Francisco Mignone and His Valsas Brasileiras For Piano

Francisco Mignone and His "Valsas brasileiras" for Piano
Author(s): Alexandra Mascolo-David

Source: Mediterranean Studies, Vol. 12 (2003), pp. 169-185
Published by: Penn State University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41166957
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Francisco Mignone and His Valsas
brasileiras for piano
Alexandra Mascolo-David
In Brazil, the composer Francisco Paulo Mignone (1897-1986) achieved muc

success, and his reputation equals that of Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) an
Camargo Guarnieri (1907-93). Yet Mignone's name is rarely heard outside o
his home country. His compositions contain a microcosm of Brazil's cultur
history: his earliest works show his European training, while his mature outpu
gives voice to a new genre of Brazilian art music, rich in folk tonalities within
Romantic structures. Although Mignone explored serialism and atonality in his
later years, he is best known for his nationalistic works, especially his orchestra
pieces and art songs. He was equally accomplished as a composer of music fo
solo piano, however. Mignone wrote over two hundred pieces for piano, in
which the evolution of his style, as well as the quality and versatility of h
writing, shows his mind as one of an exceptional artist. Among his pian
compositions are tudes, preludes, legends, sonatinas, sonatas, and waltzes.
Mignone composed several sets of waltzes. All of his waltzes carry the
influence of his youthful practice of serenading in the streets of Sao Paul
improvising choros (popular songs, often with a nostalgic character) on his flute
to the accompaniment of cavaquinhos (ukeleles) and violes (guitars). The
twenty-four Valsas brasileiras (Brazilian waltzes) represent the culmination of
Mignone's musical style and are, in essence, an emotional diary. Of all h
waltzes for piano, they are the most elaborate. They unite nationalistic an
traditional nineteenth-century musical elements, and contain a rich melodi
harmonic, and rhythmic vocabulary.
Brief Biography of Mignone and Overview of His Music
The father of Francisco Mignone, Alfrio, an Italian musician from Castellaba

near Salerno, emigrated with his wife, Virginia, to So Paulo, Brazil, in 1896.1
'Biographical information was taken primarily from three sources: notes received from Migno
widow, Maria Josephina Mignone; The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980), s
"Mignone, Francisco," by Gerard Bhague; and Sister Marion Verhaalen, "The Solo Piano Music
169
1 70 Alexandra Mascolo-David
As a young boy, Alfrio had learned how to play b

the age of eleven he was already a flutist with the
Brazil Alfrio earned his living as a flutist and mus
1897, Francisco Paulo Mignone, the first of the coup
Mignone began studying the flute and the pia
continued his piano training with Silvio Motto in S
order to pay for his own studies, Mignone joined s
both as a pianist and conductor. At the same ti
orchestras as a flutist. Two years later, the young
Conservatory of Drama and Music where, as a p
studied piano, harmony, counterpoint, and compos
studies at the Conservatory and in the years follow
continued studying the flute with his father. Mari
Brazilian poet, writer, musicologist, and Mignone's
studio - was his teacher in music history and aes
interest in the idea of nationalism in the artistic li
have a pervasive influence on Mignone's search
expression. In 1917, Mignone graduated from the C
in piano, flute, and composition.
During his time at the Conservatory and in the y
graduation, Mignone wrote a considerable amount of
such as various types of dances and songs. He signe
name "Chico Boror," after a Brazilian Indian t
rapidly as a composer and pianist. In 1913, when
second place award in a popular music contest with
Manon and the tango Nao se impressione (Don't be
year, in another contest, Mignone won first prize w
(Romance in A major, 1917) for orchestra. His first
a composer and pianist took place on 16 Sept
Municipal de So Paulo.4 The program included t
voice and orchestra, the first movement, Andante,
Piano in G minor (1917), his symphonic poem
orchestral pieces Suite campestre (Pastoral suite
maior. In addition, he performed the first movem
Concerto. The concert, conducted by Mignone's fat
the So Paulo Commission on Artistic Pensions offe
Francisco Mignone and Camargo Guarnieri" (Ed.D. diss., Colum

2Josephina Mignone [henceforth, "Josephina"], 1 .
3 According to Vasco Mariz in his Historia da msica no Brazil
was sixteen years old, not fifteen, as reported in the other source
According to F. Acquarone in his Historia da msica brasile
concert took place on 16 December 1918.
Francisco Mignone and His Valsas brasileiras for Piano 1 7 1
to continue his musical studies in Europe. Before going to Europe, however, he

