tenor, baritone, and bass soloists
Premiere Location:Salle Gaveau, Paris
Premiere Conductor:Heitor Villa-Lobos
Premiere Performers:

Symphony No. 10, Sumé pater patrium: Sinfonia ameríndia com coros (Oratorio) is a composition by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1952–53. The broadcast performance of the world-premiere performance under the composer's direction lasts just over 67 minutes.

History

Villa-Lobos composed his Tenth Symphony for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city of São Paulo. He began work in Rio de Janeiro in 1952, completing the score on 15 February 1953 in New York. It was first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on 4 April 1957. The soloists were Jean Giraudeau (tenor), Camille Maurane (baritone), and Jacques Chalude (bass). The Orchestre National et Choeur de la Radiodiffusion Française was conducted by the composer. The score is dedicated to Mindinha (Arminda Neves d'Almeida), the composer's companion for the last 23 years of his life.

Instrumentation

The symphony/oratorio is scored for tenor, baritone, and bass soloists, mixed choir, and an orchestra consisting of 2 piccolos, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 3 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, timpani, tam-tam, cymbals, chocalho, coconut hulls, lion's roar, bells, gong, sleigh bells, small frame drum, bass drum, xylophone, marimba, celesta, 2 harps, piano, organ, and strings.

Analysis

The symphony has five movements:

  1. Allegro: "A terra e os seres" (The Earth and Its Creatures)
  2. Lento: "Grito de guerra" (War Cry)
  3. Scherzo (Allegretto scherzando): "Iurupichuna"
  4. Lento: "A voz da terra e a aparição de Anchieta" (The Voice of the Earth and the Appearance of Anchieta)
  5. Poco allegro: Glory in Heaven, and Peace on Earth

The first movement is for the orchestra alone, and serves as an overture to the four remaining movements, which feature the vocal soloists and choirs. The movement is in sectional form, dominated by a principal melodic motif consisting of an upper-neighbour note figure followed by an upward leap. This motif is found in all five of the main sections of the movement, which are differentiated by tempo, key area (C, B, E, C, and C), instrumentation, rhythms, harmonies, and specific transformations of the main motif. The second theme of the first of these sections is the only one not derived from the core motif. Quasi-tonal quartal harmonies are especially evident, but alternate with polychords in dense ostinato textures and more thinly orchestrated tonal passages. The fourth section, which is developmental, begins with an abrupt change of tempo and a short tonal fugato in the strings.

Discography

Chronologically, in order of recording date.

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