Was he already teaching at the age of twelve?

Did he ever correspond with Haydn

as has been traditionally claimed? which we will see further on is not entirely
unfounded. In fact this does not matter. The bibliography of Nunes Garcia result
ing from the admirable work of the musicologist Cleofe Person de Mattos has othe
r surprises in store: she has produced the critical edition of the works present
ed in this recording. He was certainly precocious, since he composed his first a
ntiphony Tota Pulcra Es at the age of sixteen. Nunes Garcia quickly realized tha
t in Rio a mulatto from a simple background had to prove himself by working hard
to be accepted by the aristocracy. While forging his arms as a composer, an org
anist, a pianist and a music teacher, he invested an equal passion in Philosophy
, Latin, and language studies, making him a remarkable interpreter of Liturgy. T
his was enough for him to be noticed and at the age of 24 he joined the Sao Pedr
o dos Clerigos Brotherhood whose members performed his Te Deum a few months on M
ay 10th 1791. The following year Nunes Garcia was ordained priest. This did not
prevent him from giving birth to other musical creations while being watched ove
r by a tolerant church. From then on nothing could stop his steady creative acti
vity which occurred at his house in Rua das Marrecas from1795, where he also ope
ned a Music School. ln 1798 his reputation was first established by his appointm
ent as director of the Rio de Janeiro Cathedral s choir. It was true that it was a
rather poor chapel, and its predecessors Jos de Oliveira e Amaral and Joo Lopes F
erreira found it difficult to maintain. But that did not matter, a good reputati
on would finally be repla