Ernani Braga

Ernani Braga (born Hernani da Costa Braga; January 10, 1888 – September 17, 1948) He composed works for voice, choir, orchestra and piano. He also taught in Campinas, Araraquara and Jaboticabal. Among his pupils can be listed Adolpho Tabacow and Camargo Guarnieri. and Erik Satie's parody on Frédéric Chopin's funeral march (No.2 of Embryons desséchés). This collection is based on material from a region with sizeable population of African people. Their influence produces intricate rhythmic patterns and leads to the use of African dialects. The speech rhythm becomes an important compositional device in these pieces. of which the last (Velha gaita) was harmonized only for one voice and piano, while each of the other ten songs have two versions: for 2 female voices and piano (however in most of the songs the second voice is ad libitum) or for female chorus a cappella (usually 3- or 4-part, though the Chimarrita is 5-part). The lack of choral arrangement for the last song was explained by Braga merely through the lack of time, but there is an old LP recording of such arrangement, what makes one suggest that the composer worked it out at some moment later.