Chiquinha Gonzaga's name sparked controversy after Rio councilors announced the awarding of her medal to elected deputy Eduarda Campopiano (PL).
Born in 1847, the artist broke conventions when she separated from her husband and gained professional independence working as a pianist, composer and conductor.
A pioneer in musical theater, she composed the polka 'Atraente' in 1877 and the carnival marchinha 'Ó abre alas' in 1899.
In addition to music, Chiquinha acted as an abolitionist, purchasing the manumission of a slave, and helped found a copyright entity.
First woman to conduct an orchestra in Brazil. One of the first women to be able to get a divorce in the country. Abolitionist. Author of the first marchinha composed exclusively for Carnival. One of the consolidators of choro, the first Brazilian musical genre.
These are some of the achievements of Chiquinha Gonzaga, the pianist, conductor and composer whose name was involved in a controversy this week, after the announcement that a medal with her name will be offered by Rio councilors to the congresswoman elected for São Paulo Eduarda Campopiano (PL), self-described "greatest enemy of feminists in São Paulo".
Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga, known as Chiquinha Gonzaga, was one of the most important figures in the history of Brazilian music.
A successful composer and a fundamental name in the formation of Brazilian musical genres - such as choro and maxixe - she built a career marked by independence, the fight against prejudice and the occupation of spaces that, in her time, were predominantly male.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, on October 17, 1847, Chiquinha lived in a period in which women had little opportunity to decide about their own lives, work outside the home and achieve financial autonomy. Still, she broke social conventions, separated from her husband, started to support herself with her work and stood out as a pianist, composer and conductor.
His performance went beyond the limits of music. The artist participated in the abolitionist movement, became involved in initiatives to defend copyright and became a reference in the construction of Brazilian urban popular music. He died on February 28, 1935, at the age of 87, leaving a work that spanned generations.
Who was Chiquinha Gonzaga?
Chiquinha Gonzaga was born into a family that provided her with access to musical education, something valued among women from the most favored social classes in the 19th century. From an early age, she demonstrated an interest in piano and composition.
In 1863, at the age of 16, she married Jacinto Ribeiro do Amaral. The relationship, however, was marked by conflicts related to his dedication to music. Her husband did not accept that she continued playing the piano and developing musical activities.
The situation led to the breakdown of the marriage. The separation brought family consequences and difficulties in maintaining contact with the children.
In 1877, a case filed by her husband in the Ecclesiastical Court resulted in Chiquinha being sentenced to the so-called "perpetual separation for abandonment of home and culpable adultery", as recorded in the Cravo Albin Dictionary of Brazilian Popular Music.
Even in the face of difficulties, she decided to build her own professional path. He began giving piano lessons, joining musical groups and publishing compositions.
At that time, it was socially accepted for women to learn music as part of their domestic education. What provoked resistance was the decision to transform this skill into a profession, to present oneself publicly and earn income from one's own work.
Was Chiquinha Gonzaga a feminist?
Although there is no evidence that Chiquinha personally identified as a feminist or participated in feminist organizations, the artist's life trajectory is cited by several scholars as a precursor of the movement in Brazil.
By breaking off her marriage, gaining financial independence and taking on professional positions previously occupied mostly by men, the composer challenged social standards that restricted female autonomy.
Author of the main biography about Chiquinha Edinha Diniz, upon receiving the Chiquinha Gonzaga Medal in 2008, she defined her as a pioneer of Brazilian female emancipation, relating her importance to professional independence and the freedom with which she led her own life.
"Chiquinha Gonzaga is not only the pioneer of female emancipation in the country, achieving this independence with an unprecedented activity for women of her time (it is never too much to remember that the word maestrina was created for her), but she is also a pioneer in the full use of personal freedom, which she exercised with a scandalous historical advance", said Edinha, who received the medal on the same day as the dancer Ana Botafogo, the journalist Glória Maria and the actress Dercy Gonçalves.
The association with feminism appears in different studies and biographies. In the book 'The pioneer Chiquinha Gonzaga', Geysa Bôscoli also presents the artist as one of the precursors of feminism in Brazil.
Researcher Mariza Lira also highlighted this aspect in a biography published in 1939. According to the author, by following her artistic inclinations and facing social prejudices, Chiquinha became one of the pillars of feminism in the country.
