General Background and Rubinstein Connection: A prole do bebê no 1 (The Baby’s Family in English) is a suite of eight character “doll-pieces” by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Each of the eight is named for a different doll. The variety of dolls, parallels the multifaceted ethnic diversity of Brazil. The collection is dedicated to the composer’s wife, the pianist Lucilia Guimarães Villa-Lobos. Associated with Arthur Rubinstein, it is arguably Villa-Lobos’ best known piano work, certainly very popular during the composer’s lifetime.
Although dedicated to Villa-Lobos’ wife, the premiere (July 5, 1922 in Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Municipal) was given by Arthur Rubinstein, an enormous admirer and supporter of Villa-Lobos. According to the program for the concert, a photo of which appear in the Alfred Masterworks Edition mentioned below, Rubinstein did not play the fourth piece, and reversed the order of 5/6 and 7/8 making the order 1/2/3/6/5/8/7. Many recordings follow the precedent set by Rubinstein making the fourth movement the least frequently played. Intrepid readers might want to obtain Arthur Rubinstein’s My Many Years, which contains an account of Villa-Lobos giving Rubinstein A prole do bebê no 1 as well as Villa-Lobos’ grandiose story comparing himself to a Jules Verne discovering the “secret soul” of Brazil through his travels [1]page 92. Whether one hears the “secret soul” of Brazil or not, the suite does incorporate plenty of folk music (as does the bulk of Villa-Lobos’ output), much still recognizable in the country to this day. Specific melodies are discussed with individual movements in the list below.
There were three series titled with this first set being composed in 1918, a second set (about animals) in 1921 and a third set (which was an unpublished and eventually lost set about sports) composed in either 1916 or 1926. Set two is dedicated to Aline van Barentzen and the third set was possibly dedicated to her as well.
There is an unpublished essay by a musicologist named Maria Augusta Machado at the Museu Villa-Lobos, referenced in the edition below, that makes many important points about the variety and color of the dolls by relating the overarching idea that a child plays with dolls when maternal instincts are starting to develop to the ethnicity represented by the specific color of the dolls in the first six movement of A prole do bebê no 1. She also mentions an element of nostalgia that occurs when the baby keeps the dolls into adolescence and remembers a happy childhood through them.
The eight “doll-pieces” in the collection are:
- Branquinha: A boneca de Louça/The Little White Doll: The Porcelain Doll
- Uses the Brazilian melody “Dorme nenê” (Sleep Baby)
- Moreninha: A boneca de massa/The Little Brunette Doll: The Papier-mâché Doll
- Caboclinha: A boneca de barro/The Little Copper-Colored Doll: The Clay Doll
- Mulatinha: A boneca de borracha/The Little Mulatto Doll: The Rubber Doll/Petite mulatresse: La poupée de caoutchoue
- This was the only movement omitted by Rubinstein in his premiere performance
- Uses the folk melody “Vem Cá, Bitú” (Come here, Bitú), also known as “Cai cai balão” a folk melody traditionally sung at St. John’s Day festivals on June 24th during a release of hot air balloons. The Alfred Masterworks Edition mentioned below suggests that references to this tune depict a child’s pleasant nostalgia of this festival
- According to Machado, the mulatto doll is representative of the largest segment of Brazilian society
- Negrinha: A boneca de pau/The Little Black Doll: The Wooden Doll
- A pobrezinha: A boneca de trapo/The Poor Little Doll: The Rag Doll
- O polichinelo/The Punch Doll
- Bruxa: A boneca de pano/The Witch Doll: The Cloth Doll
A Note on Pedaling: Villa-Lobos’ piano music is marked by frequent long pedalings through multiple harmonies and it is said that the composer preferred these to be observed strictly. But often one finds pedal markings with no indication of release, or pedal marking that might be excessively long depending on the acoustic environment. Other times, he would use a pedal marking to simply express that, in general, pedal should be used in a particular section. This is an issue each pianist must tackle and something to listen for in various recordings of pieces.
Editions: Just use the original Napoleão edition available on IMSLP or in a Dover reprint. The Alfred Masterwork Edition pictured above and published back in 1995 is great for the background information provided and the clarity of the typography, but aggressive editing make some details questionable! For example, look at the discussion on movement four errors below.
