Biography
Banda do Corpo de Bombeiros stands as Brazil’s most celebrated ensemble ever assembled. Formed with roughly thirty players, the group received its initial organization and leadership from Anacleto de Medeiros. In 1896 lieutenant-colonel Eugênio Jardim asked Medeiros to establish the band, prompting the conductor to enlist former associates from the War Arsenal, notably the trumpet players Luís de Souza and Casemiro Rocha together with additional skilled chorões. The ensemble’s superior musicianship and the arrangements crafted by Medeiros—who contemporaries regarded as a fine melodist, great harmonizer, and excellent orchestrator—quickly elevated it above rival groups and placed it at the center of the nation’s musical life.
It became the first Brazilian band to commit performances to disc. The 1902 Casa Edison catalog already listed numerous cylinders and plates featuring the group, including the three-cylinder set “Sinfonia do Guarani,” the valses “Albertina,” “Despedida,” “Marília,” “Cecília,” and “Noites de Luar,” plus the polkas “Jurandi,” “Lídia,” “Depois do Casamento,” “Riso de Anjo,” “Delicada,” “Tatá,” “29,” “Anacleto de Medeiros,” “Em Família,” “Geni,” and “Perereca,” among further titles. The plates encompassed the National Anthem, the marches “S. José” and “Espanhola,” and the military marches “Flamengo,” “Cosmopolita,” and “Nenê Mendes.” Principal soloists at the time included Antão on clarinet, Casimiro Rocha on trumpet, and the bassists Lucas and Gonzaga.
Following Medeiros’s death on 14 August 1907, successive directors took the podium: Agostinho de Luís Gouveia, Albertino Pimentel (known as “Carramona”), Antônio Pinto Júnior, Ilídio Antônio do Nascimento, Adjalme Rodrigues da Silva, Luís Paulo da Silva (1960), Dionísio Rosa Reis (1961/1962), and Otônio Benvenuto da Silva. After issuing the successful Odeon album Marchas de Rancho, the band continued to record LPs for multiple labels.
It became the first Brazilian band to commit performances to disc. The 1902 Casa Edison catalog already listed numerous cylinders and plates featuring the group, including the three-cylinder set “Sinfonia do Guarani,” the valses “Albertina,” “Despedida,” “Marília,” “Cecília,” and “Noites de Luar,” plus the polkas “Jurandi,” “Lídia,” “Depois do Casamento,” “Riso de Anjo,” “Delicada,” “Tatá,” “29,” “Anacleto de Medeiros,” “Em Família,” “Geni,” and “Perereca,” among further titles. The plates encompassed the National Anthem, the marches “S. José” and “Espanhola,” and the military marches “Flamengo,” “Cosmopolita,” and “Nenê Mendes.” Principal soloists at the time included Antão on clarinet, Casimiro Rocha on trumpet, and the bassists Lucas and Gonzaga.
Following Medeiros’s death on 14 August 1907, successive directors took the podium: Agostinho de Luís Gouveia, Albertino Pimentel (known as “Carramona”), Antônio Pinto Júnior, Ilídio Antônio do Nascimento, Adjalme Rodrigues da Silva, Luís Paulo da Silva (1960), Dionísio Rosa Reis (1961/1962), and Otônio Benvenuto da Silva. After issuing the successful Odeon album Marchas de Rancho, the band continued to record LPs for multiple labels.
Albums