Oscar Lorenzo Fernández
Encyclopedia
Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (born 4 November 1897 in Rio de Janeiro
; died there 27 August 1948) was a Brazil
ian composer
of Spanish
descent.
. In 1923, Nascimento was taken seriously ill, and Fernández was designated his temporary substitute in the chair of upper-level harmony, an appointment which became permanent two years later (Kiefer 1986, 81). In 1936 he founded the Conservatório Brasiliero de Música in Rio de Janeiro, which he directed until his death. From 1939 onward, he also served as Professor of Choral Singing at the Conservatório Nacional de Canto Orfeônico.
He composed a three-act opera
, Malazarte (1931-33), to a libretto by José Pereira Graça Aranha
, who adapted it from his own play of the same title. For the premiere at the Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, 1941), the libretto was translated into Italian. Malazarte is a nationalist work in both its subject matter and its musical content, and is considered the first successful Brazilian opera of this type (Béhague 2001). In 1941 Fernández extracted a three-movement suite from the opera, the last movement of which, "Batuque" (an Afro-Brazilian folk dance), became very popular. He also composed one ballet
, two symphonies
, five symphonic poem
s, two orchestral suites, one concerto each for piano and for violin, chamber music, about 80 compositions for piano, choral music, and 36 songs.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
; died there 27 August 1948) was a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian composer
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
descent.
Life
Fernández studied at the Instituto Nacional de Música with Francisco Braga, Frederico Nascimento, and Henrique OswaldHenrique Oswald
Henrique Oswald was a Brazilian composer and pianist whose work fell into disfavor after the "Semana de Arte Moderna" manifesto. Oswald's father was a Swiss-German immigrant and his mother from Italy. The family name was changed from "Oschwald" due to concerns of discrimination...
. In 1923, Nascimento was taken seriously ill, and Fernández was designated his temporary substitute in the chair of upper-level harmony, an appointment which became permanent two years later (Kiefer 1986, 81). In 1936 he founded the Conservatório Brasiliero de Música in Rio de Janeiro, which he directed until his death. From 1939 onward, he also served as Professor of Choral Singing at the Conservatório Nacional de Canto Orfeônico.
He composed a three-act opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, Malazarte (1931-33), to a libretto by José Pereira Graça Aranha
Graça Aranha
José Pereira da Graça Aranha was a Brazilian writer and diplomat, considered to be a forerunner of the Modernism in Brazil. He was also one of the organizers of the Brazilian Modern Art Week of 1922....
, who adapted it from his own play of the same title. For the premiere at the Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, 1941), the libretto was translated into Italian. Malazarte is a nationalist work in both its subject matter and its musical content, and is considered the first successful Brazilian opera of this type (Béhague 2001). In 1941 Fernández extracted a three-movement suite from the opera, the last movement of which, "Batuque" (an Afro-Brazilian folk dance), became very popular. He also composed one ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, two symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, five symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
s, two orchestral suites, one concerto each for piano and for violin, chamber music, about 80 compositions for piano, choral music, and 36 songs.