Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo

Luiz Heitor Correa de Azevedo
Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo, first editor of "Revista Brasileira de Musicologia"
Background information
Born	(1905-12-13)December 13, 1905 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died	November 10, 1992(1992-11-10) (aged 86) Paris, France
Occupation(s)	Folklorist, musicologist, journalist, author

Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, 13 December 1905 – Paris, 10 November, 1992) was a Brazilian journalist, musicologist and folklorist.

Biography

Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo studied at the National Institute of Music on Rio de Janeiro and his piano professors were Alfredo Bevilacqua between the years of 1924 and 1925, and Charley Lachmund between 1926 and 1927. At the same school he has studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Professor Paulo Silva. Initially Luiz Heitor focused his studies to be a composer, however by the late 1920s he has inclined to the musicology field and music criticism.^[1]

In 1928 he has started as a columnist of the newspaper “O Imparcial” (The Impartial). In 1932 Luiz Heitor became the librarian of “Instituto Nacional de Música” (National Institute of Music) on Rio de Janeiro. In the year of 1934, he founded and directed the “Revista Brasileira de Música” (Brazilian Magazine of Music) which was the editor until 1942.^[2] At the same year, Luiz Heitor organized and published the "Arquivo de Música Brasileira" (Brazilian Music Archive), an important supplement to the Magazine. The "Archive" goals were to publish scores of Brazilian music, which stood out in its first publishing: Missa dos Defuntos (1809) for 4 voices a cappella and Tantum Ergo by Padre José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Canto Religioso and O Salutaris by Francisco Manuel da Silva, and several opera's passages reduced to piano part from Joanna de Flandres by Carlos Gomes.^[3] In 1939, he assumed the chair of National Folklore Professor in the Escola Nacional de Música (Nacional School of Music).^[4] Throughout this period he gave incentive and represented an important contribution for Brazilian musicology which was still developing. Furthermore, he held the chair of titular professor at the “Escola Nacional de Música” (National School of Music) where he developed the ethnomusicology curriculum and founded, in 1943, the “Centro de Pesquisas Folclóricas” (Folklore Research Centre).^[5] This center produced a remarkable number of publications which were based on Brazilian musicology.^[6] Likewise, he was the music history Professor in the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música (Brazilian Conservatory of Music) occupying this place until 1947.

In addition to his participation at the “Revista Brasileira de Música” and as an editor of a journal, Luiz Heitor directed the classical music radio program Hora do Brasil (Brazilian Hour), of the “Departmento de Imprensa e Propaganda” (Department of Press and Propaganda). Moreover, he managed a section of the music in the “Revista Cultura Política” (Political Culture Magazine).

He acquired the post of Brazil’s representative in the Division of Music at the Pan American Union In Washington, D.C., and from 1941 to 1942 he served as a consultant for the Music Division from the Organization of American States. By the later 1940s he moved to Paris and became a member of UNESCO Music Programme specialist. In the year of 1949 he assumed a chair in the music curated from UNESCO at the International Music Council. He also led the Section for Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations between 1953 and 1965. Likewise he was a professor of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de l’Amérique Latine of the University of Paris from 1954 to 1968.

His main book was published in 1956 and it is called “150 anos de música no Brasil (1800 – 1950)” (150 years of music in Brazil.)

Significant Contributions for Musicology

Luiz Heitor made important contributions to the Brazilian culture, more specifically to the musicology field, by searching and systematizing national music and folklore. His was the first initiative of systematic editing of national authors’ works. She helped creat the first Brazilian Journal of Musicology, Revista Brasileira de Música, in the 1934. The Revista Brasileira de Música addressed to research focusing on mapping the Brazilian musical culture and was the first academic musical journal in Brazil.^[7] Luiz Heitor also promoted the publication of music books as part of his mission at Escola de Música Brasileira.

