The composer Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho (1897-1973), better known as Pixinguinha, was inspired by the dramatic final of the 1919 South American Championship to compose the choro 1-0. It was an allusion to the exciting victory of the Brazilian National Team over the Uruguayans that year. The decisive goal was scored by forward Friedenreich, and it only happened in the second half of extra time, which gave even more drama to the conquest of the tournament, played for the first time in Brazil, at the Laranjeiras stadium.
The song, released in 1946, with Pixinguinha on saxophone, became a landmark in the relationship between popular music and football in the country. Choro brings together two cultural spheres of enormous attraction and popularity, with interest, therefore, for the ideals of modernism. The instrumental music 1 a 0, known for its melodious sound by the same author of Carinhoso, would also receive lyrics by Nelson Ângelo in the following decades.
Of black origin, raised in the suburbs of Rio, Pixinguinha joined in the 1910s the musical group Os oito batutas, which used to perform at the entrances of carioca movie theaters, downtown Rio de Janeiro, but which over time would acquire national and international projection. Along with the group, Pixinguinha toured Brazil and then toured Europe. In France, he met Blaise Cendrars, the Franco-Swiss intellectual who was a friend of the modernists and an enthusiast of Brazilian popular culture. Pixinguinha was tuned into football with fervor and passion, he was a Vasco da Gama fan, and his photo is famous in the São Januário field, wearing the Cruz Maltina shirt.
1
Pixinguinha in recording studio. On the left, the composer Cartola, a fan of Fluminense Football Club. Photograph: Unknown Author | Public Archive of the State of São Paulo.
2 e 3
Composer Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho, better known as Pixinguinha, was a supporter of C. R. Vasco da Gama, and did not miss the opportunity to take a photo on the lawn of São Januário Stadium. Photograph: Unknown Author | Centro de Memória do C. R. Vasco da Gama.
Audio
1 x 0 is the title of the choro composed by Pixinguinha in 1946 in honor of Brazil’s victory over Uruguay in the 1919 South American Championship final, with a goal by Friedenreich. The lyrics were composed by Nelson Angelo and recorded in duo with Chico Buarque in 2006.
Music: Pixinguinha | Lyrics: Nelson Angelo; Voice: Chico Buarque | in A Vida Leva, Record Label: Velas
Video
Filming of Pixinguinha with the Velha Guarda people on April 25, 1954, in Ibirapuera Park, during the celebrations of the IV Centenary of the city of São Paulo, made by Thomaz Farkas. Duration?
Video: Thomaz Farkas | Thomaz Farkas Collection