But first, a common error in all scores! There’s a common error in nearly all editions! Movement four measures 66 and 70: the last G in the right hand needs a natural sign to make the intervals all minor thirds…music theory 101 says the G# on beat two is supposed to remain in place for the following note unless cancelled. This is one of those situations where everyone reads logically and plays it correctly as a series of minor thirds without seeing what is actually on the page.
A review and word of caution about the Alfred Masterwork Edition: The editor is David Appleby, a pianist and authority on the music of his home country, Brazil and Villa-Lobos specifically (he was honored by the Brazilian government in 1988 for his research into the composer). And Appleby does a spectacular job of providing a plethora of necessary background information to the pianist without going overboard (a brief introduction to the composer, parallels between the ethnic diversity of Brazil and the diversity demonstrated in the titles of the works, a brief discussion on Brazilian folk music and Villa-Lobos, as well as necessary information about the work itself and the individual movements). Although a marketing opportunity for a new edition arose during Villa-Lobos centennial celebrations in 1987-88, it is clear that great care and thought was taken in creating a useful enhancement of the original 1918 publication (Arthur Napoleão- publisher, Gustavo Sampaio-distributor). In fact, the editor had access to this edition hand-marked by the composer through the Museu Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro. Useful fingerings and editorial markings in parentheses are added by someone well-acquainted with the performance practice surrounding this work. But this Alfred Masterworks Edition doesn’t stray from the original, even keeping Villa-Lobos’ use of Portuguese, French and Italian consistent with the original (titles were in Portuguese while other markings might be in any three of the languages depending on the whim of the composer). Finally, the images chosen to accompany the information are not to be overlooked. These include a picture of the composer’s wife, an image of the program where the work was premiered and a page from a 1918 score belonging to Villa’Lobos’ assistant, José Vieira Brandão, with an inscription from the composer.
But the Edition Isn’t Perfect: Read the introductory material about pedaling if using the above-mentioned edition [2]Page 9. Most of the pedalings are editorial and not from the composer. Delving into the score without reading the editor’s discussion of pedal markings could be very misleading.
Movement IV Errors/One Positive: The editorial pedaling is very misleading. Read through the score considering the editorial pedaling and then listen to the recording be Nelson Friere below. See the problem? Return to an original Napoleão edition and Friere makes perfect sense. Also note the “common error” two paragraphs above, it is in this score. There are other details that are either mistakes, or call for explanation from the editor. First, measures 12-19 of movement four are repeated in this edition, but other editions do not have this repeat and recordings do not obey it. In measures 46-47, the final Eb is tied between measures. In the original score, the top Eb is rearticulated (with an accent in fact!) to reflect that similar moment in measures 56-57. Again, probably a typo or the editor should have clarified. There is one item that seems to have been corrected for this edition. The chord tied between measures 48-49 appears to be correct. This chord is sometimes not tied in earlier printings. To get an idea of how the editorial pedaling can be very misleading, look at movement four in the Alfred Masterworks Edition as well as the Arthur Napoleão. The latter has one single pedal marking on the first page, and reading through it gives the performer a sense of clarity and multiple opportunities for using the sostenuto pedal. The plentiful editorial pedal marking in the Alfred give a completely different impression.
After the initial Brazilian publication, other editions of note include the first printing outside of Brazil (Paris, Max Eschig). The piece’s popularity ensured that many other printings occurred shortly after these two.
There was an orthography reform for Portuguese in 1943 and it should be noted that editions published before this occurred will be spelled as A próle do bébé.
Recommended Recordings:
- Aline van Barentzen: Villa-Lobos dedicated the second volume of A prole do bebê to this pianist! For that reason alone, it needs to be on this list. Respect for the score evident. Notice in Movement IV how she manages to keep a very regular pulse within sections allowing a folksy simplicity to come through. (YouTube)
- Nelson Friere: This excerpt (Youtube) of Movement IV – La Mulatinha is representative of the accuracy and energy of the recording (Amazon). This particular movement shows skillful use of the sostenuto pedal.