| Summary: | To understand the path travelled by the cello in Portuguese music history from its earlier role of basso continuo to that of a multi-faceted soloist instrument is one of the main aims of this research project. Through a set of interviews and historical and analytical research, conclusions will emerge regarding the instrument's status in Portugal until today. The first stage of this research involved extensive gathering and subsequent analysis of historical, socio-economic, political and cultural data, with the purpose of searching for the major events and figures somehow related to the cello that stood out in the Portuguese musical scene in the last centuries. Beyond the historical facts and the contributions of composers and respective works to the recognition of the cello in the country, performers and respective careers also deserve special attention in the thesis. Interviews with five contemporary renowned Portuguese cellists - Henrique da Luz Fernandes, Clélia Vital, Maria José Falcão, Irene Lima and Paulo Gaio Lima - allowed the gathering of informed opinions on this topic and on how the cello path evolved in the last decades and might develop in the future. A fair amount of Portuguese cello repertoire was found. From this, two major works are looked at with the aim of identifying and understanding major influences as well as characteristics responsible for the acceptance of the works (past and current): these are the sonata for cello and piano by Luís de Freitas Branco and the sonata for violin and cello by Frederico de Freitas. From the research carried out, it is concluded that the status of the cello in Portugal has been positively increasing since the beginning of the last century, opening perspectives for the wider acceptance of Portuguese performers, composers and repertoire in the wider international circuit.
|
|---|
