Paulinho da Viola
Encyclopedia
Paulinho da Viola is a Brazil
ian sambista
, singer/songwriter, guitar
, cavaquinho
and mandolin
player, known for his sophisticated harmonies and soft, gentle singing voice.
to a family deeply rooted in the samba
tradition, Paulinho met and befriended much of Rio's samba elite as a child. His father was a guitar player and musicians like Pixinguinha
and Jacob do Bandolim
would often come to his house for rehearsals, which Paulinho watched for hours on end. After the rehearsals, Paulinho would pick up his father's guitar and strum the few chords he knew. Later, as a teenager, he was frequently seen at jams
at mandolin master Jacob do Bandolim's house, quietly and attentively observing the older, more experienced musicians. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, but never considered a career as a professional musician until he met poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho
in 1964. By then, Paulinho was working as a teller at a bank in Rio de Janeiro, and recognized Hermínio from the jam sessions at Jacob do Bandolim's house. The two became close friends and soon began writing music together. The first song they wrote together was Duvide-o-dó, recorded by singer Isaurinha Garcia. He then began performing his own songs at a restaurant in Rio, owned by samba legend Cartola
and his wife.
He got his famous nickname in 1965, when he was a member of the samba group A Voz do Morro (the voice of the hills), alongside Zé Keti and Oscar Bigode. After their first recording session, a publicist from the record label reportedly told him "'Paulo César' is not a samba name!", which was true because it is a very common name. Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral eventually came up with the nickname "Paulinho da Viola" ("Paulie Guitar").
By the 1970s, Paulinho was at the most prolific stage of his career, releasing an average of one album per year. He was already a household name in samba, choro
and MPB
circles and broadened his audience by touring all over Brazil and also playing at festivals in Europe
and the U.S.
. His productivity and popularity had waned by the mid-80s, when he decided to focus more on his songwriting. In 1996 he regained notoriety after releasing the much-acclaimed album Bebadosamba, in which he once again joined forces with Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and Elton Medeiros, his early songwriting partners.
The peak of success for a samba composer is to have his song picked by one of the largest "samba schools" (escola de samba) to be performed during the annual Carnival
procession in the Rio Sambadrome
. Da Viola has earned this distinction numerous times. The melody is supposed to be simple and catchy, the 2 or 3 stanzas are supposed to deal with love, longing (saudade), the joys of samba or of the Carnival, and the chorus or refrain is expected to be a memorable crowd-pleaser that will be sung for weeks on the streets of the city. Unlike in Trinidad, for example, political commentary is not expected to be part of a traditional samba composition. From this standpoint, Da Viola is truly a traditionalist in that his compositions have always stayed away from social commentary. Other samba stars such as Martinho da Vila
, who is four years older, and Chico Buarque
, who is two years younger and the son of white intellectuals, have shown less respect for the political neutrality of the national musical form, spicing up their compositions with biting political and social commentary. One step further, the leaders of the Tropicália movement - Caetano Veloso
, his sister Maria Bethânia
, Gilberto Gil
, Gal Costa
, Tom Zé
and Jorge Ben a.k.a Jorge Benjor - got into trouble with the right wing dictators of Brazil in the 60's and 70's and some of them - Veloso and Gil - ended up incarcerated and then exiled. The MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) movement that followed later is deeply respectful of the samba tradition it is rooted in, but is also politically active. Perhaps due to his mild social stance, beautiful melodies and gentle personality, Da Viola is probably the most beloved composer of traditional samba music in the second half of the 20th century.
A 2003 documentary called “Meu Tempo é Hoje” (My Time is Now) depicted his personal and public lives, including his relationship with his native Rio de Janeiro and its samba community. “The film depicts, both with enthusiasm and restraint, the life of a true prince,” wrote Brazilian journalist and critic José Nêummane in a review.
Paulinho Da Viola still lives in Rio de Janeiro and performs around Brazil.
1 Tied with Maria Rita
for Samba Meu
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 sambista
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
, singer/songwriter, guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
, cavaquinho
Cavaquinho
The cavaquinho is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings. It is also called machimbo, machim, machete , manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho, or cavaco.The most common tuning is D-G-B-D ; other tunings include D-A-B-E...
and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
player, known for his sophisticated harmonies and soft, gentle singing voice.
Biography
Born in Rio de JaneiroRio 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...
to a family deeply rooted in the samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
tradition, Paulinho met and befriended much of Rio's samba elite as a child. His father was a guitar player and musicians like Pixinguinha
Pixinguinha
Alfredo da Rocha Viana, Jr., better known as Pixinguinha was a composer, arranger, flautist and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro. Pixinguinha is considered one of the greatest Brazilian composers of popular music, particularly within the genre of music known as choro...
and Jacob do Bandolim
Jacob do Bandolim
Jacob do Bandolim was a Brazilian composer and musician. Born Jacob Pick Bittencourt from a Jewish mother and Brazilian father in Rio de Janeiro, his stage name means "Mandolin Jacob", after the instrument he played....
would often come to his house for rehearsals, which Paulinho watched for hours on end. After the rehearsals, Paulinho would pick up his father's guitar and strum the few chords he knew. Later, as a teenager, he was frequently seen at jams
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
at mandolin master Jacob do Bandolim's house, quietly and attentively observing the older, more experienced musicians. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, but never considered a career as a professional musician until he met poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho
Hermínio Bello de Carvalho
Hermínio Bello de Carvalho is a Brazilian record producer, composer, writer and poet.He is regarded as one of the most respected experts in brazilian music.-External links:*...
in 1964. By then, Paulinho was working as a teller at a bank in Rio de Janeiro, and recognized Hermínio from the jam sessions at Jacob do Bandolim's house. The two became close friends and soon began writing music together. The first song they wrote together was Duvide-o-dó, recorded by singer Isaurinha Garcia. He then began performing his own songs at a restaurant in Rio, owned by samba legend Cartola
Cartola
Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola , was a Brazilian singer, composer and poet considered to be a major figure in the development of samba.Cartola composed, alone or with partners, more than 500 songs.-Biography:...
and his wife.