presented another symphonic concert of his works, this time under his own
baton.
Mignone left Brazil to become a student at the Giuseppe Verdi
Conservatory in Milan, Italy, on 4 August 1920. There, he had the opportunity
to study composition with Vicenzo Ferroni (1858-1934) for two years. Ferroni,
who had studied with Jules Massenet (1842-81) in Paris, adopted French
teaching methods; he used the method of Augustin Savard (1814-81) for
harmony and that of Thodore Dubois (1837-1924) for counterpoint and fugue.
Ironically, Mignone' s European training in Italy was more French than Italian.
This French training was also supplemented by the profound admiration that the
composer developed for the music of both Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
Mignone composed his first opera, O Contratador de diamantes (The Diamond
Contractor, 1921) with libretto by Girolamo Bottoni, in Milan, and it premiered
in Rio de Janeiro in 1924.
After completing his studies in Milan, Mignone remained in Europe, though
he made several brief trips back to Brazil. In 1927-28 he lived in Spain, where
he composed numerous Spanish songs and his second opera, O Inocente (The
Innocent), with libretto by Arturo Rossato (1882-1942). He finally returned to
Brazil in 1929 to join the music faculty of the So Paulo Conservatory.
Most of the works that Mignone composed between 1917, the year of his
graduation from the So Paulo Conservatory, and 1929, the year in which he
returned from Europe, utilize Romantic harmonies and structures and reflect the
composer's European training. In 1929, however, Mario de Andrade strongly
criticized Mignone for continuing to write in a clearly European style, instead of
searching for a more Brazilian nationalistic expression. Soon thereafter,
Mignone, who thought that the criticism was valid, composed the first Fantasia
brasileira (Brazilian fantasy, 1929) for piano and orchestra, a piece in which
Brazilian folk music was a major source of inspiration. The second, third, and
fourth fantasies followed soon after, in 1931, 1934, and 1936.
In 1931, Mignone married Liddy Chiaffarelli, daughter of Luigi Chiaffarelli
(1856-1923), renowned pianist who taught at the So Paulo Conservatory.
Liddy, also an accomplished pianist, served on the piano faculty of the Brazilian
Conservatory in Rio de Janeiro. In 1933, Mignone moved to Rio de Janeiro to
become the official conductor and conducting teacher at the National Music
School, a position he held until his retirement in 1967.
In 1933, Mignone completed the grandiose African-Brazilian ballet
Maracat de Chico-rei, based on an episode of colonial Brazilian history. The
ballet was the first piece of a series that exploited the beautiful melodic formulas
and rhythmic percussiveness and complexity of black folk music. The other
pieces in this style were the symphonic poems with the African titles Batucaj
and Babalox, both composed in 1936, and the ballet Leilo (Auction),
1 72 Alexandra Mascolo-D avid
completed in 1939. In an interview with the musico

stated that in writing these works, he was strongly
vitality of the music of Igor Stravinsky and Manue
works, Andrade observed that Mignone combin
rhythms and the lyrical melodies of the African-Bra
and energetic creativity. Andrade, however, also as
phase in Mignone's compositional development
greatest works, it was fortunate that the composer
any further. Andrade believed that because the
tradition was limited in scope, eventually the compo
himself.6
In 1937-38 Mignone went on a tour of Europe, where he conducted the
Vienna Philharmonic, among other renowned orchestras. In 1942, he visited the
United States, where the League of Composers arranged performances of some
of his works in New York.7 He also conducted the NBC and CBS symphonies
in concerts of his own music.
Mignone gradually left the black musical idioms, but continued to explore
other Brazilian folk traditions, evident in his operettas Miz and Aleluia from
1937 and 1938 respectively, and the orchestral pieces Sinfonia do trabalho
(Symphony of labor, 1939) and Festa das igrejas (Celebration of churches,
1940). The latter celebrates four of Brazil's most famous churches; it was
performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and recorded
with Arturo Toscanini conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Mignone also achieved much success with the ballet Espantalho
(Scarecrow, 1941), based on two paintings by the Brazilian artist Candido
Portinari. The Quadros amaznicos (Amazonian portraits, 1942) is a suite in
seven movements, each dealing with an Amazonian myth. Another ballet, Iara
(1942), deals with the legend of Iara, mermaid of the river, and the tragedy of
Brazilian droughts. The ballet was premiered in Sao Paulo in 1946, by the
original Ballets Russes of Colonel de Basil. In 1948, Mignone composed his
first oratorio, Alegras de nossa senhora (Joys of Our Lady), and in 1960 another
oratorio, Santa Clara. Also, between 1960 and 1970 Mignone composed seven
masses.
Between the late 1950s and the 1970s, Mignone experim

