Villa-Lobos

11. Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959). Gavotta-choro. 5’01’’

A page from the booklet of "The Dance Album"Remarks upon Latin American national schools should not omit the most famous among them – Heitor Villa-Lobos was an absolute fan of his home country and this is particularly perceptible in his guitar music. Gavotta-choro is a part of his Brazilian Suite and in this work Villa-Lobos has cast European dances into the mould of the Brazilian choro.

The gavotte is a French folk dance that later became popular also in the court of the French king thanks to the dancing pursuits of Louis XVI and the music of the composer Jean Baptiste Lully. The gavotte had typically an old two-part form, but there is a very well-known gavotte in Bach’s partita in E major that is in rondo form. Villa-Lobos’ gavotte is also following the form of a rondo and is maybe a little more romantic than dance music ought to be. Such are the Brazilian influences…

Kristo Käo – guitar

The fingering that I used for the Gavotta page1 Gavotta page2

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