Knowra Pixinguinha Pixinguinha Pixinguinha (1897–1973) was a Brazilian composer, flautist, saxophonist, and bandleader whose arrangements and recordings helped shape choro and Brazilian popular music.
Carinhoso : A Brazilian popular song composed by Pixinguinha, later given lyrics by João de Barro. Its enduring popularity brought Pixinguinha’s melody far beyond instrumental choro.
Cavaquinho : A small, high-pitched guitar-family instrument used in Portuguese-speaking music, including Brazilian choro. Its rhythmic patterns are part of the ensemble texture Pixinguinha arranged for.
Rio de Janeiro : A major Brazilian city on the Atlantic coast and the country’s former capital. Pixinguinha grew up and built his musical career in the city’s popular-music scene.
Donga : Brazilian composer and musician Ernesto Joaquim Maria dos Santos, known as Donga, associated with early samba and choro. He co-led an ensemble with Pixinguinha and collaborated in Rio’s popular-music scene.
Brazilian popular music : Commercial and urban music made in Brazil, encompassing many styles, eras, and regional traditions. Pixinguinha’s compositions and arrangements became part of its lasting repertoire.
Lamentos : A choro composed by Pixinguinha and first recorded by the Orquestra Típica Pixinguinha-Donga. Its expressive melody and arrangement exemplify his compositional style.
Pandeiro : A Brazilian frame drum with jingles, played by hand to provide rhythm and varied timbres. Its flexible pulse supports the rhythmic interplay central to choro groups.
Brazilian music : The diverse musical traditions that developed in Brazil through Indigenous, African, and European influences. Pixinguinha’s work belongs to a national music culture shaped by these exchanges.
Benedito Lacerda : Brazilian flautist, composer, and bandleader who collaborated with Pixinguinha in the 1940s. Their recordings paired Lacerda’s flute with Pixinguinha’s saxophone and compositions.
Choro revival : A renewed public and musical interest in choro that gained strength in Brazil during the mid-twentieth century. Later musicians and institutions brought Pixinguinha’s music to new generations.
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