Voting Station

Heitor Villa-Lobos

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Composer

The Resume

    (March 5, 1887-November 17, 1959)
    Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Composer and conductor
    Composed twelve symphonies
    Composed the fourteen-part 'Choros' series (1920-29) and nine 'Bachianas Brasileira' suites (1930-45)
    Composed the operas 'Jesus' (1918), 'Magdalena' (1947) and 'Yerma' (1955)

Why he might be annoying:

    He favored loud checked shirts and cigars.
    He dashed off compositions hastily and rarely went back to revise or correct his work, resulting in numerous errors in the printed scores.
    'Time' wrote that his two idols were 'Bach and Villa-Lobos.'
    When the audience booed one of his more demanding pieces, he said 'I am still too good for them.'
    A Brazilian critic wrote, 'The maestro has written about 2,000 works. I would throw 1,950 of them away.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    When he was twelve, his father died from smallpox, and he began playing cello in cafes and theaters to help support the family.
    He was largely self-taught as a composer and said, 'You don't have to understand music. You feel it.'
    His works combined Brazilian folk songs and European classical music.
    After his 'Choros' premiered in Paris, 'Le Monde' wrote, 'It is an art to which we must now give a new name.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 27 Votes: 51.85% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 18 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 27 Votes: 81.48% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 65 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 36 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 63 Votes: 63.49% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 84 Votes: 82.14% Annoying