Peixe, César Guerra (1914–1993)

César Guerra Peixe (often listed as C. Guerra-Peixe; b. 18 March 1914; d. 26 November 1993), Brazilian composer, violinist, conductor, and musicologist. Born in Petrópolis, Peixe began to study music theory and solfeggio at the age of nine. Two years later, he enrolled in the Escola de Música Santa Cecília in Petrópolis. After completing studies in theory and solfeggio in 1929, he began to do arranging for instrumental ensembles. He wrote his first piece, a tango, Otilia, in 1930 and that same year was appointed professor of violin at the Escola de Música Santa Cecília.

In 1934 Peixe moved to Rio de Janeiro, where ten years later he began the study of composition with Hans Joachim Koellreutter, a former student of Paul Hindemith. Koellreutter introduced him to serial techniques of writing and with Peixe and several other contemporary composers formed the Música Viva group in 1939 to explore serial techniques and promote concerts of recent works by group members and their European counterparts.

Gradually, Peixe became less interested in serial writing and more interested in exploring Brazilian folk traditions and native music. He took a job at a radio station in Recife, a city with rich folk music traditions in the northeastern part of Brazil, where he wrote a series of twenty articles, "A Century of Music in Recife," and a book, Maracatus do Recife, a study of a traditional folk festival. Respected for his extensive knowledge of Brazilian folk and traditional music, Peixe has won several awards in Brazil. His Symphony no. 1, a serial composition of 1946, was performed in London by the British Broadcasting Corporation as well as in Brussels, and his Divertimento no. 2 was performed in Zurich in 1947. A set of piano pieces, Preludios Tropicais, won the Golfinho de Ouro trophy in 1980.

See alsoMusic: Art Music; Music: Popular Music and Dance.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gérard Béhague, Music in Latin America (1979).

David P. Appleby, The Music of Brazil (1983).

Additional Bibliography

Faria, Antonio Guerreiro de. "Guerra-Peixe e a estilização do folclore." Latin American Music Review 21:2 (Fall-Winter 2000): 169-189.

Nepomuceno, Rosa. César Guerra-Peixe: A música sem fronteiras. Rio de Janeiro: Ministério da Cultura, FUNARTE: Fundação Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, 2001.

                                      David P. Appleby