Music of the Viceroyalty of Brazil

Not to neglect the last great Viceroyalty of Latin America, today I will take a tour of the music of the Viceroyalty of Brazil.  While this Viceroyalty was a Portuguese possession, it did, from 1580-1640AD, during the Iberian Union, have the same monarch as those of Spain.  Unlike the Spanish Viceroyalties that splintered into multiple nations upon independence, Brazil has remained a single, massive, nation. 

Viceroyalty of Brazil in 1789.

Now to the music...

First, a religious piece for Christmas -- not sacred for liturgical use, but for popular use outside of Mass -- Matais de Incêndios, thought to be by António Marques Lésbio (+1709).

In an example of a 18th century piece, this is a Te Deum by Luís Álvares Pinto (+1789), a Brazilian-born, and Lisbon-trained composer.

This is a recording of the Salve Regina by Lobo de Mesquita (+1805) with splendid images of the Brazilian town of Diamantina, Minas Gerais (a state rich in precious metals) where he was organist at one point:

Next, another Salve Regina, this one by Inacio Parreiras Nevas (born 1730), another composer from the state of Minas Gerais.  This video presents images of that state, in particular the town of Ouro Preto, and its colonial architecture:

Here is yet another composer of that same Minas Gerais region, Manoel Dias de Oliveira (+1813), with images of that state -- this time a setting of the Magnificat:

If you wish to listen to more colonial Latin American music, this is a great page on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/hotkikee

Live well!