He got his famous nickname in 1965, when he was a member of the samba group A Voz do Morro (the voice of the hills), alongside Zé Keti and Oscar Bigode. After their first recording session, a publicist from the record label reportedly told him "'Paulo César' is not a samba name!", which was true because it is a very common name. Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral eventually came up with the nickname "Paulinho da Viola" ("Paulie Guitar").
By the 1970s, Paulinho was at the most prolific stage of his career, releasing an average of one album per year. He was already a household name in samba, choro
Choro
Choro , traditionally called chorinho , is a Brazilian popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, subtile modulations and full of syncopation and...
and MPB
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
circles and broadened his audience by touring all over Brazil and also playing at festivals in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His productivity and popularity had waned by the mid-80s, when he decided to focus more on his songwriting. In 1996 he regained notoriety after releasing the much-acclaimed album Bebadosamba, in which he once again joined forces with Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and Elton Medeiros, his early songwriting partners.
The peak of success for a samba composer is to have his song picked by one of the largest "samba schools" (escola de samba) to be performed during the annual Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
procession in the Rio Sambadrome
Sambadrome
The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí or simply Sambadrome, is a purpose-built parade area in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where samba schools parade competitively each year during the Rio Carnival...
. Da Viola has earned this distinction numerous times. The melody is supposed to be simple and catchy, the 2 or 3 stanzas are supposed to deal with love, longing (saudade), the joys of samba or of the Carnival, and the chorus or refrain is expected to be a memorable crowd-pleaser that will be sung for weeks on the streets of the city. Unlike in Trinidad, for example, political commentary is not expected to be part of a traditional samba composition. From this standpoint, Da Viola is truly a traditionalist in that his compositions have always stayed away from social commentary. Other samba stars such as Martinho da Vila
Martinho da Vila
Martinho da Vila is a Brazilian samba musician...
, who is four years older, and Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
, who is two years younger and the son of white intellectuals, have shown less respect for the political neutrality of the national musical form, spicing up their compositions with biting political and social commentary. One step further, the leaders of the Tropicália movement - Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, his sister Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
, Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, Gal Costa
Gal Costa
Gal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Tom Zé
Tom Zé
Tom Zé is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of the Tropicália period, Zé went into relative obscurity: it was only in the 1990s, when the musician and label head David Byrne discovered an album recorded...
and Jorge Ben a.k.a Jorge Benjor - got into trouble with the right wing dictators of Brazil in the 60's and 70's and some of them - Veloso and Gil - ended up incarcerated and then exiled. The MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) movement that followed later is deeply respectful of the samba tradition it is rooted in, but is also politically active. Perhaps due to his mild social stance, beautiful melodies and gentle personality, Da Viola is probably the most beloved composer of traditional samba music in the second half of the 20th century.
A 2003 documentary called “Meu Tempo é Hoje” (My Time is Now) depicted his personal and public lives, including his relationship with his native Rio de Janeiro and its samba community. “The film depicts, both with enthusiasm and restraint, the life of a true prince,” wrote Brazilian journalist and critic José Nêummane in a review.
Paulinho Da Viola still lives in Rio de Janeiro and performs around Brazil.
Discography
- 1965 - Rosa de Ouro
- 1965 - Roda de Samba, Conjunto "A voz do morro"
- 1966 - Roda de Samba Vol.2
- 1967 - Rosa de Ouro Vol.2
- 1968 - Os Sambistas, conjunto "A voz do morro"
- 1968 - Samba na Madrugada, Paulinho da Viola and Elton Medeiros
- 1968 - Paulinho da Viola
- 1970 - Foi Um Rio Que Passou em Minha Vida
- 1971 - Paulinho da Viola
- 1971 - Paulinho da Viola
- 1972 - Dança da Solidão
- 1973 - Nervos de Aço
- 1975 - Paulinho da Viola, also known as "Amor à Natureza"
- 1976 - Memórias Chorando
- 1976 - Memórias Cantando
- 1978 - Paulinho da Viola
- 1979 - Zumbido
- 1981 - Paulinho da Viola
- 1982 - A Toda Hora Rola Uma estória
- 1983 - Prisma Luminoso
- 1989 - Eu canto Samba
- 1993 - Paulinho da Viola (International)
- 1996 - Bebadosamba
- 1997 - Bebadachama (Live)
- 1999 - Sinal Aberto com Toquinho
- 2003 - Meu tempo é Hoje (Soundtrack)
- 2007 - Acústico MTV (MTV UnpluggedMTV UnpluggedMTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
)
Latin Grammy Nominations & Wins
| 2008 | Result |
|---|---|
| Best Samba/Pagode Album - MTV Unplugged | Won1 |
1 Tied with Maria Rita
Maria Rita
Maria Rita |São Paulo]], Brazil) is the performance name of Maria Rita Mariano, a Brazilian singer. She is the daughter of famed pianist/arranger César Camargo Mariano and the late Brazilian singing legend Elis Regina and sister to Pedro Mariano and music producer João Marcelo Bôscoli. Her...
for Samba Meu
Samba Meu
Samba Meu is Brazilian vocalist Maria Rita's third album, released in 2007 and distributed internationally by Warner Music Brazil. It was Maria Rita's first album of samba music...