contemporary compositional techniques. His first attempt
appeared in his Quintet for Wind Instruments (1960) and in t
Sonata (1962). Several of his chamber and orchestral pieces fr
5Ibid., 66.
6Josephina, 4.
7 According to Verhaalen, "The Solo Piano Music," 25, Mignone also visited the United States in
1943.
Francisco Mignone and His Valsas brasileiras for Piano 1 73
and after also show Mignone' s search for a more contemporary style
composition. For instance, polytonality, tone clusters, atonality, and serialism
can be heard in the symphonic Variaoes em busca de um tema (Variations
search of a theme, 1970).
In 1962, Liddy Chiaffarelli, Mignone's wife, suffered a tragic an
unexpected death in an airplane crash.8 In 1964, Mignone married the pian
Maria Josephina. She had graduated from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music
in Rio de Janeiro, where she studied harmony in the class of Lorenzo Fernande
and piano with Arnaldo Estrela and Magda Tagliaferro. She had also furth
pursued independent advanced studies in piano and music education with Lidd
Chiaffarelli. Maria Josephina and Francisco Mignone performed extensively a
a piano duo. Today, she is strongly committed to promoting and helping othe
to promote the music of her late husband, who died of cancer on 19 February
1986, at the age of eighty-nine.
Francisco Mignone was an extremely prolific composer. He wrote in
major genres and for a wide variety of instruments. He composed about fifty
orchestral works of various types: symphonies, symphonic poems, nocturnes
variations, suites, fantasies, overtures, intermezzos, minuets, and concert
Mignone's chamber music encompasses various duos, including the five sonata
for violin and piano, two sonatas for two bassoons, one sonata for flute and ob
and one sonata each for flute, viola, and cello, with piano. The composer's voc
music includes more than a hundred songs for voice and piano, and about thi
choral works, among which are the two oratorios and seven masses. His stage
works comprise four operas, five ballets, one tone-poem ballet, two operettas
and one musical. Mignone also wrote about a hundred solo piano pieces, a
about thirty other unaccompanied instrumental works.9
The compositions of Mignone, as well as most of the Brazilian art music o
the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, were largely derived from the mu
of three major ethnic groups that form the background of Brazil's complex rac
makeup. Indeed, Brazilian culture results from a mixture of the native Indian
culture with that of the Africans who were brought to Brazil as slaves by th
Europeans, and that of the Europeans - mainly Portuguese, who discover
Brazil in 1500, but also Spanish, Italian, French, and Dutch. The music of each
of these cultures is very rich and distinctive; but gradually, over the years,
contact, mixture, and assimilation with one another gave rise, during
nineteenth century, to a new kind of music, "true" Brazilian art music. T
music combines African-Brazilian folk and popular idioms with elements
"According to Mariz, Historia, 190, Liddy died in 1961, not 1962.

For more information concerning the piano works, see the list of Piano Works, Appendix B, at th
end of this essay.
1 74 Alexandra Mascolo-D avid
European art music.10 Specific musical character

influence of the ethnic sources just discussed, as the
brasileiras, which are the focus of this essay, w
appropriate, during the analysis of the waltzes.
In summary, Mignone's output as a composer c
main periods. In the first period (1917-28), his Italian
training are particularly evident in the Romantic stru
pieces. About 1929 he began developing nationalist
The works from this period, ending in the late 1
African-Brazilian folk and popular idioms. Howev
decades of his life, Mignone gradually turned aw
tradition in favor of a more contemporary style of c
the works from his last period utilize twentieth-centu
such as polytonality, tone clusters, atonality, and seria
Overview of the Piano Pieces
Francisco Mignone, known primarily for his orchestral works and art songs, w
equally accomplished as a composer of music for solo piano. Migno
composed about two hundred pieces for piano, which reveal the evolution of
style, as well as the quality and versatility of his writing. The works include
several types of compositions: etudes, preludes, legends, sonatinas, sonatas, an
waltzes. Some of these pieces reflect the composer's European training; other
a clearly nationalistic tradition; and yet another group, twentieth-centu
compositional techniques.
The first group uses traditional, nineteenth-century European music
language. This group contains the set of six transcendental etudes, dedicated
the Brazilian pianist Guiomar Novaes (1895-1979); the set of six preludes;
various sets and individual compositions for children, most of which are shor
character pieces with descriptive titles. In general, most of these pieces are in
ternary form, with stable meters, regular melodic lines, rather simple harmon
favoring primary chords and some secondary dominants, and simple a
transparent textures.
The group that represents the nationalistic tradition has about seventeen
pieces. These works, inspired by folk music, reflect the influence of both th
violo (guitar), with their guitar-like accompaniments, and the syncopat
samba-like dance rhythms, native to Brazil. The harmonic language of th
pieces is still fairly simple, with occasional use of bitonality and triads w
10Gerrit de Jong, "Music in Brazil," Inter- American Music Bulletin 3 1 (September 1 962): 2-3.
added tones, and most of them are also character pieces. Mignone wrote
works in both groups between about 1920 and 1950.
Between 1923 and 1940 Mignone composed the nine Lendas sertane
(Country legends), which combine elements of both the traditional nineteen
century harmonic language with folk, guitar-like accompaniments, a
syncopated dance rhythms. The legends embody the serenade-like mo
characteristic of the singers of the serto (interior of the country). They h
various formal structures, and several of them utilize medieval modes. The
two reflect a certain Spanish quality, which Mignone attributed to the influe
of Isaac Albniz (1860-1909) and Manuel de Falla.11
The four sonatinas were composed in 1949. Like the legends, the sonatin
also combine traditional elements with indigenous syncopated rhythms. All
are in two movements, cast in a variety of forms, but none in the expected so
form. Harmonically, they present occasional ostinato accompanim
dissonances, bitonal passages, and triads with added tones, but their texture
still rather clear and transparent.
Mignone wrote four sonatas in 1941, 1961-1962, 1964, and 1967. The
unlike the sonatinas, have little or no homogeneity of style among th
Mignone considered the last three sonatas to be the best works he wrote af
1950. They reflect, in his own words, "the search for my personality
composer, and for a more individual style of composition."12 The first
sonatas have three movements, and the last two have four. In the fourth so
all movements are connected.
The first sonata constitutes Mignone's first attempt to write a solo piano
piece in one of the larger forms. The two outer movements are in sonata form,
and the middle movement is in ternary form. The piece is tonal and mostly
traditional in content, even though it utilizes bitonality, quartal harmony,
augmented octaves, and tone clusters.
In the second sonata, the first two movements are in ternary form, and the
last is a monothematic free form. In this piece, Mignone experiments with
atonality and semi-serial writing - he uses twelve-tone rows, but does not
develop them serially. There are also more frequent changes of meter, tempo,
and dynamics. Phrases are short, and the development of motivic figures is the
unifying feature of the two monothematic outer movements. As in the first
sonata, the frequent use of bitonality, clusters, ostinatos, and dissonance blur the
tonality.
The third sonata is more atonal than the second, and basically all
movements are in free form, with the first two movements being monothematic.
1 Cignone, recorded statement at the Center of Brazilian Art Music of the Museum of Sound and
Image, Rio de Janeiro, March 1991, 7.
1Ibid., 12.
The melodies are even more motivic and angular, a

