Ex. 2-12: A sereia

Composed in 1887, with words by the novelist and playwright Aluízio de Azevedo. First published in the magazine "A Semana" (No. 127, 4 June 1887).

A printed copy of the score was found among the personal papers of Rui Barbosa, a prominent Brazilian politician. This is an ironic discovery: Gonzaga's music was rooted in popular Brazilian styles like choro, which the upper class at the time considered not respectable. In 1914, Barbosa publicly criticized Gonzaga's music in the Senate, when the First Lady played Gonzaga's "Corta-jaca" on guitar at the presidential palace, calling it a scandal. Yet he privately owned a copy of this very song.