Carolina Cardoso de Menezes

Carolina Cardoso de Menezes, composer and pianist, was born in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), on May 27, 1913. The year 1916 is cited in many biographies as her birth year, but this was corrected by Maria Teresa Madeira based on documentary research and interviews, although her birth certificate or official record has not yet been found. Carolina belonged to the Cardoso de Menezes "clan," a family of excellent pianists and composers, such as her father, Oswaldo Cardoso de Menezes, a famous popular composer and pianist, and her grandparents, Antonio Cardoso de Menezes and Judith Ribas, who even performed a four-hand recital for Emperor Pedro II. Her uncle, Frederico Cardoso de Menezes, was a playwright and wrote four plays with music by Chiquinha Gonzaga. Her mother, Mercedes Gertrudes, better known as Dona Sinhá, was a pianist and played at family gatherings, and her maternal uncle, Alberico de Souza, known as Bequinho, was also a great popular pianist. Carolina's first contact with the piano was at the age of two, and from then until she was 12, she learned to play by ear, without taking lessons.

As a child, Carolina used to accompany her mother on the piano in popular four-hand pieces. It is said that one of her teachers, for a short time, was the conductor and pianist Chiquinha Gonzaga, a family friend, but this information still lacks evidence. At the age of 13, she began her formal studies with Zaíra Braga, perfecting her skills with Gabriel de Almeida and Paulino Chaves for eight years at the National Institute of Music, although she did not complete the piano course.

In 1928, at the age of 15, she made her radio debut, playing on Rádio Sociedade do Rio de Janeiro, the first Brazilian radio station, founded in 1923 by Roquette Pinto.

She was later hired professionally in 1930 by the same station, where she won a competition as the best pianist. Also in 1928, her name appeared for the first time on a 78-RPM record label as the author of the song "Gauchita formosa," performed by Francisco Alves. However, according to Carolina herself in an interview with Abel Cardoso, this song was composed by her father, Oswaldo Cardoso de Menezes, who wanted to credit her as the author. Her actual recording debut was in 1929, as a performer, when she participated in the historic recording of the samba "Na Pavuna," by Almirante and Homero Dornelas, with the Bando de Tangarás (comprised of Almirante, Noel Rosa, Braguinha, and others), the first to reproduce a batucada in the studio with tambourine, cuíca, surdo, and pandeiro.

The following year, at age 17, she completed the Theory and Solfège Course at the National Institute of Music (INM), subsequently studying harmony with her cousin, the composer and cellist Newton Pádua.

According to Maria Teresa Madeira, Carolina received an offer at this time from Madame Guinle, Gilda de Oliveira Rocha (1886-1975), to finance her studies in Paris, but Dona Gertrudes (Carolina's mother) did not allow her to leave the country, leading her to concentrate her prolific professional career on Rio de Janeiro radio stations and recording studios. Carolina would go on to record numerous albums in the following decades, either as a solo pianist or as an accompanist for singers and other instrumentalists, in a repertoire that included great national composers, including her own compositions. In 1931, at the age of 18, he appeared as a soloist for the first time on a recording, with the songs "Foi um sonho" by Glauco Viana, and "Tempos que se foram" by his uncle Alberico de Souza (Bequinho), in addition to his own compositions "Good-bye", "Ela me trata bem", "Comigo mesma", and "Eu passo", the latter also recorded in the same year by the Trio T.

B. T. At this time, he participated in the Parlophon Festival at the Teatro Cassino Beira-Mar, alongside Eduardo Souto, Bando de Tangarás, Elisa Coelho, Ary Barroso, Luperce Miranda, Tute and others. From the 1930s onwards, some of her compositions were recorded by several renowned singers, such as Francisco Alves, Gilberto Milfont, Silvio Caldas, Quatro azes e um Coringa, Carlos Galhardo, Lúcio Alves, Vitório Lattari, Jorge Fernandes, Manoel Reis, Orlando Silva, Cauby Peixoto, and Linda Batista.

