The Transcriber’s Art - #44

Richard Yates
Heitor Villa-Lobos

“A truly creative musician is capable of producing, from his own imagination, melodies
that are more authentic than folklore itself.” —Heitor Villa-Lobos

In 1919 Heitor Villa-Lobos reached a critical point in his musical career. He had
established a substantial body of compositions, employing many sizes of ensembles and
combinations of instruments. He had absorbed the melodies, forms and harmonic palettes
of both his native Brazil and the European traditions. But the full blossoming of his
distinctive musical voice would not come until after his first trip to Europe in 1923. We
can see the ingredients for that synthesis in earlier works.

Histórias da Carochinha

From 1911 to 1921 Villa-Lobos found time between large orchestral compositions to
write much smaller suites for solo piano. Several embody a theme of childhood in their
tunes, titles and scope. One of these, the first A Prole do Bebê (“The Baby’s Family”),
became his most enduring piano composition despite a less than auspicious debut in Rio
de Janeiro by none other than Arthur Rubinstein. Rubinstein recalled that the
performance was booed, but Villa-Lobos responded, with characteristic self-confidence,
“I am still too good for them.”

One of the small suites of this period, Histórias da Carochinha (“Fairy Tales” or
“Children’s Stories”), is less known, indeed, it is scarcely mentioned in several standard
biographies. Consisting of four short pieces, the Histórias da Carochinha is entirely
suited for transcription for guitar. I found considerable similarity to such sets composed
by other famous composers especially the Album for the Young, Opus 39 by Peter Ilich
Tchaikovsky. One selection from that collection, In Church, was featured in this space in
the Winter 1997 edition of Soundboard.

Whether or not Villa-Lobos knew of that collection or used it as a model cannot be

known, but Lisa M. Peppercorn, perhaps the most prolific writer about Villa-Lobos,
makes an extensive and persuasive case for influence by Russian composers, and
Tchaikovsky in particular. She does also note that “Villa-Lobos had always rejected the
notion to have been influenced by the Russians. He even claimed that he disliked them.
Obviously, he reacted in this way because he refused to admit the similarity in character
between himself and the Russians as far as the music is concerned.”

Villa-Lobos Transcription Possibilities

Although many compositions from his nearly 50 productive years are potential sources
for transcription to the guitar, only a portion of his output is in the public domain. In the
United States, anything composed before 1923 is eligible; anything later requires
permission from the copyright holder. Solo piano scores to consider include Danças
características Africanas (1915), Suite floral (1918), Histórias da carochinha (1919), A
Lenda do Caboclo (1920), Carnaval das crianças (1920), Prole do Bebê, first series
(1920), and Prole do Bebê, second series (1921).

The Transcriptions

The transcription of both pieces presented here was quite straightforward. Unusual for
piano music, the pitch ranges fell almost entirely within the range of the guitar. Only an
occasional reduction of doubled pitches was necessary. A Cortesia do Principezinho
(“The Courtesy of the Little Prince”) was originally in F major, a perfect fourth higher,
while E a Princesazinha Dançava (“And the Princess Danced”) was transcribed in the
original key, although an octave lower.

The simple textures allow multiple options for fingering, and I made the choices that I did
based largely on efficiency and ease of playing. One fancier fingering is in A Cortesia do
Principezinho at measure 24. The melodic leap of a major sixth up the fourth string to
the piquant dissonance on the second beat seemed to call for a slide, if only as a nod to
the similar figures in Villa-Lobos’ guitar compositions. Smaller hands may have trouble
sustaining the bass note C at measure 28 of E a Princesazinha Dançava. Alternate
solutions include cutting the bass note short (which also focuses attention on the octave
melodic leap) or fingering the C on the sixth string (along with necessary adjustments
earlier in the measure).

References

Appleby, David P., Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life (1887-1959), Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.

Peppercorn, L.M., ‘Foreign influences in Villa-Lobos’s Music,’ Ibero-Amerikanisches

Archiv, 3(1), 1977, 37–51

Time magazine, Sept. 27, 1948.

List of Compositions by Heitor Villa-Lobos, In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Retrieved July 28, 2009.

Wright, Simon, Villa-Lobos, Oxford University Press, 1992.

If you have suggestions, comments or contributions, please send them to:

Richard Yates
richard@yatesguitar.com
http://www.yatesguitar.com
 E a Princesazinha Dançava
Histórias da Carochinha (1919)
Transcribed for guitar Heitor Villa-Lobos
by Richard Yates (1887–1959)

˙
Tempo di gavotta

œ œœœ œ œ œ
VC œ œ œ œ œ
˙ œ 1œ
4

œ œ œ œ
4

œ
p
# œ œ -4 œ 1 œ 0 œ œ
œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ
3

V œ œ #œ œ ˙ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
3

1œ 3œ œ
œ

œ
œ 4œ œ 4œ œ 4œ œ œ œ 3 1œ 4œ œ
3

4œ 2
œ œ -4 œ
6

V 1œ œ œ ˙
œ 1˙ Œ
3

-1 œ œ 1# œ œ œ œ
2

œ 2 3#˙
0 1

poco rall.