The importance of Chiquinha Gonzaga for Brazilian music
Chiquinha Gonzaga's contribution to Brazilian music went beyond her best-known compositions.
The artist was part of the musical environment of flutist Joaquim Antônio da Silva Callado, often called "the father of choro", the first urban rhythm entirely made in Brazil based on European and African influences. Her work as a pianist brought her closer to musicians who helped transform Rio de Janeiro's popular repertoire.
In 1877, he published the polka "Atraente", a composition that achieved success and boosted his career.
Over the years, he produced works in different genres, such as polkas, waltzes, Brazilian tangos and maxixes. His music accompanied the growth of urban cultural life and helped bring different musical traditions together.
Theater also played an important role in his career. In 1885, she premiered "A corte na roça", a work that marked her affirmation as a theatrical composer and conductor.
Years later, in 1912, he achieved another great success with "Forrobodó", a show that won over the public and became one of the highlights of his career.
Some scholars say that Chiquinha was the first woman to compose for theater in Brazil. In addition to composing, Chiquinha took on the musical direction of shows.
'O open wings' and 'Corta-jaca'
One of Chiquinha Gonzaga's best-known works appeared in 1899 and spanned generations: "Ó abre alas".
The composition was inspired by the Rosa de Ouro carnival cordon, a popular demonstration that took part in the carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro. It is said that the conductor had the idea to compose the song after listening to one of the Cordon's rehearsals from afar, from her home in Andaraí.
The song is considered a milestone in the history of Brazilian carnival marches and has become one of the party's most traditional songs.
Another of the best-known stories involving compositions by Chiquinha Gonzaga happened in 1914, when one of her compositions was performed at a reception at Palácio do Catete, then the seat of the Presidency of the Republic.
On the night of October 26 of that year, Nair de Teffé, first lady and wife of President Hermes da Fonseca, played the song "Gaúcho", also known as "Corta-jaca", on the guitar. The episode was portrayed in the series "Chiquinha Gonzaga", shown on TV Globo between January 12 and March 19, 1999. Chiquinha was played by actress Regina Duarte.
Composed in 1895 for the show Zizinha Maxixe, the work was identified as Brazilian tango and was associated with maxixe, a popular genre that faced resistance from sectors of society.
The performance of the song at a presidential reception sparked controversy. The episode gained political repercussions after senator Rui Barbosa criticized the musical choice in a speech given on November 7, 1914.
On the occasion, the parliamentarian classified Corta-jaca as:
"The lowest, the foulest, the rudest of all wild dances, the twin sister of batuque, cateretê and samba".
Rui Barbosa also criticized the fact that the composition was performed, according to him, "with all the honors of Wagner's music".
The episode exposed the prejudice of sectors of the elite against Brazilian popular demonstrations and the resistance to the presence of these genres in official spaces of power.
The case also had a political component: Rui Barbosa was an opponent of the Hermes da Fonseca government, and criticism of the musical performance ended up being incorporated into the confrontation between the two groups.
It is important to highlight that Chiquinha Gonzaga was the author of the composition, but the person who performed it that night was Nair de Teffé.
The episode went down in history as an example of the cultural disputes of the First Republic and the resistance faced by Brazilian popular music.
Abolitionism and the fight for copyright
Chiquinha Gonzaga's relationship with the abolitionist struggle was also part of her trajectory of confronting the inequalities of her time.
Daughter of José Basileu Neves Gonzaga, a soldier from a traditional family, and Rosa Maria de Lima, a black woman and daughter of an enslaved woman, Chiquinha grew up in a society deeply marked by slavery. Throughout his life, he became close to the abolitionist movement and participated in initiatives in defense of the liberation of enslaved people.
Chiquinha actively participated in the campaign to abolish slavery and used her own work to finance the cause. The composer sold sheet music to raise funds for the abolitionist movement and, with the money obtained from the sale of her songs, she bought the freedom of José Flauta, an enslaved musician.
At a time when the reproduction and use of musical works did not always guarantee adequate remuneration for authors, the artist was among the founders of an entity defending copyright, contributing to the organization of the category.
Its history is also connected to important transformations in Brazilian society, such as the appreciation of popular music, the abolitionist struggle and the search for professional rights.
