Composed at a time when Brazilian musical and cultural tastes were based on those prevalent in Europe, Nazareth’s piano compositions are, first and foremost, highly original adaptations of traditional dance rhythms, and laid the foundations for an authentically Brazilian style of classical music. Villa-Lobos himself considered Nazareth’s music to be the very embodiment of the soul of Brazil. Made up predominantly of tangos (over 80) and waltzes (more than 40), the works are often humorous or refer to everyday situations in Brazil, especially to the life of the ‘cariocas’, or inhabitants of the city of Rio de Janeiro.