Alexandre Levy

Alexandre Levy
Levy in 1881
Born(1864-11-10)10 November 1864
São Paulo, Empire of Brazil
Died17 January 1892(1892-01-17) (aged 27)
São Paulo, Brazil
Years active1880–1892

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. His hometown grants a prestigious award in his name.

His Jewish family came from France and was musically active. His father, Henrique Luís Levy, was a musician who founded Casa Levy [pt], a leading music store in São Paulo.

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♭ major (1887) for String Orchestra (1887)
  • Werther, Symphonic Poem in E♭ major after Goethe (1888)
  • Marcha com coros, Orchestral Cantata (1888)
  • Hymne à 14 Juillet (1889)
  • Symphony in E minor (1889)
  1. Largo – Allegro molto
  2. Andante
  3. Scherzo. Allegro vivo
  4. Allegro molto vivo
  • Comala, Symphonic Poem (1890)
  • Suite Brésilienne (1890)
  1. Prélude
  2. Dansa rustica: Canção Triste (lost)
  3. A beira do regato: Idyllio Sentimental
  4. 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♭ major, Op. 10 (1882)
  1. Allegro
  2. Andante
  3. Scherzo – Fugato
  4. Finale
  • Les jeux des Sylphides for four-hand piano (1884)
  • Scherzo valse, Op. 9 (1885)
  • String Quartet in A minor (1885)
  1. Allegro comodo
  2. Scherzo
  3. Adagio molto
  4. Finale
  • Andante for String Quartet in E♭ 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)
  1. (Lost)
  2. (Lost)
  3. Scherzo
  4. 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)
  1. Romance sans paroles (1882)
  2. A la Hongroise (1882)
  3. 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)
  1. Coeur blessé (1887)
  2. Amour passé (1887)
  3. 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)
  1. Allegretto, ma un poco agitato
  2. Allegro moderato
  3. Lento
  4. Allegretto giocoso
  5. Moderato assai
  6. Allegro
  7. Moderato
  8. Allegro molto – Presto
  • Papillonnage (n.d.)

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Don Michael Randel, ed. (1996). "Levy, Alexandre". The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674372999 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ François Laurent, in Diapason, October 2012, p. 114.
  3. ↑ List of Piano Works Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Laboratorio de Musica Latinoamericana para Piano