Olga Praguer Coelho
Olga Praguer Coelho(12 August 1909 – 25 February 2008) was a Brazilianfolk singerandguitarist.[1][2]She was one of the famoussoprano-guitarists with an ability to sing in different languages.[3]
Biography
[edit]Olga Praguer Coelho was born on 12 August 1909 inManaus,Amazonas,Brazil, and raised inSalvador, Bahia.In 1923 her family moved toRio de Janeirowhere she began to learn the guitar and to train her voice. Following her debut in 1922, she performed at the National School of Music in 1923.[4]
In 1924, she began studying guitar with Patrício Teixeira (1893–1972), a Brazilian singer and guitarist. She later started learning music theory, harmony, and composition fromOscar Lorenzo Fernández,a Brazilian composer of Spanish descent. She also studied voice fromGabriella Besanzoni,a noted Italian opera singer. She had her first public performance on the Patricio Teixeira'sRadio Club do Brasilin 1927. In 1931 she married the poet Gaspar Coelho (1898–1986). She occasionally released musical albums.[4]
In 1936, PresidentGetúlio Vargasappointed her as Ambassador of Brazilian Music to Europe which enabled her to extensively travel to different European countries including Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, and Britain. In Hungary,Béla Bartókwas in the audience during her musical program.[5][4]
In 1939, along with her husband Gaspar Coelho, she undertook an international musical tour and travelled to Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. On her return, she performed at the White House forEleanor Roosevelt.[4]From 1944, she started a relationship withAndrés Segovia,a noted Spanish classical guitarist, which lasted for two decades. They settled in New York and pursued a music careers in the international arena.[6] In the 1970s she returned to Brazil and settled at her childhood home in Rio de Janeiro.[5]She participated in different radio and TV programs. In recognizing her contributions to Brazilian culture, in 2004, she was awarded theOrder of Cultural Meritby the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.[4][7][8]
She died at the age of 98 inRio de Janeiro,Brazil on 25 February 2008.[4]
References
[edit]- ^Livingston, Tamara Elena (2005).Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Popular Music.Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 192.ISBN978-0-253-21752-3.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^Luper, Albert Thomas (1943).The Music of Brazil.Washington, D.C: Pan American Union. p. 11.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^Brazilian Bulletin, Volumes 4-5.Miami, FL: Brazilian Government Trade Bureau. 1947. p. 6.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^abcdef"Biography – Olga Praguer Coelho".guitarcoop.com.br.guitarcoop.com.br.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^abZanon, Fabio."Death of Brazilian Singer and Guitarist Olga Praguer Coelho".ilams.org.uk.ilams.org.uk.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^Wigder, Roberta C. (1977).Brazil Rediscovered.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Dorrance. p. 378.ISBN978-0-805-92328-5.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^Weil, Thomas E. (1971).Area Handbook for Brazil, Volume 550, Issues 20–22.Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 224.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^American Nation Series, Issue 3.Washington, D.C: Pan American Union. 1957. p. 46.Retrieved17 November2022.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1909 births
- 2008 deaths
- Brazilian sopranos
- Brazilian women guitarists
- 20th-century Brazilian women singers
- 20th-century Brazilian singers
- 20th-century women guitarists
- 20th-century guitarists
- Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil)
- People from Manaus
- Musicians from Salvador, Bahia
- Brazilian folk singers