Chiquinha Gonzaga

Choro, Composer

1847 – 1935

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Who was Chiquinha Gonzaga?

Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga was a Brazilian composer, pianist and conductor.

Chiquinha Gonzaga was born in Rio de Janeiro, from a mulatto mother and a wealthy white fatherafter she was born her father became a marshal. Her godfather was Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias and one of her best friends was the first lady of Brazil, Nair de Tefé.

She fought for the end of slavery in Brazil. Gonzaga received an education that would ordinarily have led her to be a “sinhazinha”, a respectful officer's daughter. She learned how to read, write, and do math, but also music, especially how to play the piano, a distinctive mark of a real lady.

In 1863, at age 16, Francisca married Jacinto do Amaral, a navy official, 8 years older than she was, who would not agree to allow Chiquinha to pursue a musical career. With the marriage not doing well, Chiquinha, after having her third baby, fled her husband and was “declared dead and of unpronounceable name” by her father. She became the first woman in Brazil to obtain a legal divorce.

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Born
Oct 17, 1847
Rio de Janeiro
Also known as
  • Francisca (Chiquinha) Gonzaga
  • Francisca Gonzaga
  • Gonzaga, Chiquinha
Parents
Spouses
Nationality
  • Brazil
Profession
Died
Feb 28, 1935

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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