DA SILVA, Francisco Manuel (1795-1865) - Te Deum em Sol

Francisco Manuel da Silva (1795-1865) - Te Deum em Sol

Performers: Coral da Escola de Música da UFMG e músicos convidados; Afrânio Lacerda (conductor) Drawing: José Correia de Lima (1814-1857) - Maestro Francisco Manuel da Silva ditando o Hino Nacional (1850)

Further info: Francisco Manuel da Silva (1795-1865)

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Francisco Manuel da Silva
(Rio de Janeiro, 21 February 1795 - Rio de Janeiro, 18 December 1865)

Brazilian composer and conductor. He received his first music instruction from José Mauricio Nunes Garcia and sang in the choir of the royal chapel at Rio de Janeiro in 1809. Later he had lessons in counterpoint and composition from Sigismund Neukomm, who was in Rio from 1816 to 1821. As a singer at first and a cellist later, da Silva belonged to the orchestra of the royal (imperial after independence) chapel and chamber, directed by Marcos Portugal. With the abdication of Emperor Dom Pedro I (7 April 1831) the orchestra was dismissed. As a liberal da Silva wrote a hymn during the same year in commemoration of the abdication. This Hino ao 7 de Abril gained such popularity that it was adopted officially as the Brazilian national anthem (without lyrics) when the Republic was proclaimed in 1889. Under the reign of Dom Pedro II, da Silva became the most dynamic organizer of Rio’s musical life. In 1833 he founded the Sociedade Beneficência Musical, whose goal was not only to promote musical activities but also to provide social services to its musician members. In 1834 he was appointed the regular conductor of the recently founded Sociedade Filarmônica, then composer of the imperial chamber (1841) and master composer of the imperial chapel (1842), whose orchestra he reorganized in 1843. Da Silva’s most durable achievement was the foundation of the Rio de Janeiro Conservatory, officially created in 1847 and inaugurated a year later. He also participated in the creation of the Imperial Academy of Music and National Opera (1857), which promoted opera performance in Portuguese and the writing of operas by native composers.