His effort on folklore research became more important while creating the Centro de Pesquisas Folclóricas. Since its creation, Folklore is considered an important field of study. Before Luiz Heitor's accomplishments, Folklore was merely considered a secondary discipline.. Heitor directed the research in the following Brazilian regions: Goiás State in 1942 (producing 64 documents and 19); Ceará State in 1943 (where he produced 262 documents and 75 recordings); Minas Gerais State in 1944 (280 documents and 100 recordings) and Rio Grande do Sul State in 1946 (293 documents and 116 recordings.)^[8] Heitor determined that it was remarkable that there had never before been an accurate mapping of Brazilian musical culture. All of Luiz Heitor’s efforts to systematize Brazilian folklore made the information accessible to those researching in the field and helped promote the musical accomplishments of the Brazilian people.

Luis Heitor’s work in musicology can also be seen in published books and articles. One of the most important accomplishments was exposuring of Brazilian music in Europe through the actions at UNESCO in Paris. His effort to systematize and map the Brazilian folklore, in order to make it more accessible to the research field, it was important to promote and disseminate the culture of the country.^[9]

Luiz Heitor at UNESCO

The participation of Luiz Heitor at UNESCO was gradual. First, he participated in a committee of specialists which outlined the humanities program of UNESCO.^[10] Luiz Heitor then participated as an intern, before finally receiving an invitation to work full-time in the organization. Later, he assumed a position as the International Music Counselor. The International Music Couselor is a professional organization which promotes the significance of music in the lives of people around the world. International Music Couselor's mission is to elevate the value the music in order to raise awareness of the particularities of the music of all countries. This organization intends to ensure that all music is shared and promoted.^[11]

Even with his job with UNESCO, Heitor still worked with the administration of the “Centro de Pesquisas Folclóricas” in Brazil. The close relationship with Brazil allowed the material from “Centro de Pesquisa Folclórica” to be sent to Heitor, who would then add it to UNESCO cataloges. At the beginning of his work, Heitor catalogued all the songs they had in the collection by dividing amongst classical music, oriental music, and folk music. In the year 1949, Heitor published the first catalogue based on Chopin's music, which was important to the process of cataloguing world music.

During his time at UNESCO, Luiz Heitor devoted himself to promoting Brazil music by giving opportunities to artists and researchers interested in bringing Brazilian music to Europe. He also made efforts to educate Brazilian people about how Brazilian music related to their daily lives. Heitor sent letters promoting all the concerts, recitals, lectures or other activities where Brazilian culture was involved all over Europe. Even though his constant effort and focus was Brazilian culture, he also participated of several achieval, research, and recording projects for music from other parts of the world. Heitor fulfilled his role as counselor in the organization and aided in strengthening the visibility of world culture by promoting Brazilian music.

Letters to Brazil

The article "My Memories of UNESCO" dated from 1947 to 1965, written by Luiz Heitor, presents facts and experiences of the musicologist in his work UNESCO. This article highlights some information he wrote in letters sent to Brazil.

Regarding the artistic production, he related that very little things had been done at this time by UNESCO in the field of music. The only things they had in the official documents were a survey on the conditions of musical life in several countries, and a vague project regarding international discography to be submitted to the General Conference. The discography would, in the music area, the same than the colorful reproduction artworks which would be the essential part of UNESCO's program in the visual arts sector.

In the music section, that it was Luiz Heitor's job, it was still quite confused. According to his letters there was a program outlined, but there was a lack of ways to executed it. He noticed that there was international organizations, which were consolidated, destinated to the music and musician's interests. Since they organizations existed, he did not ignore them, and he tried to facilitate their relations with UNESCO. Further, he did not think it was necessary to create a new organization. So, he researched about them in order to know if they wanted to join each other in a kind of federation, under the auspices of UNESCO. This federation finally took the assignment of counsel: The International Music Council, which was destinated to organize, not only the organizations mentioned, but also the nationals organizations of each country which gathered in national Committees of Music. Moreover, they chose some people to represent them because of their titles and because of their undisputed projection in contemporary music life, at that time.

