Tom Jobim met Villa-Lobos in 1956. The maestro lived next to the Theatro Municipal and was “very much a child.” During his presentation, he plays with “Orfeu da Conceição”, which Tom had just put to music. “He did everything naughty. It was very funny.”
It was the composer’s centenary when Tom wrote in Leafin 1987. “Today, in Brazil, he is unknown. The whole world played his music. And here, what are you going to play? Brazil is a country without pianos, without symphony orchestras.”
The definition is in one sentence: “He’s a revolutionary, he makes modern music, but in Brazil people think that revolutionaries wear red shirts and do drugs. All that is very old. Villa-Lobos is new.”
Read the full text below, part of section 105 Columns of great repercussion, which recalls the chronicles that marked the history of the Leaf. The initiative is part of the celebrations of the newspaper’s 105th anniversary in February 2026.
New is Villa-Lobos (12/4/1987)
I have been to Villa-Lobos several times, taken by Léo Perachi, my conducting and orchestration teacher. It was thanks to him that I met the maestro, in 1956, when I had just finished the music for the play “Orfeu da Conceição”, performed at the Municipal Theater. Villa-Lobos lived in the street of the Municipal Theater, Araújo Porto Alegre, he was very childish and always said funny things. When Léo introduced me, he said: “Ah, I know, Conceição, the one who says ‘I remember it very well'”, but it was a Villa-Lobos joke. People think he confused me with the author of “Conceição” (Cauby Peixoto), none of that: he did everything in a naughty way. It was very funny.
Villa-Lobos lived abroad, what will Brazil do with a genius? It’s wrong to say bad things about him and send him abroad. Villa-Lobos was a nicer guy and even criticized. He made extraordinary music, but he did not have access to the Municipal elections. I’m not talking about 1956, but 1922, during Modern Art Week. The Municipal Theater systematically performed Italian operas – Verdi, Rossini and things from Europe, which Brazil has always loved, just as the United States loves today.
Villa-Lobos is today, in Brazil, unknown. Today, on the centenary of his birth, the whole world performs his songs. And then, what are you going to play? Brazil is a country without pianos, without symphony orchestras. And the repertoire of these orchestras is European. Villa-Lobos is a revolutionary, he made modern music, but in Brazil people think revolutionaries wear red shirts and do drugs. This is all very old. New is Villa-Lobos.
The situation in Brazil today is exactly the same as when they criticized Villa-Lobos. He left more than a thousand songs, but who is he today? It doesn’t exist, no one knows who it is. Where is the music store where we can go and buy sheet music from him? Where are your files? There is nothing.
One person who helped Villa-Lobos was Getúlio Vargas. That’s why they fell in love with him, because Getúlio was a dictator. But he was one of the few to recognize her talent and help her study in Paris.
Villa-Lobos had the attitude of a genius, only then could he survive. He couldn’t be shy, with all the criticism he received, otherwise he would have shot himself in the head. Brazil didn’t understand anything about Villa-Lobos.
My greatest contact with Villa-Lobos was through my study of his work. That’s what’s important, not the jokes we hear there. When Villa-Lobos survived because he was a tireless worker. When he arrived in Paris, he immediately declared that he had not gone to learn, but to teach: “I learned my song from the birds of the Brazilian forest,” he said.
The other day I read in the Jornal do Brasil some musicians who were talking about Villa-Lobos, but they were only talking about pointillism, triangularism. It’s none of that, Villa is truly a genius. There is no point in making up names to judge. He lived as an absolutely brilliant figure, who shows the Brazilian spirit. He will survive the world. Villa said: “My works are expensive and if posterity comes, they will expect a response from me.” Brazil must wake up and teach Villa-Lobos in schools. He was a great teacher, but some called him selfish. He left a debt said to be owed to a selfish person. How selfish? He devoted his entire life to random music.
In the whole country, the only one who took care of him was Dona Mindinha. It is difficult to hear Villa-Lobos here and the scores were published in Paris, New York. The rights are also not here, but registered abroad.
He was very funny. One day he was asked about folklore and he replied, “Folklore is me.”
When he was about to die, at age 72, he returned to Brazil. I was already in the terminal stages of cancer and I knew everything. A journalist came and asked: “Maestro, what are you composing now?” He replied, “Now I’m breaking down.” »
When I met Villa, he was making the soundtrack for the American film “Green Mansion”, which includes the piece “The Amazon Forest”. He said this in Brazil, but the Americans raised this proposal and he accepted. I arrived at his house and he was at a desk, composing. At the same time, people were talking, a record player was playing a record, it was a hubbub. I asked him if all this didn’t bother him. He replied: “My son, the ear inside me has not brought bad luck with the ear outside.”
Villa’s father was an amateur musician who taught him, from a young age, to recognize sounds. Any call of a horn or bird, he would locate it and write it down. Villa’s note had been issued. And Villa said he was alive. He had a fantastic ear and always said that the music was alive. If he was composing and a tram was passing, he would include the tram in the symphony.
I see a lot of parallels between his situation and mine. The situation is exactly the same. If I play, as I did recently, in Canada, I get great reviews; whereas here, what we do is smile, but we don’t do the rest.
That’s not why I’m stopping composing. But I have to defend myself. In Brazil, nothing like this. And the printing company knows who? Goias. But Goiás Fabrício Lima, in the “New Amazon” and others. In the “Amazon”, Villa-Lobos had no reception at all. Better to get more after traveling and when he traveled he was unbeatable. Villa stopped working in Rio and went to Globo. My work goes to Globo. I’m going to Globo. I want to see if he won’t see Villa. The villa is moving. When I came back from abroad, I thought it was the biggest laugh. The records are on sale abroad. But just listen to “Bachianas.” “O Trenzinho do Caipira” all that. In Rio de Janeiro.
Villa-Lobos was unaware, like everyone else, of the beautiful imitation of Baden’s music. In Baden’s time, Baden experienced joy at this time. And Villa respected obedience. When Baden played, Villa-Lobos said: “Baden goes far.” Baden quickly became successful, but what disgusted abstract concrete? No, it’s that abstraction, poetry, music are advertising billboards. In folklore, everything was used brilliantly by him (Villa) abused. When Baden played, he saved Villa. He earned respect. Brazilians always respect someone who costs a lot. The ultimate prestige of the Brazilian is money. All this time it has been studied as jazz. Our era is the ideological era of jazz.
Today I clearly see that the country does not love its artists, the biggest complaint comes from dramatic nationalists. Idolatry from without appears. Not liking the Villa-Lobos “pijanço” is a big joke. I think it was a great sin on the part of everyone who denied Villa-Lobos. I don’t think he wanted to be deified, but the country ignored him and absolutely ignored him.
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