8th Part - Contemporary Guitar Music on Books... Teresinha Prada

Violão: de Villa-Lobos a Leo Brouwer

(Guitar: from Villa-Lobos to Leo Brouwer)
Publisher: Terceira Margem, CESA, São Paulo, 2008

Autorship: Teresinha Prada

To end this topic about Villa-Lobos as a figure who has opened paths for guitar in contemporary music, I open a space now to my book, published on 2008. The book is an adaptation of my Master degree in 2001 at the University of São Paulo in the interdisciplinary studies by Program on the Integration of Latin America, in the line Communication and Culture.

In previous posts we have seen that established authors in academia have confirmed the work of Villa-Lobos as a preamble to the new possibilities of the guitar. In my book, I rely on most of these authors to establish this characteristic of Villa-Lobos, I then walk a little more and I find such avant-garde work reflected in the production of Leo Brouwer.

This reflex is not only in terms of a previous environment on villalobian sonorities, offering an enabling environment to Brouwer, but also a delivery of "be in charge", an extension, ie, after the impressive history of Villa-Lobos, Leo Brouwer going to be who we would find the freshness of an innovative creation, moving the guitar from commonplace, taking advanced position in the technical and artistic concepts, changing the guitar musical field.

On Introduction, I defend:

To talk of Villa-Lobos and Leo Brouwer led to talk to Latin America, about its most important trait: the manifestation of the New, not as an evolution, but as accumulation. Cultural theories that explain Latin America – so this place of "counter-conquest", as Lezama Lima said – have showed how cumulative we are in our heterogeneity and that's what brings us closer definitely.

So in my book, I offer an initial chapter of historical background, based on interdisciplinary cultural studies, already reviewing the position of Latin America in a culture of domination; these are important points that establish the artistic question within a politicized cultural scene, to face situations rarely treated in a book of the musical field, but I think it is important for a better understanding of what makes us Latin Americans.

In the next chapter, I’ve reaffirmed many issues that had already been written about Villa-Lobos, then I continue to do a study of Brouwer towards the New, in his consubstantial repertoire, thus I think I've done a kind of hypothesis; in comparison to his contemporaries, Leo Brouwer performs an innovative oeuvre in large numbers, resulting a sufficient material to classify it to number of guitar works, then still romantic in the guitar field.

To deepen analyses on Villa-Lobos’ and Leo Brouwer’s output, I’ve examined two representative works of each stage of their careers (six pieces of each author), mentioning too some of the music and most relevant ideas that have accompanied these periods.

It was especially interesting in Brouwer's context, to study the history and geopolitics of Cuba – that is still a very live issue because of the many setbacks of international diplomacy. His political and ideological position in favour of the revolution, also his Dutch and Cuban roots are inherent facts to his work, to his craft, a balance that mixes and interacts with seemingly different worlds, but it is actually overflowing references, experiences, multiplicities, characteristic features of a Cuban artist and intellectual of the first order, as we know it.

The impulses of the modern writing of Leo Brouwer appear in his early works (1950s), approaching a series of "uncertainties", oscillating between national and avant-garde processes, indefined keys, by the incompleteness and mixture of forms, also being open to styles, references to the cult and the popular. This feature is on the way to became a connection, an agreement with the sounds more "atomistic" in the late 1960s, joining to the select and radical experimental group in the 70s. In the 80s, on the return to traditional means called New Simplicity, we find Brouwer even more open to everything whose wants to enjoy or experience in his work. 

I’ve finished my book retaking some of the features of the creation of both composers, some aspects I consider as possible comparisons: Nationalism, Vanguards, Return, Politics and Guitar.

The book was released on 2008 at the First International Guitar Festival "Leo Brouwer" of the University of São Paulo & Cervantes Institute, at the invitation of Edelton Gloeden, in the presence of Leo Brouwer – a great honour to me.

The edition of the book is nearly sold out. Probably it can be found in university libraries and musical centres.