Luiz Americano de Itabaiana: trajetória e memória pelo campo musical do Choro no Rio de Janeiro (1930-1950)

Abstract

This thesis investigates the trajectory of the musician Luiz Americano between the 1930s and 1950s, proposing a reevaluation of his figure through a new methodological and analytical approach situated in the field of History and Music, in face of the peripheral treatment he has received in existing researches. The study is structured as a prism that highlights the multiple circularities between his personal life and the development of Brazilian popular music, emphasizing the need to fill narrative and interpretative gaps. The first chapter focuses on the artist’s origins in the city of Itabaiana, Sergipe. Based on primary sources, the search presents possibilities to comprehend the formation of his “musical vocation,” analyzing the influence of family, geographic, and cultural references. Elements such as the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Philharmonic Orchestra, Northeastern popular festivities and regional and military bands are presented as fundamental parts for the construction of new meanings about his early trajectory. The second chapter examines Americano’s move to Rio de Janeiro, interpreting it as a strategy to escape from precarious conditions. The research shows how prestige, networks of influence and the perception of opportunity were crucial for his social rise and professionalization. Military bands are identified as an indirect channel of training for the first orchestras and for the availability of musicians in the national scene. In this context, Americano is seen as an exception among musicians, managing to live exclusively from music, in contrast to the insecurity that is presented in the musical class of his time. The third chapter explores the relationship between music and power, situating Americano’s consolidated career within the context of the Estado Novo. His proximity to intellectuals connected to the Vargas project, his exclusive contract with Rádio Nacional, and his labor union activity (analyzed through the archives of the Sindicato de Músicos do Rio de Janeiro) suggest that he became a convenient option to represent Choro, considered as “typically Brazilian,” in alignment with the aesthetic perceptions promoted by the regime. Finally, the fourth chapter focuses on memory and heritage, positioning Luiz Americano as someone who links generations in the modern genealogy of Choro. The analysis of two key events and the results of musical contests demonstrate his representativeness among musicians and his recognition by the public, reinforcing his relevance to Brazilian cultural heritage.