Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho is a name that not everyone recognizes. But everyone has heard of his nickname, Pixinguinha. He is widely regarded as the greatest figure in Brazilian music. The critic and historian Ary Vasconcelos put it succinctly: “If you have 15 volumes to cover all of Brazilian popular music, you can be sure it’s not enough. But if you only have space for a single word, don´t think twice - write ´Pixinguinha´.”
Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a musician playing a saxophone. The musician is seated, wearing a gray suit with a tie and a white shirt. He holds the saxophone with both hands, positioned over his right knee. The background is simple, with a light-colored wall and a small structure on the right.Pixinguinha Playing Saxophone. 1940, Pixinguinha Collection / Instituto Moreira Salles
Author of timeless classics such as Lamentos and Carinhoso, Pixinguinha inherited both his name and his musical vocation from his father, Alfredo Vianna. As a child, he would secretly listen to his father and fellow musicians playing, sneaking out of bed when he was supposed to be asleep. He grew up immersed in the musical scenes of the Piedade and Catumbi neighborhoods, surrounded by choro circles that his father and other seasoned players frequented.
At just fifteen years old, despite often being dismissed as “just a kid”, a remark he overheard more than once, Pixinguinha already played very well. One day, the seasoned Antônio Maria Passos, flutist for Chiquinha Gonzaga’s prestigious ensemble and the principal of the Teatro Rio Branco orchestra, had to miss a few performances of the play Morreu o Neves. Tute, the guitarist for the production, who had seen Alfredo Vianna’s son playing beautifully, suggested the young boy as a replacement. Overcoming his shyness and insecurity during the audition, Pixinguinha not only met expectations but impressed the show’s directors and the audience, who packed the venue in “colossal floods,” according to the newspapers of the day. The audience, who had been expecting a light-hearted evening, were captivated by the choro trio’s performance, featuring the classic setup of guitar, cavaquinho, and flute. Pixinguinha’s loose, melodious style enchanted everyone, propelling him from a substitute to the principal flutist at the Teatro Rio Branco - much to the talented Antônio Maria Passos´ displeasure.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a man sitting at a piano. He is wearing a black suit with a bow tie. The piano is in front of him, with his hands on the keys. The background is plain and light-colored, with no additional elements.Pixinguinha at 25 years of age, in Paris, France. 1922, Instituto Moreira Salles. Pixinguinha collection
Pixinguinha quickly made a name for himself on Rio de Janeiro's music scene, especially in the bohemian nightlife of Lapa. He performed in cabarets, cinemas, carnival ranchos, and revue theaters, and he played in groups known as "regionais" and iconic ensembles, including the Oito Batutas, which made history both in Brazil and abroad. He also worked as an arranger and conductor for radio stations and record labels.
Pixinguinha lived from 1897 to 1973, witnessing many of the transformations experienced by Brazil's emerging cultural industry. He both witnessed and contributed to the birth of urban samba in Rio, forever changing the course of Brazilian popular music. For these reasons and more, Pixinguinha was honored with not one, but two bronze statues in Rio de Janeiro, which is unusual in the city. Despite serving the same purpose, to honor and remind passersby of the musician, the statues are quite distinct in their styles and stories.
On 23 April, 1996, a statue of Pixinguinha was unveiled on Rua do Ouvidor, in front of the site where the Gouveia bar once stood, a venue he frequented almost daily and where there was a plaque and a chair especially for the musician. The statue, standing 1.70 meters tall and weighing nearly 500 kilograms, was crafted in bronze by the sculptor Otto Dumovich. Positioned in a location that was iconic in Pixinguinha's story, the statue depicts the musician in a visceral and passionate pose, dressed in a suit and hat, ready to play in the choro circles of Ouvidor, Lapa, and anywhere else where bohemian life thrived.
Image description: The image shows a statue of Pixinguinha, a famous Brazilian musician, in front of a wall with a mural depicting an urban scene. The statue is positioned in the center of the image, with a white pedestal and a plaque with inscriptions. In the background, there is a colorful wall with architectural details and human figures in motion. To the left and right of the statue, there are green benches. The context suggests that this statue is part of a tribute to the musician in a public location.Nearly two decades later, in 2016, a second statue in his honor was unveiled in front of the Bar da Portuguesa. However, this time, it was not a representation of Pixinguinha, the celebrated instrumentalist and composer, that was represented there, but Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho, resident of Ramos, in Rio’s North Zone, in his everyday persona, living his daily life in the neighborhood he loved. The artist and cartoonist Ique Woitschach, creator of the nearly 400 kg piece, describes the statue as a “cariscultura” — a mixture of caricature and sculpture. He sculpted Pixinguinha in a relaxed pose, wearing pajamas and slippers, sitting at a table just as he might have been seen in the days when he frequented the Bar da Portuguesa. In this spirit of “domestic bohemianism,” the statue creates a moment of intimacy between Pixinguinha and his neighborhood. The monument’s inauguration was marked by a celebration with plenty of music — including the presence of the trombonist Zé da Velha, who played alongside Pixinguinha.
Image description: The image shows a bronze statue of Pixinguinha, a famous Brazilian musician. The statue is seated in a chair, with its feet crossed and its arms resting on the armrest. It is located in front of a bar called "Bar da Portugal." In the background, there is a building with several windows and a tree. To the left of the statue, there is a table with yellow benches.Foto: divulgação
In both of the monuments created in his honor, the famous phrase “I lived life to the full in the bohemian style” resonates.
Image description: The image shows two logos. On the left side, there is a blue shield with a crown and decorative elements, followed by the text "Rio Prefeitura Turismo" in blue. On the right side, there is a logo with the phrase "Rio Memórias" in orange, inside a square with vertical lines.
