Hermínio Bello de Carvalho

Hermínio Bello de Carvalho left a wide mark on Brazilian music through his work as both lyricist and composer. He created enduring standards in partnership with figures such as Cartola and Carlos Cachaça on “Alvorada no Morro,” Chico Buarque on “Chão de Esmeraldas,” which earned the Prêmio Sharp for best samba in 1997, Maurício Tapajós on “Deixe Estar” and “Mudando de Conversa,” Pixinguinha on “Deixe Estar,” “A Harmonia das Flores,” “Isso É Que É Viver,” and “Isto Não Se Faz,” Elton Medeiros on “Pressentimento,” and Paulinho da Viola on “Sei Lá, Mangueira” and “Rosa de Ouro,” the latter also credited to Medeiros. Beyond songwriting, Carvalho authored more than twenty books, unearthed new voices including former maid Clementina de Jesus along with Paulinho da Viola, Elton Medeiros, João Nogueira, Candeia, João de Aquino, and Vital Lima, and delivered talks on Brazilian music across multiple countries. He oversaw the making of more than one hundred albums, among them projects by Radamés Gnattali, Dalva de Oliveira, Pixinguinha, and Elizeth Cardoso, and he became the first producer to document the work of Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, and Carlos Cachaça.

Popular and classical music alike captivated Carvalho from childhood. He launched his professional path at Radio MEC in Rio de Janeiro by scripting educational musical programs. His first book appeared in 1962. Two years later, the opening of Cartola’s Zicartola bar, a hub for Rio’s leading sambistas, brought him into contact with future collaborators including Paulinho da Viola, Elton Medeiros, and Maurício Tapajós, the last of whom joined him on his debut composition, “Mudando de Conversa.” Also in 1964, Carvalho began staging concerts that united classical and popular traditions, one of which introduced the then-unknown domestic worker Clementina de Jesus alongside established classical guitarist Turíbio Santos. In 1965 he mounted the landmark production Rosa de Ouro, pairing the celebrated Araci Cortes with de Jesus and previously unrecognized performers Paulinho da Viola, Elton Medeiros, and Nelson Sargento; the live recording became the classic album Rosa de Ouro I. Together with Edu Lobo he assembled the Feira de Música Popular, featuring Nara Leão, Paulinho da Viola, Caetano Veloso, and Torquato Neto. That same year he presented lectures on Villa-Lobos in Portugal, Spain, and France. Later, as director of the Funarte foundation, he launched major initiatives such as the Pixinguinha project, which sent established artists across Brazil to showcase emerging talents.