In this decade, she also recorded other songs of her own as a performer, such as “My sweet heaven”, “I have Money”, “Comigo é assim”, “Preludiando”, and “Novidade”. Carolina quickly became a reference in her interpretations of choros and sambas on the piano, offering a language marked by pianistic virtuosity, combined with great rhythmic richness.

One of her signatures was her stride technique, in which the left hand made leaps between bass notes and chords, similar to ragtime, but with the right hand playing the melody in octaves on the offbeats, extensively exploring the syncopation of the music. Part of this style, especially her left-hand technique, was due to the influence of American jazz musician Fats Waller, according to Carolina herself in an interview with Rádio JB in 1978. In 1935, she was hired by Rádio Tupi as an accompanying pianist and also as a soloist, remaining there until 1944.

During this time, she hosted a daily 15-minute program. There she accompanied various singers, such as Carmen Miranda, Jorge Fernandes, Elisinha Coelho, Aracy de Almeida, Francisco Alves, Sílvio Caldas, as well as foreign artists Josephine Baker, Pedro Vargas, Ortiz Tirado, and Jean Sablon. Also in 1935, she recorded the choro "Caboclinha," the first part of which is by her father, and the second and third parts by Carolina.

In subsequent years, she increasingly recorded sambas, choros, fox-trots, boleros, baiões, and carnival marches, leaving behind anthological recordings, frequently presenting them in medleys. In 1939, she participated as a pianist in the conference “Ernesto Nazareth and Brazilian Music,” given by the composer and musicologist Brasílio Itiberê II and promoted by the Association of Brazilian Artists, in the Leopoldo Miguez Hall of the National School of Music.

On this occasion, Carolina performed the pieces “Turbilhão de beijos,” “Tenebroso,” and “Coração que sente.” Also participating in this event were Mário Azevedo, Arnaldo Rebello, Henrique Vogeler, and Dante Santoro's regional ensemble. Between 1943 and 1944, she made a series of anthological recordings with the multi-instrumentalist Garoto, totaling 10 songs, in addition to appearances on radio programs. During this time, she also performed on Rádio Tupi with the vocal quartet Tupan, which she coordinated. After working at radio stations Sociedade, Educadora, Philips, Mayrink Veiga, and Rádio Club, she was hired as a solo pianist by Rádio Nacional in 1949, where she would present the weekly program "Carolina and her piano," which featured her composition "Preludiando" as its opening theme.

In 1950, he embarked for Portugal with the Eva Todor Company for a series of performances, joining the ensemble that accompanied the theatrical season.

In addition, he performed Brazilian music during the intermissions. That same year, he recorded his songs "Pombo Correio" and "Regressando." In the 1950s, he recorded practically one album a year, mainly containing sambas, but also some choros, his own compositions, and international songs.

Some LPs from this period include “Reminiscências” (1954, a compilation of 78-RPM recordings), “Sucessos em Desfile No. 1” (1954), “Sucessos em Desfile No. 2” (1955), “Lembrando Carmen Miranda” (1955), “Honeymoon in Rio” (1956, a re-release of previous recordings), “Teléco Téco” (1957), “Carolina viaja pelas cidades do mundo” (1957), “Boite Carolina” (1957), and “Tapete mágico” (1958). In 1952, she released the 10’’ LP “Carolina Cardoso de Menezes interpreta Ernesto Nazareth”, containing eight recordings.

This record has historical importance, as it was the first LP in the world entirely dedicated to Ernesto Nazareth. In 1957, she recorded the double EP “Carolina toca Nazareth”, with four more recordings. In 1954, Ary Barroso published an article in the Revista da Música Popular, on the occasion of the death of the great pianist Nonô (Romualdo Peixoto), in which he compared Carolina to him: “With Nonô, a radiant era of samba ended.

Today we are left with Carolina Cardoso de Menezes, who is, without a doubt, the female Nonô. Nonô and Carolina held the secret of a key that no one today is able to decipher, and they don't decipher it because no one today can be Nonô or Carolina.” In fact, there are important similarities between their styles, which become evident, for example, when comparing Carolina's choro “Comigo é assim” and Nonô's choro “Uma farra em Campo Grande,” which Carolina recorded in 1953. In 1955, she participated in the II Festival da Velha Guarda, organized by Almirante, on Rádio Record in São Paulo.