simultaneously in their original and retrograde for
polytonality, widely spaced chords, dissonances
chords which use all twelve tones.
Mignone composed the fourth sonata for Vera Astrachan, who performed
the piece in a concert that celebrated his seventieth birthday. This sonata is
perhaps the most mature of Mignone's piano pieces. It is also his most daring,
because he continues to expand his compositional techniques. He utilizes the
entire range of the keyboard and uses widely spaced and complex chords,
dissonances, fast scale passages, repeated notes, crossing hands, irregular
subdivisions of beats and measures, as well as polyrhythms. It is an extremely
spontaneous piece, characterized by a constant flow and development of ideas.
The work is also his most rhapsodic and percussive piano piece.
Despite all the varied genres, in his home country Mignone is known as the
"Rei da valsa" (waltz king). He composed four sets of waltzes, and a few
individual waltzes. These pieces were inspired by his early contact with popular
music and musicians, and by his own interest in writing music based on
Brazilian popular and folk idioms. Mignone's early experience of serenading in
the streets of So Paulo by improvising waltzes and choros (laments) on his
flute, to the accompaniment of cavaquinhos (ukeleles) and violes (guitars), also
contributed to the character of the waltzes. According to Luis Heitor,
ethnomusicologist and Mignone's friend, the composer's waltzes for piano
embody the rhythms, rhythmic elasticity, and melodic figures of the various
types of waltzes found in traditional Brazilian music, as in the waltzes for guitar
or piano, the serenade, or the songs called caipira - songs of popular character.
The waltzes share a similar mood, dominated by the nostalgic and song-like
serenade character, and prefer minor keys and ABA forms. The four sets of
waltzes are entitled as follows: Valsas de esquina (Street corner waltzes, 1938-
1943; twelve waltzes), Valsas choros (Lament waltzes, 1946-1955; twelve
waltzes), Pequeas valsas de esquina (Little street corner waltzes, 1964; six
waltzes), and Valsas brasileiras (Brazilian waltzes, 1963-84; twenty-four
waltzes). The waltzes represent the variety of styles and techniques that
Mignone explored in his compositional output.
The Valsas brasileiras
Mignone composed Valsas brasileiras in two sets of twelve waltzes each.13

