Modern Viola: considerations on four contemporary violeiros

Abstract

In this paper I bring some discussion on the aesthetics of the instrumental music made for viola caipira in Brazil during the last decades. This reflection is based on the identification of elements that have been incorporated in this universe, pointing to an accentuated process of modernization through which the instrument passes since around the 1980s. This work builds the foundation of a renewed viola language on the work of four composers/violeiros considered as references: Almir Sater, Tavinho Moura, Ivan Vilela and Heraldo do Monte. I also address some historical issues, since this recent movement of retaking the viola in urban environments is also an important process of the trajectory of the instrument since its arrival in Brazil, in the 16th century.