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Henrique Alves de Mesquita (1830–1906) was renowned in Brazil in his day as a trumpeter, organist, conductor, teacher and composer, but his works are now virtually unknown, with no commercial recordings to be found in any of the current mainstream catalogues. With recent moves towards greater appreciation of Black composers, Mesquita is a prime example of a musician whose output demands to be rediscovered. This highly entertaining selection of genres and styles that were in vogue in musical theatre at the time, including the tango, polka, quadrille and waltz, could hardly be a better introduction to this undeservedly neglected composer.
Henrique Alves de MESQUITA (1830–1906)
Piano Works
Tangos, Polkas and Quadrilles
Maria Teresa Madeira, PianoHenrique Alves de Mesquita was a prolific composer who defied Brazilian society’s systemic exclusion of Black people to achieve prominence as one of the leading figures in the local musical scene of the 19th century. He was highly regarded for his sacred music and operas, which are rarely heard today. After study years in Paris, Mesquita turned his versatility and sophistication towards fashionable music theatre styles such as polkas, tangos and waltzes, conveying emotions ranging from contagious joy to gentle melancholy. It is these lighter pieces that are now considered by many scholars to be one of the main origins of modern Brazilian popular music.
Pianist Maria Teresa Madeira studied at the Escola de Música da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, The University of Iowa and the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). She has appeared internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, including at the XVII Bienal de Música Brasileira Contemporânea. As an educator, she has delivered lectures across Brazil and the United States, and participated in the Jeunes Virtuoses à Ennejma Ezzahra. She is currently a professor at UNIRIO and serves on the board of advisers for PROEMUS, a graduate-level programme dedicated to the teaching and pedagogy of musical practice..
Complete Violin Sonatas
Baldini • Rossi
– BBC Music Magazine
Complete Violin Sonatas
Baldini • Thomazinho
– Ritmo ★★★★★
Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 14
VELÁSQUEZ, G.:
Sonatas for Piano and Violin Nos. 1 and 2
Baldini • Fernandes
– The WholeNote
Complete Piano Sonatas
Santoro, A.
– American Record Guide
– American Record Guide