The Styrous® Viewfinder: Little Train of the Caipira

March 5, 2024

20,000 vinyl LPs 357: Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

vinyl LP front cover detail

cover design by Fernando Salles

detail photo of album cover by Styrous®

Today is the birthday of Heitor Villa-Lobos who was born on March 5, 1887, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2,000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras (Brazilian Bachian-pieces) and his Chôros. Little Train of the Caipira is the subtitle for the Toccata movement that concludes the orchestral suite written by Heitor Villa-Lobos in 1930, titled Bachianas brasileiras No. 2.

I chose the Toccata movement from the second Brasileiras to commemorate his birthday; it is one of the two Brasileiras that I dearly love. The other is the Aria from the fourth Brasileiras which I will write about at another time, maybe next year.

Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

vinyl LP front cover

cover design by Fernando Salles

photo of album cover by Styrous®

His Etudes for classical guitar (1929) were dedicated to Andrés Segovia, while his 5 Preludes (1940) were dedicated to his spouse Arminda Neves d'Almeida, a.k.a. "Mindinha". Both are important works in the classical guitar repertory.

In Villa-Lobos's early childhood, Brazil underwent a period of social revolution and modernisation, abolishing slavery in 1888 and overthrowing the Empire of Brazil in 1889. The changes in Brazil were reflected in its musical life: previously European music had been the dominant influence, and the courses at the Conservatório de Música were grounded in traditional counterpoint and harmony. Villa-Lobos underwent very little of this formal training. After a few abortive harmony lessons, he learnt music by illicit observation from the top of the stairs of the regular musical evenings at his house arranged by his father. He learned to play cello, clarinet, and classical guitar. When his father died suddenly in 1899 he earned a living for his family by playing in cinema and theater orchestras in Rio.

Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

vinyl LP back cover

cover design by Fernando Salles

photo of album back cover by Styrous®

The cruzado was the currency of Brazil from 1986 to 1989. It replaced the second cruzeiro (at first called the "cruzeiro novo") in 1986, at a rate of 1 cruzado = 1000 cruzeiros (novos) and was replaced in 1989 by the cruzado novo at a rate of 1000 cruzados = 1 cruzado novo. The first banknotes were overprints on cruzeiro notes, in denominations of 10, 50 and 100 cruzados. Regular notes followed in denominations of 10, 50, 100 and 500 cruzados. Villa-Lobos was printed on the 500 denomination.

Obverse of a Brazilian 500 cruzados banknote. The banknote featuring Heitor Villa-Lobos, composer, cellist, pianist and guitarist. Background; A lithograph of Walter Fitch, see also Victoria amazonica.

Reverse of a Brazilian 500 cruzados banknote. The banknote shows Heitor Villa-Lobos as a conductor, with the background a lithograph of Johann Moritz Rugendas.

In 1977 a postage stamp was printed in Brazil honoring Heitor Villa-Lobos. The Stamp was designed by Martha Popp.

Brazil 1977 1.10 Cr. Heitor Vila Lobos

The same year, in 1977 a commemorative postage stamp was printed in Cuba which also honored Heitor Villa-Lobos.

This recording is by Sir Eugene Goossens conducting The London Symphony Orchestra (link below) and is more in the Eurocentric style but a later recording by the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, conducted by Roberto Minczuk, has more of a Brazilian flavor that is a bit sensual I think Villa-Lobos would have loved (link below). George Benson did a cover of Train; it is jazzy, VERY fast and VERY frenetic; not too keen on it (link below).

Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

vinyl LP, side 1

photo by Styrous®

Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Little Train of the Caipira

vinyl LP, side 2

photo by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

        From Bachianas Brasiliensis No. 2
Composed By – Heitor Villa-Lobos
A1 - The Little Train Of The Caipira

        Estancia (Ballet Suite)
Composed By – Alberto Ginastera
A2 - 1. The Land Workers
A3 - 2. Wheat Dance
A4 - 3. The Cattlemen
A5 - 4. Final Dance "Malambo"

Side 2:

        Panambi Suite (Ballet Suite)
Composed By – Alberto Ginastera
B1 - 1. Moonlight On The Parana
B2 - 2. Invocation Of The Powerful Spirits
B3 - 3. Lament Of The Maidens
B4 - 4. Rondo Of The Maidens / Dance Of The Warriors

Companies, etc.

    Record Company – Belock Instrument Corporation
    Recorded At – Walthamstow Assembly Hall
    Pressed By – Allentown Record Co. Inc.

Credits:

    Conductor – Sir Eugene Goossens

    Cover design by Fernando Salles
    Liner Notes – David Hall (10), Paul Affelder
    Orchestra – The London Symphony Orchestra*
    Producer [Uncredited] – John Carewe

Notes:

Silver Back, Pink & Gold First Pressing label
Recorded April 25, 1958 at Walthamstow Assembly Hall

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Other (Library Of Congress Catalog Card Nos.): R 59-1455, R 59-1456
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A): SDBR-3041-1 T2 ARC
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B): SDBR-3041-2 T2 ARC
    Pressing Plant ID: ARC

Villa-Lobos* / Ginastera* - Sir Eugene Goossens Conducting The London Symphony Orchestra* – The Little Train Of The Caipira / Estancia - Panambi
Label:    Everest – SDBR 3041
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Stereo, Silver Back
Country: US
Released: Feb 1960
Genre:    Classical
Style:    Modern, Impressionist, Contemporary

Viewfinder links:

Postal stamps on the Viewfinder

Johann Moritz Rugendas

Andres Segovia

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Net links:

BBC ~ Bachianas brasileiras No. 2, The Little Train of the Caipira (finale)

Clap for Classics ~ A train ride through Brazil

Class Notes ~ Listening Lesson: Little Train of Caipira

Classical Music Central ~ Little Train of the Caipira - Sir Eugene Goossens

YouTube links:

George Benson ~ Little Train (From Bachianas Brasileiras #2)