Biddle Beat

MMM - Mariana Museum of Music October 1, 2007

Posted by Tom Moore in : brazil, brazilian , trackback

The Church of St. Francis, Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Brazil, as well as being a worldwide exporter of its popular music, has a centuries-old tradition of classical music, dating to its colonial era (1500-1822). The rich mining area known as Minas Gerais experienced an incredible artistic flowering in the eighteenth century, powered by the wealth generated by the extraction of gold and precious gems. The former capital of the state, Ouro Preto (Black Gold), is studded with lavishly decorated churches in the Baroque style, and was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980, the first Brazilian city to receive the designation. Not only did the gold from the mines pay for building and decorating churches, but it also paid for the musical settings of the liturgies which were said.

It is only in recent years that musicological study has been recovering and publishing these musical works. One important project was that coordinated by the Mariana Museum of Music and supported by sponsorship from Petrobras, the Brazilian petroleum corporation. Over three years the project produced nine sets of scores and accompanying recordings. Five years later, it may be difficult if not impossible to purchase copies of the scores and CDs, but the website of the project makes available free scans of the original manuscripts, free downloads of the scores, and selected free downloads of audio. Unfortunately the English language version of the site is incomplete, only covering the first three sets issued.

Below I have linked the pages for downloads for each volume.

Vol. 1 Pentecost

Vol. 2 Mass

Vol. 3 Holy Saturday