A vida é um samba: a trajetória pianística de João Leal Brito:

Abstract

This dissertation aims to study the trajectory of the pianist, composer, conductor and arranger João Adelino Leal Brito, popularly known as "Britinho" - especially between the years of 1941-1966 - during which time he worked in the then Federal Capital, the city of Rio de Janeiro. João Brito was born in the city of Pelotas / RS on May 5, 1917. There were also other musicians in his family in Pelotas: João (father), Henrique, José (uncles) and Rubens (brother), all of them also carried the name "Brito". In his city, Britinho began his professional career at age 18, in 1935, as a pianist of Radio Cultura; was hired by Radio Farroupilha, in Porto Alegre in the year 1936; and three years later he worked in radio and clubs of São Paulo. Until, in mid-1941, Britinho moved to Rio de Janeiro. In this city he exercised several artistic activities until his death, in 1966, at 49 years of age. For the purpose of this paper, I have focused on two main aspects of his professional career: first Britinho as "pianist of the night", that is, his participation in the nightclubs of the “Zona Sul” of Rio de Janeiro between 1951-1954; and, secondly, his "phonographic phase", which began in 1951 until 1965, with at least 120 records released. Britinho composed even more than a hundred songs, written solo or in partnerships. As sources I used: the discs released by the pianist, the materials or columns of periodicals printed about him and the compositions of his own.