Manuel Inocêncio Liberato dos Santos

Manuel Inocêncio Liberato dos Santos de Carvalho e Silva (23August 180211November 1887) was a Portuguese musician who both composed and performed. He was a Fidalgo of the Royal Household and a Knight of the Order of Christ.

Personal life

Manuel was born and died in Lisbon, Portugal. He fathered nine children, with Rita Ceríaca Joaquina Chaves da Fonseca e Silva, an aristocrat.

Career

As a composer, Manuel was frequently present in the circle of King Luiz I and performed for Portuguese nobility. He combined the post of organist and master of the Royal House of Infants. In recognition, Queen Maria II presented him the Boisselot grand piano that Liszt had played. His father Manuel Inocêncio de Carvalho was a musician for the Royal House and the Theatre of S. Carlos. His mother was Balbina Hirsch.

Liszt Boisselot piano

The Liszt Boisselot piano was donated to the Museum of Music. It has two pedals and seven octaves and is supported with a lyre-shaped part. The covers of the keys are ivory and ebony, while the soundboard is a cone and has a second soundboard in rosewood with which Boisselot intended to strengthen and enhance the sound of the instrument. The exterior is clad in rosewood and the inlaid decoration enriched with brass fillets. The side shelves decorated with lyres suggest the possibility of tracking or other instruments. The piano had a sign that identified the builder as well as the serial number, 2022.

Works Te Deum (1858) Ave Maria (1887) Inês de Castro (opera) (1839) O Cerco de Diu (opera) (1841) II Conde di Leicester