Books and articles published

^[12]

1933 - Luciano Gallet, Revista da Associação brasileira de música, II/4, 2–20.
1935 - José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Boletín latino-americano de música, I, 133–50.
1936 - Carlos Gomes e Francisco Manuel: correspondência inédita (1864–1865), Revista brasileira de música, III, 323–38.
1936 - Carlos Gomes folclorista, Revista brasileira de música, III, 177–84.
1938 - Dois pequenos estudos de folclore musical (Rio de Janeiro).
1938 - Escala, ritmo e melodia na música dos índios brasileiros (Rio de Janeiro).
1939 - Relação das óperas de autores brasileiros (Rio de Janeiro: Serviço gráfico do Ministério da educação e saúde)
1939 - Introdução ao curso de folclore nacional da Escola nacional de música da Universidade do Brasil, Revista brasileira de música, VI, 1–10.
1940 - La musique au Brésil, nos.195–6, 74–81.
1941 - Tupynambá melodies in Jean de Léry’s “Histoire d’unvoyage fait en la terre du Brésil”, 85–96.
1943 - Mário de Andrade e o folclore, Revista brasileira de música, IV, 11–14.
1947 - La música en el Brasil, Cuadernos americanos, no.33, 250–73.
1948 - A música brasileira e seus fundamentos (8Washington DC, 1948; Eng. trans., 1948 - Divisão de Música e Artes Visuais, Departamento de Assuntos Culturais, União Pan Americana)
1950 - Música e músicos do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro: Casa do estudante do Brasil)
1952 - with C. Person de Matos and M. de Moura Reis: Bibliografia musical brasileira (1820–1950) (Rio de Janeiro).
1956 - La musique en Amérique latine (Rio de Janeiro).
1956 - 150 anos de música no Brasil (1800–1950) (Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio)
1962 - Música y cultura en el siglo XVIII, nos.81–2, 135–52.
1965 - Vissungos: Negro Work Songs of the Diamond District in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Music in the Americas: Bloomington, IN, 64–7.
1966 - Le chant de la liberté: compositeurs de l’Amérique latine à l’époque des luttes pour l’Indépendence, hymnographie patriotique, Mélanges à la mémoire de Jean Sarrailh (Paris), 259–79.
1968 - Music and Society in Imperial Brazil, 1822–1889, Portugal and Brazil in Transition, ed. R.S. Sayers (Minneapolis,), 303–9.
1969 - La musique à la cour portugaise de Rio de Janeiro, 1808–1821, Arquivos do Centro cultural português, I, 335–52.
1971 - Arthur Napoléon 1843–1925: un pianiste portugais au Brésil, Arquivos do Centro cultural português, iii (Paris), 572–602.
1972 - The Present State and Potential of Music Research in Latin America, Perspectives in Musicology, ed. B.S. Brook, E.O.D Downes and S. Van Solkema (New York), 249–69.
1980 - Preliminary Study on the Project of Preparing a Universal History of Music and the Role of the Music of Latin America and the Caribbean in History, World of Music, XXII/3, 56–62.
1983 - José Maurício no panorama da música brasileira, Estudos mauricianos, ed. J.C. A. Muricy (Rio de Janeiro), 35–40.
1986 - Etat sommaire de nos connaissances actuelles sur la musique Latino-Américaine et son passé: la contribution européenne, Le Nouveau Monde et l’intelligence de la musique européenne au XVI e siècle, Brussels Museum of Musical Instruments Bulletin, XVI, 1–11, 41–9.
1986 - O compositor latino-americano e o universo sonoro deste fim de século, Latin American Music Review, VII/2, 248–53.
1987 - As primeiras óperas: “A Noite do Castelo” (1861); “Joanna de Flandres” (1863), Revista brasileira de música, III, 201–45.
1987 - Carlos Gomes: Projeção no exterior, Carlos Gomes, uma obra em foco, ed. V. Salles (Rio de Janeiro), 67–88
1988 - O Villa-Lobos que eu conheci, Revista do Brasil, IV/1, 25–30.

References

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