first set he wrote between 1963 and 1979, and the second dates from 198
13For the complete listing of the twenty-four Valsas brasileiras, see Appendix A, at the end o
essay.
years before the composer's death. The first set was dedicated to a number
Mignone's friends, and the second was dedicated to his second wife, M
Josephina. These waltzes represent the maturity of Mignone's musical style
are, in essence, an emotional diary, in which the composer reflects a past v
rich in experiences, emotions, and feelings. Each waltz is a musical gem
although the pieces were composed during the last two decades of Mign
life - a time when he experimented with more contemporary styles
composition - they are clearly tonal. They combine nationalistic and traditi
nineteenth-century musical elements. Certain waltzes are actually reminiscen
the style of Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debuss
and Erik Satie.
Although these waltzes are of considerable musical substance, characteristic
of Mignone's style, and worthy of performance, they remain unknown outside of
Brazil. Musically, the pieces are profound, with a style that contains a rich
melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic vocabulary. I will now delineate the most
important stylistic characteristics of the Valsas brasileiras, with special
emphasis on the aspects of composition that particularly represent Mignone's
unique musical style. I will focus the analysis on form, tempo, rhythm, melody,
harmony, texture, dynamic and expressive markings, idiomatic writing, and
transference of the guitar idiom to the keyboard.
Form
Of the twenty- four waltzes, twenty are in ternary form, two are rondos - no. 1 is
a five-part rondo, ABACA, and no. 2 is a seven-part rondo, ABACABA - and
one waltz, no. 4, is in binary form. The main sections in all twenty-four waltzes
are either binary within themselves or through-composed. In addition, most of
the waltzes have introductions and/or codas. Some introductions are quite long
such as that of waltz no. 6, which is eight measures long, whereas others are very
short - for example, the introduction to waltz no. 9 consists of only two chords.
All codas are between three and ten measures long, and some are quite
interesting, such as that of waltz no. 17, which is the retrograde of the
introduction.
Tempo
The tempo markings of the waltzes range from "lento" to "assai vivo" Within
each main section the composer indicates various slight changes of tempo, such
as: cedendo (holding back), pi vivo (livelier), qffretando (hurrying),
accelerando (gradually getting faster), ritardando (gradually getting slower), pi
mosso (a bit faster), sostenuto (sustained), v

(precipitating), allargando (broadening), and so
extremely helpful in obtaining the rubato, wh
characteristic of Brazilian guitar and dance mus
waltzes by Mignone. In the waltzes, the rubato seem
from the tradition of the improvised choros (lament
were intended to convey a subtle melodic and rhyt
"stalling for time."14
Rhythm
Mignorie's rhythmic vocabulary is quite daring, including frequent instances of

several rhythmic devices of interest, such as hemiola, which denotes the
articulation of bars in triple meter as if they were bars in duple meter. Mignone
also uses syncopations, irregular subdivisions of beats and of entire measures,
and polyrhythms. The use of these techniques provides the waltzes with
rhythmic vitality, which is an aspect inherent to the musical culture of Brazil.
This rhythmic energy can be traced back to the musical traditions of both the
Brazilian Indians and the Africans who were brought to Brazil as slaves by the
colonists. Originally, Afro-Brazilian music was essentially dance music,
accompanied by a large number of percussion instruments performing
simultaneously; and it resulted in the production of an extremely complex body
of polyrhythms.15
MELODY
The melodies of the Valsas brasileiras are based on a variety of scales:

chromatic, diatonic, modal, and other exotic varieties. A prominent feature of
Mignone' s style is alternation between the raised and lowered sixth and seventh
scale degrees, therefore implying the harmonic, natural, and melodic forms of
the minor scale, as in waltz no. 22. Occasionally, Mignone constructs melodies
that shift from the major to the minor mode, and also implies the influence of
other scales. For instance, in the A section of no. 19, aspects of the gypsy scale
work into the melodic material. (The gypsy scale is basically a harmonic minor
scale with the raised fourth scale degree. In F-sharp minor it is F-sharp, G-sharp,
A, B-sharp, C-sharp, D, E-sharp, F-sharp.)
14David Appleby, Music of Brazil (Austin, 1983), 72.

Jong, "Music in Brazil," 3.
Mignone's melodies are very inventive, cover a wide variety of intervallic

combinations, and frequently introduce abrupt shifts of direction. Suc
direction-shifting melodies seem to have been influenced by certain speci
types of Brazilian urban popular music, such as the lundu, a song and dance o
Angolan origin, and the modinha - a sentimental aria-type song of Portugues
origin, and influenced by Italian arie cantabile}6 These and other nineteenth-
century types of Brazilian urban popular music were transmitted by o
tradition, and evolved from folk and/or popular origins with roots in Europe
and African musical traditions.17 Several melodies also include oct
displacements. This device, as used in the waltzes, may have evolved from the
earlier choros, in which the octave leaps in the melodic line occasionall
produced an illusion of another instrument performing simultaneously, an oct
apart.18
A unique characteristic of Mignone's style is beginning the primary melodic
line with one hand, and at some point to continue it with the other hand.
Another unique quality of Mignone's musical writing is the division of sections
into phrases of irregular lengths. A good example is found in waltz no. 1, in
which the phrase organization of the A section is 5+4+5+8 measures. Also
typical of Mignone's melodic style is the frequent embellishment of the melody
by various ornaments and running notes. The types of ornaments Mignone
utilizes are: grace-notes, arpeggiated chords and figurations, as well as mordents,
trills, and suspensions. Some embellishments are written out, while others are
indicated by their respective symbols.
Harmony
Each of the two sets of the Valsas brasileiras employs all of the twelve minor
keys. Although the first set does not follow any particular order of keys, th
second is organized in a chromatically ascending manner, starting with C mino
In eleven of the waltzes (nos. 4, 6-8, 11-12, 15, 18-21), the main key prev
throughout the entire piece, with just a few modulatory passages. In nine oth
waltzes (nos. 1-3, 5, 9, 13-14, 17, and 22), the contrasting B and C sections are
in the parallel major keys. In waltz nos. 10 and 23, in F and A-sharp minor, t
B sections are in the submediant major keys, D-flat and F-sharp. In waltz no.
in E-flat, the B section is in the key of the raised fifth scale degree, B major
which is really enharmonic with the submediant major, C-flat. In waltz no. 2
in B minor, the B section alternates between the tonic key and its parallel majo
16Appleby, Music of Brazil, 60-68.