Around 1958, for a brief period she owned a nightclub called “Boite Carolina”, located on Avenida Atlântica, at the corner of Rua Joaquim Nabuco, where she also worked as a pianist. In the 1960s, she released the albums “Um mundo de músicas” (1960), “Encontro de ritmos” (1960), “Carolina no samba” (1960), “Carolina e o sucesso” (1961), “Telecoteco de ontem e de hoje” (1962).

In 1967, he composed the march-ranchera "Aquela rosa que você me deu" (That Rose You Gave Me), in partnership with Armando Fernandes, which, performed by Ellen de Lima in the II Carnival Music Contest (1968), promoted by the Museum of Image and Sound (Rio de Janeiro) and the Guanabara State Tourism Secretariat, came in second place, thanks to the influence of two judges, his declared admirers, Jacob do Bandolim and Ricardo Cravo Albin, who wanted the song in first place, which was ultimately awarded to Zé Kéti.

He retired from Rádio Nacional in 1968, reducing his artistic activities, although he continued to perform until the end of his life.

In 1972, the LP "O piano de Carolina – No tempo dos bons tempos Vol.1" was released, containing re-releases of her recordings from the 1950s. In 1986, she participated in the anthological LP "Os pianeiros", performing on solo piano "Odeon" (Ernesto Nazareth), "Mulher" (Oswaldo Cardoso de Menezes), "Sete Coroas" (Sinhô), "O maxixe" (Aurélio Cavalcanti), "Do sorriso da mulher nasceram as flores" (Eduardo Souto), and "Tempos que se foram" (by Alberico de Souza "Bequinho").

Also participating in this album were pianists Aloysio de Alencar Pinto and Antonio Adolfo. In 1987, she participated in the CD “Memória do piano brasileiro Vol.1”, which included four of her live performances at the Museum of Image and Sound in São Paulo.

Around this time, she also performed in shows in Rio de Janeiro with mandolinist Pedro Amorim, interpreting classics of Brazilian music, such as “Serra da Boa Esperança” (Lamartine Babo), marked by improvisations from both musicians. In 1989, Eldorado released the LP "Fafá e Carolina", with 13 compositions performed by her with violinist Fafá Lemos, including "No rancho fundo" (Ary Barroso/Lamartine Babo), "Tudo cabe num beijo" (Carolina Cardoso de Menezes), "Ninguém me ama" (Fernando Lobo/Dolores Duran) and "Conversa de botequim" (Noel Rosa/Vadico).

One of these tracks is the choro “Bem-te-vi atrevido”, by Lina Pesce, in which Carolina can be heard as a soloist, and, in the track “Curió dengoso”, authored by Carolina, we can hear her in a unique experience in her discography, playing two pianos with herself, through the overdub technique. In 1997, she recorded her last album, the CD “Preludiando” on the Accoustic label, with classics of Brazilian music, such as “Odeon” (Ernesto Nazareth), “Lamento” (Pixinguinha), “Adeus Guacyra” (Hekel Tavares/Joracy Camargo) and “Linda Flor” (Henrique Vogeler).

The program also includes seven of her own compositions: “Preludiando”, “Lembrando Nazareth”, “Bachianas Cariocas No. 1”, “Duas Américas”, “Ligia” (a collaboration with Bidú Reis), “Caboclinha” (a collaboration with Oswaldo Cardoso de Menezes), and “Maroto”. In March of the same year, she participated in the event commemorating the donation of Ernesto Nazareth's piano to the Museum of Image and Sound (Rio de Janeiro), along with pianists Maria Alice Saraiva and Maria Teresa Madeira. In June 2000, she participated in a recital at the Sala Cecília Meireles in Rio de Janeiro to raise funds for Rádio MEC, performing two of her own compositions and one by Chiquinha Gonzaga.

