Alexandre Levy

Alexandre Levy
Levy in 1881
Born	(1864-11-10)10 November 1864 São Paulo, Empire of Brazil
Died	17 January 1892(1892-01-17) (aged 27) São Paulo, Brazil
Years active	1880–1892

Alexandre Levy (10 November 1864 – 17 January 1892) was a Brazilian composer, pianist and conductor. Born in São Paulo, he pioneered a fusion of classical composition with Brazil's popular folk music and rhythms. Levy died prematurely at the age of 27, an early member of the 27 Club age. His hometown grants a prestigious award in his name.

His Jewish family came from France and was musically active. His father founded the most important music business of the city and was himself a clarinetist.

Darius Milhaud, in his ballet Le Bœuf sur le toit, borrowed a theme from Levy's Tango Brasileiro.

Selected list of works

Orchestra

• Andante para cordas in E-flat major (1887) for String Orchestra (1887)
• Werther, Symphonic Poem in E-flat major after Goethe (1888)
• Marcha com coros, Orchestral Cantata (1888)
• Hymne à 14 Juillet (1889)
• Symphony in E minor (1889)
  • Largo - allegro molto
  • Andante
  • Scherzo. Allegro vivo
  • Allegro molto vivo
• Comala, Symphonic Poem (1890)
• Suite Brésilienne (1890)
  • Prélude
  • Dansa rustica: Canção Triste (lost)
  • A beira do regato: Idyllio Sentimental
  • Samba
• Symphonic Poem (unnamed; n.d.)
• Oedipe, Orchestral Cantata (n.d.)

Chamber Music

• Fantasia brillante sull'opera 'Il Guarany' for two pianos, Op. 2 (1880)
• Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 10 (1882)
  • Allegro
  • Andante
  • Scherzo - Fugato
  • Finale
• Les jeux des Sylphides for four-hand piano (1884)
• Scherzo valse, Op. 9 (1885)
• String Quartet in A minor (1885)
  • Allegro comodo
  • Scherzo
  • Adagio molto
  • Finale
• Andante for String Quartet in E-flat minor (1887; also adapted for string orchestra)
• Rêverie for string quartet in G major, Op. 19 (1889)
• Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor (1889)
  • (Lost)
  • (Lost)
  • Scherzo
  • Finale
• En mer, Musical poem for four-hand piano (n.d.)
  • Depart. Mer Calme
  • Le Ciel s'assombrit. Tempête
  • Clair de Lune. Idylle Fugitive
• Romance' (n.d.)
• Fantasie brillante for four-hand piano, Op. 5 (n.d.)
• Scène à la mer for cello and piano (n.d.)

Piano solo

• Fantasia para dois pianos a partir de temas da ópera O Guarany (1880)
• Impromptu-Caprice, op. 1 (1881)
• Fosca, fantasia brilhante, op. 3 (1882)
• 3 Improvisations, op. 4 (1882)
  • Romance sans paroles (1882)
  • A la Hongroise (1882)
  • Pensée fugitive (1882)
• Valsa-Capricho, op. 5 (1882)
• Mazurca n. 1, op. 6 no 1 (1882)
• Mazurca n. 2, op. 6 no 2 (1882)
• Recuerdos - Polca de Salão (1882)
• Causerie (1883)
• Cavalcante (1883)
• Collin Maillard (1883)
• Étude (1883)
• Je t'en prie (1883)
• Petite marche (1883)
• Plaintive (1885)
• Scherzo-valse, op. 9 (1885)
• Improviso n. 2 (1887)
• Trois Morceaux, op. 13 (1887)
  • Coeur blessé (1887)
  • Amour passé (1887)
  • Doute (1887)
• Allegro Appassionato, op. 14 (1887)
• Variations sur un thème populaire brésilien (Vem Cá, Bitu) (1887)
• Tango Brasileiro (1890)
• Samba (Suite Brésilienne, IV.) (1890)
• Schumanniana, op. 16 (1891)
  • Allegretto, ma un poco agitato
  • Allegro moderato
  • Lento
  • Allegretto giocoso
  • Moderato assai
  • Allegro
  • Moderato
  • Allegro molto - Presto
• Papillonnage (n.d.)

Further reading

• Bettencourt, Gastão de. Temas de música brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. A Noite, 1941.
• Mariz, Vasco. História da Mùsica no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 2005. 6ª edição, pp. 116–8.
• Cacciatore, Olga Gudolle. Dicionário biográfico de música erudita brasileira. Rio de Janeiro, Forense Universitária, 2005.

References

• Biografia na página da Academia Brasileira de Música
• Free scores by Alexandre Levy at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)