17Ibid., 26-7.
l8Ibid., 72.
In the two rondo forms, waltz nos. 1 and 2, th

modulate to other keys as expected, but are ke
shifting to the parallel major. Interestingly, f
functions in the same way as key shift does for tr
The harmonic vocabulary in the waltzes is extr
all types of triads, seventh, ninth, eleventh, and
augmented sixth chords, the Neapolitan-sixth c
tones. In addition, he uses prepared and unpr
anticipations, retardations, and suspensions, as we
tones. Also common are instances of quartal an
planing, clusters, pedal points, and ostinatos.
It is difficult to label every harmony in the Va
tremendous richness of their harmonic content and t
which the harmonies are used. For example, the o
9, in B minor, seems to be the superimpositio
dominant-seventh chord and an A-sharp fully
Several other examples of harmonic ambiguity occ
In addition to the richness of harmonic material
of modulations. Some are abrupt, without using a c
new key. Others use a common chord but are
section of waltz no. 1, which has a modulation from
Texture
The diversity of accompanimental patterns used in the Valsas brasile

contributes to the wide variety of textures encountered throughout the piec
fact, the textures range from simple and transparent to thick and heavy,
numerous shades between the two extremes. Homophonie texture predomi
in the waltzes. Generally, one voice contains the main melodic line, wh
other voices have a subordinate, accompanimental role. These accompanime
are mostly chordal, as in waltz no. 1. A unique texture is that of the A secti
waltz no. 19, in which both hands play the melody in unison - five octaves a
It is wide-spaced parallel writing with a pedal point, C-sharp, in the m
Mignone also uses polyphonic texture, and at times combines elements of b
homophony and polyphony.
Dynamic and Expressive Markings
Mignone 's dynamic markings range from ppp to fff, and he uses percussiv
accents, >, as well as sf markings. In addition, as he did with the tem
Francisco Mignone and His Valsas brasileiras for Piano 1 8 1
indications, he is extremely detailed and precise about the moods he wants to

create. For instance, he employs a wide variety of Portuguese and Italian word
to describe the atmosphere he wishes to evoke. Representative examples ar
com mais intensidade (with greater intensity), soturno (quiet), sonor
(sonorous), com pouco som (with little sound), murmurando (whispering), sem
bater (without banging), com bravura (with virtuosity), bem apagado (ver
softly), lamentoso (lamenting), quasi preludiando (in an improvisatory manner)
imitando o violo (imitating the guitar), com entusiasmo (with enthusiasm), pi
calmo (calmer), calmandosi (calming down).
The sentimental and melancholic mood of the waltzes and of other types of
Brazilian music is reminiscent of: 1) Africans who were forced to leave the
homeland and were condemned to a life of slavery; 2) Portuguese colonists and
other Europeans who hoped to return eventually to their homelands, and who, i
the case of the Portuguese, expressed such longing in nostalgic songs calle
fados; and 3) Brazilian Indians, who saw their country invaded, and who
civilizations were nearly destroyed by the white man.19 All three - Africans,
Europeans, and Brazilian Indians - shared intense feelings of yearning and
longing, and consequently it is only natural that such sadness and nostalgi
would be reflected in their music.
Idiomatic Writing
Mignone' s waltzes abound in various pianistic figurations which contribute

the variety of nuances encountered in the pieces. Indeed, some waltzes
extremely challenging from both the technical and the artistic points of v
One finds many elements of virtuosic piano technique, such as octav
tremolos, large chords, clusters, and rapid scale and arpeggiated pass
Various waltzes, as waltz no. 1, exhibit challenging, cadenza-like sectio
characteristic figuration common to several of the pieces, is one in which t
are successions of repeated chordal patterns in ascending motion, as in walt
14. These chordal patterns are used to provide transition between major sec
in the waltzes.
Transference of the Guitar Idiom to the Keyboard
All of Mignone 's waltzes derive in part from his earlier practice of seren
the streets of Sao Paulo. Consequently, not surprisingly, frequent music
verbal allusions to guitar figurations occur in these waltzes. In some case
19Jong, "Music in Brazil," 3.
analogy is implied by the characteristics of the mus

