Chico Buarque

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Chico Buarque (full name: Francisco Buarque de Hollanda; born June 19, 1944 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian singer, composer, dramatist and writer. He is best known for his music, which often comments on Brazil's social, economic and cultural reality.

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Biography

"Chico" came from a both intellectual and privileged family background: his father Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda was a well-known historian and sociologist, and the first name of his lexicographer uncle Aurélio Buarque de Hollanda is as strongly associated with Brazilian Portuguese dictionaries as the name Webster is with American ones. A studious child with a precocious interest in music and writing, Chico was heavily impressed by bossa nova, and specifically, by the work of João Gilberto.

Chico made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows. His self-titled debut album exemplified the work to come, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy.

Chico's increasing political activity against the Brazilian military dictatorship resulted in his arrest in 1968, and eventual self-exile to Italy in 1969. Other importants musicians like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil experienced the same. Chico returned to Brazil in 1970, using his fame and song-writing skills to protest against the dictatorship. At this time his lightly-veiled protest single Apesar de Você (Despite you) somehow passed by the gaze of military censors, becoming the democracy movement's anthem. After selling over 100,000 copies, the single was eventually repressed, and all copies were removed from the market. Despite the censorship, songs such as Samba de Orly (Samba of Orly; 1970), Acorda Amor (Wake Up, Darling; 1974), and Vai Passar (It Will Pass; 1983) made Chico's continuing opposition blatant.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Chico collaborated with filmmakers, playwriters, and musicians in further protest works against the dictatorship.

In 1998, the carnival samba school Mangueira took Chico as its annual theme, winning first prize.

His latest book, Budapeste, achieved great critical acclaim and won the Prêmio Jabuti, a Brazilian literary award similar to The Booker Prize Award.

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Example of work: Calice

During Brazil's military coup of 1964, Chico wrote about the situation and avoided censure by using cryptic analogies and word play. For example, in the song "Cálice" (Globet) he uses the Portuguese words for "shut up" (cale-se) and "goblet" (cálice) to sing about the military's oppression under the guise of a bible story:

Lyrics (in Portuguese)
Pai, afasta de mim esse cálice
De vinho tinto de sangue.
Como beber dessa bebida amarga
Tragar a dor, engolir a labuta.
Mesmo calada a boca, resta o peito
Silêncio na cidade não se escuta.
De que me vale ser filho da santa
Melhor seria ser filho da outra
Outra realidade menos morta
Tanta mentira, tanta força bruta.


Translation
Father, take away from me this goblet
of wine tinted red with blood.
How can I drink from this bitter drink
Inhale the pain, swallow the drudgery.
Even if the mouth is shut, the heart still remains
Silence isn't heard in the city.
What good is it to be son of the saint (female)
It would be better to be son of the "other" one (euphemism for son-of-a-bitch)
Another reality less dead
So many lies, so much brute force.
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Worked With

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Trivia

  • Chico is a football lover. He plays regularly and owns a team called Politeama
  • Chico is a supporter of Fluminense, a football team from Rio de Janeiro
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Selected compositions

  • "A Banda" ("The Band")
  • "A Flor da Terra/O que Sera" ("Earth's Flower/What will be")
  • "Apesar de Voce" ("Despite You")
  • "As Vitrines"
  • "Brejo da Cruz" (Cross` bog)
  • "Bye Bye, Brasil"
  • "Carolina"
  • "Construcao / Deus Lhe Pague" ("Construction/God Bless You")
  • "Cotidiano" ("Daily")
  • "Feijoada Completa" ("Complete Feijoada")
  • "Funeral de um Lavrador" ("Funeral of a tiller")
  • "Futuros Amantes" ("Future Lovers")
  • "Homenagem Ao Malandro" ("Tribute to the `malandro`")
  • "Meu Caro Amigo" ("My Dear Friend")
  • "Morena de Angola"
  • "Mulheres de Atenas" ("Women from Athens")
  • "Noite dos Mascarados" ("Night of the Masquerade")
  • "Olhos nos Olhos" (Eyes on the Eyes)
  • "Paratodos"
  • "Quem Te Viu, Quem Te Vê"
  • "Roda Viva" ("In a literal translation to English: 'fuss'")
  • "Sonho de um Carnaval" ("Dream of a Carnival")
  • "Terezinha"
  • "Vai Levando" ("Carrying on")
  • "Vai Passar" ("It Will Pass")
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Books

  • 1966 - A Banda (Songbook)
  • 1974 - Fazenda Modelo
  • 1979 - Chapeuzinho Amarelo (Infant Literature)
  • 1981 - À Bordo do Rui Barbosa
  • 1991 - Estorvo
  • 1995 - Benjamin
  • 2003 - Budapeste
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Theatre

  • 1967-8 - Roda Viva
  • 1973 - Calabar - with Ruy Guerra (co-author)
  • 1975 - Gota d'água
  • 1978 - Ópera do Malandro (Based on John Gay's and Bertold Brecht's plays)
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Cinema

  • 1972 - Quando o carnaval chegar (Screenplay's co-author)
  • 1983 - Para viver um grande amor (Screenplay's co-author)
  • 1985 - Ópera do Malandro
  • 2000 - Estorvo (Movie based on his play for the theatre)
  • 2003 - Benjamin (Movie based on his book)
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External links

de:Chico Buarque es:Chico Buarque eo:Chico Buarque fr:Chico Buarque de Holanda it:Chico Buarque ja:シコ・ブアルキ pt:Chico Buarque

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