GONZAGA, Chiquinha

  Chiquinha Gonzaga was a pioneer in both her professional and social life. She was the first female composer, conductor, performer, music teacher and writer in Brazil to live by her professional work.
Born in Rio de Janeiro during the time of Brazilian monarchy and slavery, she faced the prejudices of a patriarchal and sexist society. She fought for social independence and actively participated in the abolitionist and republican movements.

She was the daughter of José Neves Gonzaga Basileu, an aristocrat and military man and Maria Rosa de Lima, the mixed-race daughter of a slave. Her parents’ relationship was very complex, as mixed marriages carried a serious taboo in Brazilian society. Nevertheless, she was the first child recognised as his own by José Basileu, who provided her with the finest education, the goal being an arranged marriage that would introduce her to Rio de Janeiro's high society. This education included the study of the classical piano repertoire, an influence seen in many of her compositions.

Her strong personality did not fit her father’s narrow expectations: instead, she was drawn to the more vital side of Brazilian culture, expressed in African rhythms in dances like the maxixe and lundu, considered scandalous and vulgar at the time. At the age of 16, Francisca married a successful navy officer chosen by her father. Sadly, her husband would not tolerate her musical life and ordered her to choose between him and the music. Without hesitation, she duly left him and, with her marriage, her children.

Shunned by her family and the church, she was welcomed by the musicians of the Brazilian capital and became an enthusiastic participant in the artistic world she had yearned for. But at the time it was considered scandalous for a woman to pursue a career as a musician.

She quickly established herself in the musical community of Rio de Janeiro, mixing the European style of composition with African rhythms, which became the first examples of the style later to be known as ‘choro’, a characteristically Brazilian genre, often characterised by its jaunty, fast style.

Chiquinha Gonzaga was a composer of great success in a time when there was no law to protect the composer's rights. She created the first society for copyright protection in Brazil: the Brazilian Society of Theatrical Authors (SBAT). She was also the first pianist to be part of a choro ensemble, the first female conductor in Brazil, a strong supporter of social equality, she joined the abolitionist movement that led to the end of slavery in Brazil in 1888.

Gonzaga composed many pieces, included 77 works for the stage. Over 300 of her compositions, blending Brazilian and European musical traditions, were published during her lifetime. Her courage and determination made her a personality ahead of her time. Her life story is an example of perseverance, struggle and success. Chiquinha Gonzaga composed until the end of her life. She died in Rio de Janeiro in 1935 at the age of 87.

You can listen to Chiquinha Gonzaga''s pieces on the album HOMAGE

Watch our animation video about Chiquinha Gonzaga