composer specifically nottes imitando o violo (im
like devices consist primarily of arpeggiated chord
touch, sometimes combined with rubato, as in walt
POSTLUDE
Francisco Mignone's creative life spanned over a period of seventy years, in

which he composed prolifically in all the major genres and for a wide variety of
instruments. He wrote orchestral works of various types, numerous pieces for
chamber music ensembles, songs for voice and piano, choral works, operas,
ballets, operettas, and many unaccompanied instrumental works, including over
two hundred solo piano pieces. Although most of his works, including the
Valsas brasileiras, have considerable musical substance and are worthy of
performance, they remain unknown outside of Brazil. Sadly, as with much of
Mignone's writing, the Valsas brasileiras are no longer available in publication.
Mignone's work has been undeservedly neglected; it is my hope that this essay
will contribute towards a change in the composer's status.
Appendix A
Valsas brasileiras
No. 1 in C-sharp minor: Moderato

No. 2 in F-sharp minor: Valsa lenta e expressiva (slow and expressive waltz)
No. 3 in D minor: Muito expressivo (very expressive)
No. 4 in G minor: Preludiando (improvising)
No. 5 in A minor: Molto brillante (very brilliant)
No. 6 in E-flat minor: Con entusiasmo (with enthusiasm)
No. 7 in B-flat minor: Valsa lenta (slow waltz)
No. 8 in A-flat minor: Valsa movimentada (with motion)
No. 9 in B minor: Deciso (decisive)
No. 10 in F minor: Valsa lenta (slow waltz)
No. 1 1 in E minor: Singeleza (with simplicity)
No. 12 in C minor: Improvisando (improvising)
No. 13 in C minor: Devagar (slowly)
No. 14 in C-sharp minor: Valsa movimentada (with motion)
No. 15 in D minor: Allegretto: declamando (declamatory)
No. 16 in E-flat minor: Lento e misterioso (slow and mysterious)
No. 17 in E minor: Preludiando: vivo e com bravura (improvising: lively and

with virtuosity)
No. 18 in F minor: Mosso
No. 19 in F-sharp minor: Assai vivo
No. 20 in G minor: Quasi preludiando (almost improvising)
No. 2 1 in A-flat minor: Poco mosso
No. 22 in A minor: Andantino mosso
No. 23 in A-sharp minor: Tristonho (with sadness)
No. 24 in B minor: Impetuoso (impetuous)
Appendix B
Piano Works
1912: Danse du paysan

1914: Valsa Manon, Tango: No se impressione
1915: Polonaise, Minueto
1916: Marcha dos Gnomos, Scherzo
1919: Idilio campestre
1921: Minueto (from O Contratador de diamantes), Congada
1922: Minueto No. 2
1923: gloga, Noturno, Barcarola, Lendas sertanejas nos. 1-2,
Bacanal dos Elfos
1927: Maxixe
1928: Congada, Lenda sertaneja no. 3

1930: Lendas sertanejas nos. 4-5, Quatro pecas brasileiras, Microbinho
193 1 : Seis estudos transcendentais, Valsa elegante, Noche granadina, El retablo
de Alcazar, Valsa em sol maior, Quebradinho, Tango brasileiro, Tanguinho,
Cataret, A festa do entrudo, Miudinho, Cucumbizinho
1932: Lenda sertaneja no. 7, Seis preludios, Quando eu era pequenino, Serenata
humorstica, Gavotta all'antica
1933: Seis pecas inf antis
1934: Cachorrinho est latindo, Lenda sertaneja no. 6, Crianas brincando
1935: Valsinha, No automvel
1936: Marvadinho
1937: Quebradinho
1938: Lenda sertaneja no. 8, Valsas de esquina nos. 1-5
1939: Puladinho, Caixinha de brinquedos, Modinha, Lenda sertaneja no. 9
1940: Valsas de esquina nos. 6-8, Suite brasileira
1941: Dana do Botocudo, Lenda sertaneja no. 10, Sonata no. 1
1942: Modinha, Paulistana, Iara, Doura de manhzinha fresca
1943: Valsas de esquina nos. 9-12, Trs preludios

