60 years since the death of Ary Barroso; remember composer of “Aquarela do Brasil”

On February 9, 1964, the composer Ary Barroso died , aged 60, on a Carnival Sunday. This Friday (09), marks 60 years since his death.

The composer of “Aquarela do Brasil”, one of the best-known Brazilian songs of all time, was also the first Brazilian to receive an Oscar nomination and the best-known national composer of his time.

Born in Ubá, Minas Gerais, in 1903, Ary was raised by his grandmother and aunt, a piano teacher, after losing his parents at the age of eight.

While still a child, he started working as an assistant pianist at a cinema in the city and, at the age of 15, he was already composing Carnival songs and marches.

At the age of 17, Ary moved to Rio de Janeiro to attend law school, where he deepened his interests in sport – a passionate flamenco fan –, politics and music.

After taking a break from his degree to dedicate himself to his career as a pianist and composer for a few years, Ary Barroso graduated in law in 1929 — the same year in which Mário Reis recorded the song “Let's leave intimacy”, which would become his first popular hit. composed by Ary.

In 1930, he married his wife Ivone, thanks to the money received by the Carnival march “Dá Nela”, which won a competition at the time.

Two years later, Ary started his first job on the radio, still as a pianist, but it was at Rádio Philips where he established himself as a great communicator, working as a sports announcer, comedian and entertainer.

He ran the radio program “Calouros em Desfile”, a program in which Elza Soares and Elizeth Cardoso were revealed and which became famous for sounding a gong for less talented candidates.

It was in 1939 that Ary Barroso released his biggest hit, the samba exaltation “Aquarela do Brasil”, for the show “Juju et Balagandans”.

In 1943, the song “Brazilian watercolor ” is also used in the Disney film “Hello, Friends”, part of the good-neighbor policy between the USA and Brazil that was in force until the end of the Second World War.

Saludos Amigos – Aquarela do Brasil

He was the P first Brazilian in history to be nominated for an Oscar, competing in 1945 in the Best Song category with the song “Rio de Janeiro”, written for the film “Brazil”, with Carmen Miranda .

The singer, who represented Brazil to the rest of the world, recorded several of Ary's songs in her films.

Ary received the Order of Merit in 1955, granted by President Café Filho, for being the best-known Brazilian composer in the world at that time.

At the beginning of the 1960s, he fell ill with liver cirrhosis, a few years later he had a new attack of the disease and died at the beginning of 1964.