In September, she performed an entire recital on the Sala de Concerto program, broadcast live on Rádio MEC, and in October she made her last public appearance at Sala Funarte (RJ), in a recital by pianist Maria Teresa Madeira, performing two of her own compositions and “Tico-Tico no Fubá” by Zequinha de Abreu. Carolina left behind a vast body of work, which includes the following songs: “Preludiando”, fox; “Maroto”; “Caboclinha” (with Oswaldo Cardoso de Menezes), choro (1933); “Ausência...”, fox (with Elza Marzullo), fox-song (1938); “Comigo é assim”, choro; “Era tão lindo o meu amor”, song (1932); “Esquina da vida” (with Armando Fernandes), samba (1954); “Eu e ela”, samba-song (with René Bittencourt) (1958); “Lies”, bolero (with Armando Fernandes) (1958); “The Two of Us”, samba (with Armando Fernandes), samba (1954); “Our Evil”, samba (1953); “Santa Claus”, song (with George André), song (1931); “Carrier Pigeon”, choro (1931); and “Preluding”, fox (1932); “Lígia” (with Bidú Reis); “Two Americas”; “Bachianas Cariocas No.

1”; “Bitter Heart”; “Ping-Pong”; “That Rose You Gave Me” (with Armando Fernandes), march-rancho; “Our Melody”; “Chinese Salad” (with Victorio Lattari); “Love, Delicious Love”; “I Pass”; “Comic Book Night”, coco/baião; “Everything Fits in a Kiss”, fox-song (with Oswaldo Santiago); “She Treats Me Well”; “With Myself”; “Goodbye”; “My Sweet Heaven”; “I Have Money”; “I Was Happy…”, song (with Saint-Clair Senna); “Yellow Roses for a Pianist”, waltz (dedicated to Maria Alice Saraiva) (1987); “Returning”, choro; "Lembrança de Noel", samba (with Armando Fernandes); "Eu sou do barulho", choro; "Pombo correio", choro; "Chance" (with Armando Fernandes), samba-canção; "Rio", carioca choro (1994); "Samba no Rio", samba; "Baiano", batuque; "Carioca", batuque; "Paulista", batuque; "Mineiro", batuque; "Matogrossense", batuque; "Feche a porta, compadre"; "Puladinho", baião; "Batuquente"; "Boa sorte", baião; "Curió dengoso"; "Fla-flu"; "Vem cá, meu amor", baião; "Eu abro mão", samba-canção; "Madrugada", samba (with Orlando Leite and Jarbas Reis); "Derrapando na Gávea", choro; "Suplicando", samba; "Who am I to forgive", samba; "Word of honor", samba (with Armando Fernandes); "Expressinho", choro; "Our friendship", choro (with Everaldo Bahia); "Kisses of love", bolero (with Everaldo Bahia); "This is love", samba-canção (with Elza Marzulo); "To remember is to live", bolero (with Armando Fernandes and Célio Monteiro); "Revolted", samba (with René Bittencourt); "Olinda Pernambucana", frevo (with Armando Fernandes); "You, only you", samba-canção (with Armando Fernandes); "Guilty", samba (with Carioca and Flavio Miranda); "Brazil rock", rock; "Turn off this radio", samba (with Armando Fernandez); "Rapadura", choro; and "New thing". She also worked as an arranger for the publishing market, of songs such as "Meu limão, meu limoeiro" (folklore), and "Flor de lis," a Mexican song (by Maria Teresa Lara and Agustín Lara).

In addition, in the 1940s, she transcribed the sambas of Billy Blanco, her neighbor, onto sheet music. She received several songs in her honor, such as the fox trot "Carol," by pianist Bené Nunes, and the piece "Matintaperera" (No. 4 of the "Amazonian Legends" series), by Waldemar Henrique and Antonio Tavernard. At the end of her life, despite her advanced age and health problems, she still gladly accepted invitations to recitals.

Until her death, which occurred on the last day of the year 2000 (and also the last day of the 20th century), at the age of 87, she lived modestly in the Méier neighborhood, in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro. She was buried in the São João Batista Cemetery on the first day of 2001, when the city was celebrating the end of the New Year.

In October 2002, pianist Maria Teresa Madeira honored Carolina with a recital on the Sala de Concerto program on Rádio MEC, performing several of her works. At that time, she also recorded a CD dedicated to Carolina, which remains unreleased.