Concerto para violoncelo e orquestra (1966/67) de José Guerra Vicente: aspectos históricos e análise técnico-interpretativa

Abstract

The purposeof this studyis to promote and understand the work of José Guerra Vicente (1906- 1979), a Portuguese-Brazilian composer of great importance for Brazilian music, especially for cellists, due to his musical production for the instrument. With nationalist and neo-classical works, the composer became an important figure in the history of Brazilian music, demonstrating in his parts all his Brazilianism. The work chosen for this research was the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1966-67), whichwill be studied and analyzed in its idiomatic, compositional, technical and interpretativeaspects, in order to understand the language and writing of José Guerra Vicente and to inform the performance of this work.Thisstudyconsists of a literature review,based on academic studies about the composer and his work; historical and biographical context, which will allow a better understanding of the various influences on the composer; formal and structural analysis, performed according to the approach of Jan LaRue (1992); technical and interpretative analysis based on technical concepts from the literature about the cello, academic studies aboutthe instrument, as well as knowledge acquired through years of study; and finally,concert performance in recital, which will be the demonstration of the results obtained in the research, in addition to a firstperformance ofthe piano reductionpublished in October 2015 by Antonio Guerra Vicente. The method used is historical, technical and interpretativeanalysis. It aims to provide technical support for cellists’ performances, as well as to demonstrate the key elements used by the composer to structure the work. The results obtained in this research were the compositional and idiomatic characteristics of the instrument and of the composer, demonstratinghisstyle and influences, along with performance suggestions for the performanceof the work.