Modinha imperial
1944: Minueto e samba
1945: No fundo do meu quintal, O pobre e o rico
1946: Valsa choro no. 1
1947: Valsinha, Pequea valsa de esquina, Lund em forma de rond,
Toccatina, Lendas brasileiras nos. 1-9
1948: Narizinho
1949: Sonatinas nos. 1-4
1950: Valsas choros nos. 2-5
1 95 1 : Angela tocando cravo
1953: Samba rtmico (2 pianos)
1955: Sai, sai (2 pianos), Valsas choros nos. 6-12
1959: As enancas de D. Liddy
1962: Sonata no. 2
1963: Valsa brasileira No. 1
1964: Sonata no. 3, Seis pequeas valsas de esquina, Seis pecinhas para piano
1967: Sonata no. 4
1968: Quatro pecas inf antis, Sonata humorstica (2 pianos),
Paulistana no. 1 (2 pianos)
1969: E o piano canta tambm
1972: Valsa brasileira no. 2
1975: Valsa brasileira no. 3
1976: Pecas facis, Cinco pecas para piano
1977: Quatro choros, Nazarethiana
1979: Adamastor, Valsas brasileiras nos. 4-12
1980: Improviso Romntico
1982: Barcarola
1983: Urna valsa
1984: Valsas brasileiras nos. 13-24, Quatorze pecinhas para a mao esquerda,
Seguida, Treze choros sem consequneia
1985: ltima valsa, I
Bibliography
Acquarone,F. Historia da msica brasileira. Rio de Janeiro, 1953.

Andrade, Mario de. Ensaio sobre a msica brasileira. Sao Paulo, 1962.
Appleby, David. Music of Brazil. Austin,
Azevedo, Luis Heitor Correa. Msica e msicos do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro,

1950.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary, 8th ed., 1992, s.v. "Mignone, Francisco."
Bhague, Gerard. The Beginnings of Music Nationalism in Brazil. Detroit,
1971.
Franca, Eurico Nogueira. Msica do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, 1968.
Jong, Gerrit de. "Music in Brazil. Inter-American Music Bulletin 31

(September 1962): 1-15.
Mariz, Vasco. Historia da msica no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, 1981.
Mascolo-David, Alexandra. "Valsas brasileira

diss., University of Kansas, 1997.
Mignone, Francisco. "Forma e contedo." Re
(June 1934): 113-16.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980), s.v. "Mignone,

Francisco," by Gerard Bhague.
Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music of Latin America. New

Verhaalen, Sister Marion. The Solo Piano Musi
Camargo Guarnieri." Ed.D. diss., Columbia Unive
Walker, Katherine Sorley. De Basil's Ballets Rus

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Francisco Mignone and His "Valsas brasileiras" for Piano

Author(s): Alexandra Mascolo-David

In Brazil, the composer Francisco Paulo Mignone (1897-1986) achieved muc

Brief Biography of Mignone and Overview of His Music

The father of Francisco Mignone, Alfrio, an Italian musician from Castellaba

As a young boy, Alfrio had learned how to play b

Francisco Mignone and Camargo Guarnieri" (Ed.D. diss., Colum

to continue his musical studies in Europe. Before going to Europe, however, he

completed in 1939. In an interview with the musico

Between the late 1950s and the 1970s, Mignone experim

"According to Mariz, Historia, 190, Liddy died in 1961, not 1962.

European art music.10 Specific musical character

Overview of the Piano Pieces

The melodies are even more motivic and angular, a

The Valsas brasileiras

Mignone composed Valsas brasileiras in two sets of twelve waltzes each.13

mosso (a bit faster), sostenuto (sustained), v

Mignorie's rhythmic vocabulary is quite daring, including frequent instances of

The melodies of the Valsas brasileiras are based on a variety of scales:

14David Appleby, Music of Brazil (Austin, 1983), 72.

Mignone's melodies are very inventive, cover a wide variety of intervallic

16Appleby, Music of Brazil, 60-68.

In the two rondo forms, waltz nos. 1 and 2, th

The diversity of accompanimental patterns used in the Valsas brasile

Dynamic and Expressive Markings

indications, he is extremely detailed and precise about the moods he wants to

Mignone' s waltzes abound in various pianistic figurations which contribute

Transference of the Guitar Idiom to the Keyboard

19Jong, "Music in Brazil," 3.

analogy is implied by the characteristics of the mus

Francisco Mignone's creative life spanned over a period of seventy years, in

No. 1 in C-sharp minor: Moderato

No. 17 in E minor: Preludiando: vivo e com bravura (improvising: lively and

1912: Danse du paysan

1928: Congada, Lenda sertaneja no. 3

1943: Valsas de esquina nos. 9-12, Trs preludios

Acquarone,F. Historia da msica brasileira. Rio de Janeiro, 1953.

Appleby, David. Music of Brazil. Austin,

Azevedo, Luis Heitor Correa. Msica e msicos do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro,

Franca, Eurico Nogueira. Msica do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, 1968.

Jong, Gerrit de. "Music in Brazil. Inter-American Music Bulletin 31

Mascolo-David, Alexandra. "Valsas brasileira

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980), s.v. "Mignone,

Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music of Latin America. New

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