Heitor Villa-Lobos - String Quartet No. 5 (1931) "Quatetor Popular No. 1"

Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887 - November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and by stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras (Brazilian Bachian-pieces). His Etudes for guitar (1929) were dedicated to Andrés Segovia, while his 5 Preludes (1940) were dedicated to Arminda Neves d’Almeida, a.k.a. "Mindinha." Both are important works in the guitar repertory.
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String Quartet No. 5 ("Quarteto popular no. 1") (1931)
Dedicated to João Alberto Lins de Barros Governor (Interventor) of the State of São Paulo from 26 November 1930 to 25 July 1931.
1. Poco andantino
2. Vivo e energico (6:01)
3. Andantino - tempo giusto e ben ritmato (9:16)
4. Allegro (12:53)
Cuarteto Latinoamericano (Mexico City)
The Fifth Quartet is unusual in Villa-Lobos' works in this medium for using genuine folk material, albeit in modified form (Tarasti 1995, 305).
Over the course of the first movement the tempo changes many times, ranging from Lento to Presto. The long Lento section in b. 90 to 136 is characterised by lyrical melodic writing in the first violin accompanied by a complex rhythmic pattern in the other instruments (Farmer 1973, 26, 28).
The second movement's predominantly fast tempo is also interrupted after eleven bars by a Lento section featuring double stops in all four instruments and sul ponticello tremolo effects in the two violins. After eight bars, the opening tempo is resumed for the remainder of the movement, save for a concluding Molto lento coda of five bars (Farmer 1973, 30-31).
The third movement inverts the relationship found in the first two movements by interrupting a predominantly slow tempo after only two bars with a fast and light-hearted section (Tempo giusto e ben ritmato) of sufficient length to make the opening material sound merely like a slow introduction. After twenty-three bars, however, a slow tempo (Adagio) is resumed, eventually giving way to the original Andantino (Farmer 1973, 31-32). The short opening Andantino motive, played in unison, is one that Villa-Lobos often uses to suggest Indian music (Tarasti 2009, 236).
The finale, in contrast to the earlier movements, maintains a steady Allegro tempo throughout (Farmer 1973, 32). After a brief introduction in parallel fourths, the main theme from the first movement returns, at double its original tempo but in the same key. A series of children's themes taken from Villa-Lobos's collection, Guia prático, provides the substance for the rest of the movement. The central section is based on the song "O Bastão ou mia gato" (The Stick or a Cat's Meow), played in harmonics in all four instruments, after which the opening section, minus the introduction, is repeated to create an ABA ternary form (Tarasti 2009, 236).

[@kapellmeisterr]

this quartet and Prokofiev's second one have the same concept, they go perfectly together

[@demetriussouza9006]

Esse quarteto fala da infância idílica que ninguém jamais nunca teve.

[@juliusseizure591]

Villa-Lobos' finest string quartet. Thanks for uploading.

[@eurekarios2185]

Mds, que música linda!! Como eu fui nascer brasileira e nunca nem tinha ouvido Villa-Lobos?? #Perfeito S2

[@felipepba1122]

Beautiful music by the genius Villa-Lobos!!!!!

[@gfweis]

This was a fine thing indeed to bring to peopl'e attention. I haven't been moved by V-L's work before, but found this string quartet very appealing. Thank you.

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

So ethereal

[@dmarianus1458]

Tão linda essa música. Modernismo pode ser belo sim.

[@nocturnallsnake4228]

Não é meio pós romântico?

[@pauloschmidt8136]

Villa-Lobos não compunha música modernista no sentido brasileiro. É uma mistura de erudito com popular, mas está mais para pós-romântica

[@heron6462]

The opening theme in the first movement is from the piano piece 'Adeus, bella morena' - I recognize it as my daughter played it for an exam in 2005.

[@maribill]

But its origin, here and in the piano piece, is a brazilian folk song. I learned it as a child.

[@heron6462]

Noted. Thank you.

[@mateushayasaka]

@@maribill Fui no Itororó (=

[@brunogripp]

Adeus bela morena is a Cirandinha on the same folk theme (Fui no Itororó), the title is derived from the lyrics of the song.

[@joabeguilherme]

Grande Villa!!!

[@littlekiwi9724]

Fun!

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

feels like a dance between birds

[@brunogripp]

Whats the theme starting in the Allegro vivace @4:25? It's vaguely familiar, sounds like something from Ernesto Nazareth, but I can't precesily pin down which pice.

[@Luca7190]

Excerpt 1 - 0:38 Excerpt 2 - 3:04 Excerpt 3 - 5:05 Excerpt 4 - 15:00

[@overstuffedteddybear1274]

Is the phrase (by cello) at 1:02 used in a different quartet??

[@CarlosHenrique0171]

Sounds familiar

[@officaldungeons]

12:59 writing those double stops for the viola instead of dividing it should be a crime. Also, is there an error in the score in the third measure? There’s definitely three notes being played and only two by the viola

[@vanessaviolino]

Alguém sabe onde consigo a partitura dessa música?

[@pfitzner1]

You can download the score here: imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.5%2C_W263_(Villa-Lobos%2C_Heitor)

[@BernardoSSimoes]

Ou museu Villa-Lobos! Você pode pedir pelo site.

[@LeonnardoMelo]

Fui no tororó....

[@Trombosilbo]

4:27 !!!!

[@user-pz4wp7ic1o]

7:10

[@casrifay]

Which ensemble group is this?

[@bartjebartmans]

If you click on the tab "show more" you will see the info under the video. It is Cuarteto Latinoamericano from Mexico City.

[@fazeduni3228]

Check out my video for more Lobos content

[@josephsummer777]

The second violin at 9 (around 2:20) doesn't seem tome to be apprehending the syncopation. meanwhile, I have to say that I haven't heard this piece before, though it does seem like I stole the passage beginning at 9 for my Dance of The Mechanics string quintet. And I deliberately modeled my Dance of the Mechanics after Brazilian music; so maybe my protestation that I haven't heard this piece prior to now will ring hollow.

[@CuartetoLatAm]

Hi Joseph; I can't see what you mean about the 2nd violin syncopations.... Where exactly?

[@josephsummer777]

Sorry to reply late, but I just go back from abroad. 5 measures after 9. The delay on the attack of the second violin seems to me to be late, a 16th late, so that instead of sounding like a 16th syncop, it sounds like an 8th syncop to me. I have to admit that the attack envelope on strings isn't that of a piano but I am not feeling the 16th delay here as written. I know from my own writing that my string syncops are never realized as crisply as I hear them in my head. Listening repeatedly to the measures in this passage, I can't be sure whether the syncop delay is an envelope problem or an attack delay.

[@MattWeisherComposer]

Joseph Summer I hear that as well.

[@Bowgun44]

Rip the poor first violin. Gets absolutely slaughtered at those 6-let sixteenths in the first movement

[@bartjebartmans]

Says a keyboard hero.

[@diegeigergarnele7975]

fourth movement is written to be as uncomfortable as possible for first violin