œ 3 œ œ 4œ 3œ
œ 0œ 1 œ œ
I4

V 1 œœœ 4 œ 1 œœœ œ œ 4œ œ œ
9 III III

œ œ œœ b œœ
4

œ 3 œ œ 2œ 1 œ œ #œ œ œ
1
2

F a tempo
2

œ #œ 4œ
2

˙ œœ œ œ œ
III III

œ
12 3

V œœœ # œœœ œ̇ nœ œœœ œ œœœ 1œ

3œ
œ œ
4

˙ œ œ
rall.
a tempo

œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ˙ œ œ
15

Vœ œœ œœ . ‰
œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ

œœœ œ œ œ ˙ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
18

V œ œ œ #œ œ ˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ
 œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
V œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ
21

œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
poco rall.
Meno mosso

œ œ
I

œ œ œ œ
h

V ˙ œ œ b œ œ
24

˙ œ œ œ œœ
Œ œ œ
#˙ œ œ œ 0œ œ œ œ œ
4
2

F
œ # œ œ œ 2n œ 4 œ œ
œ œ œ œ 0œ œ 4œ
2

œ œ œ
27

V b œ˙ œ˙ ˙ 0˙ œ 1œ œ œ
2

˙ 1œ œ
n˙
2

4œ œ
œ 3 # œ 4 œ 3 œ-4 n œ œ 4œ œ œ œ 3œ œ.
œ œ 1 œœ œœœ ‰ n
30

V b œ #œ œ
œœ 2˙
1œ
œœ .. ‰
2

œ
1 2
2 3 3
3
2
4 5

œ œ œ ˙ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
Tempo 1

œ œœœ
V n œ œ œ˙ œ œ œ
33

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ

œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
36

V œœ œœ # œ œœ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ ‰ œ œ œ œ #œ

U
œ œ 3# œ œ œ œ
Lento

œ œ
II4

œ #œ
39

œ
3

V ˙ œ œ
#œ # œœ
3

œ œ œ #˙
p
2

f rall.
 A Cortesia do Principezinho
Histórias da Carochinha (1919)
Transcribed for guitar Heitor Villa-Lobos
by Richard Yates (1887–1959)

œœ -4 œ 2 œ 3 # œ 4 œ œ nœ œ 3œ #œ œ œ
Quasi movimento di gavotta
œ
V c œÓ œ
2

œ œ # œ
œœ œœ Œ œ œ 2œ
œ 1œ
œ Œ 1#œ œ 2œ Œ œ
3 -4
4

F gracioso 1 œ

j œ 4 œ 3-4# œœ œ
œ œœ ‰ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
V

œ œ œœ
4

V œ œœ ‰ Ó œ œ
œ # œ œ ˙ ˙ œ 0œ 2œ œœ
œ œ Œ œœ
# œœ œ
1

J ˙ #˙
2

f
1

cresc.

œœj ‰ Œ œ œ œœ œ œ # œ œ œ n œ œ œ # œ œ œ
III 2

œ œ œ œœ
8

V œœ ‰ Œ œ b œ œ
œ œœ
œ # œ œ œœ
J Œ œ œ Œ #œ œ Œ œ
F
œœ # œœ 1 œœ œ 4œ
œ œœj ‰ œ œ ˙ œ 2œ 4œ œ # œ œ œœ œœ œœ 3 œ
V 3

3œ
12

V œ œœ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 1 œ
-4

1˙
˙ œ# œ œ 2œ
3 2

J 4

3
rall.

˙˙ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ 4 œœ Œ 2 œœ Œ œœ Œ # œœ
VIII VII
a tempo V3
˙ Ó œ
V ˙ ˙ œ ˙ 3˙ ˙ # œ
16

œ 1œ
œ œ
4

œ Œ 0œ œ
3 2
3

p cantabile
1

Œ # œœ Œ # œœœ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ œ Œ œœ Œ œœ
V3

œ œ œœ
20

V #œ # œ œ œ œ ˙ œ 1˙ œ
1˙ œ œ œ œ œ
4

˙
1
0 2
2 3

Œ 03 # œœœ ˙˙ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ œ Œ œœ Œ # # œœœ
V V3 VII

œ œœ
V 4 œ - 41 œ œ ˙œ œ ˙
24

˙ ˙
Œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ
4 f
rall.
 Œ œ Œ # œœœ Œ œœ Œ œœ Œ œ Œ œ Œ œ Œ œ
V3

# œ œ œ œ œ œœ
28

V #œ # œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œœ ˙
˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

Œ # œœ ˙˙ 4˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ
2 V

˙œ
V

œ 2œ
V œ œ œ ˙œ Œ œ
32

b 1 œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ 0œ 3 œ n œ œ 0œ
2
2 œ ˙
rall. Poco più mosso

˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙œ œ
V

œ
œ œ œ ˙œ œ 4œ 2œ
˙ # n œ˙ œ œ n œœœ 4 œœœ
36

b
V œ. œ œ œ œ œ
J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
1
3
2

˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ
V V 1

œ ˙
V b 1 ˙Œ 4# œ n ˙œ œ œ œ
40

œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
œ œ œ ˙
rall. a tempo

˙ œ œ œ 4˙ œ
I3

œ œ œ œ˙ œ 4bœ
V b œœ . bb œ˙ n œ 213 b œ˙˙˙
44

œ œ œ œ œ 1œ 3 œ œ
J œ 4 œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰
III 3

œ. œ
œœ b œœ n œœœ
47

Vb ˙ ˙˙
˙
œœ ..
‰ œœœ # œ œŒ œ
rall. F a tempo

œ #œ œ œ #œ œ
œœ œœ œ nœ œœ œ œ œœj ‰ œ œ
50

V œ œ Œ #œ œ œ
Œ œ
œœ ‰
œ œ œ œ
œ œ J
VIII

œ œ œ œœ # œœ œœ .. œ ˙
˙ œœ œ # œ œ œœ œœ œœ
Lento

œœ œœ . 2œ
œ ˙˙˙ Ó
œ
53 3 4

V œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ .
4

˙ ˙ ˙
3
2 3

rall.
3 f ƒ