Pretitudes and whiteness on stage. Hudson Cláudio Neres Lima’s (UFF) review of “Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)”, by Luiz Costa-Lima Neto
Abstract: “Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)”, by Luiz Costa-Lima Neto, offers an insightful analysis of the intersection of music, theater, and history in the 19th century. Dense in content, the work is praised for its meticulous research.
Keywords: Luis Carlos Martins Penna, history of music, and history of theater.
The book Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846), published by Folha Seca (2018), is the result of a thesis of the same name that discusses the theatrical and musical universe of the 19th century in Brazil. With an interdisciplinary approach, the author dedicates himself to researching the musical dramaturgy of twelve comedies written by Martins Penna, a Brazilian playwright known for his “comedies of manners” and “musical theater.” The aim of the book is to evaluate the multiple meanings that the musical elements, whether in the texts of the comedies or in the theatrical performances, have acquired. In order to achieve this goal, the author attempts to create a comprehensive overview of the musical influences that can be found in Penna’s works. These influences range from Afro-Brazilian genres to Italian opera, as well as urban popular music, modinhas, and medieval Gregorian chant. Martha Tupinambá de Ulhôa offers a foreword to the work, suggesting that reading it will help readers to appreciate the interconnectedness of Martins Penna’s comedies with his work as a citizen, defending the rights of choristers, actors and musicians in the São Pedro Theatre orchestra and defending the creation of Music and Theatre Conservatories as a way of opening up space for social inclusion.
Luiz Costa-Lima Neto, born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, has been a music teacher at the Martins Pena Theater School since 1993 and at the Pomar Clinic since 2006. He has a master’s degree and a doctorate in Musicology. His career includes participation in bands, award-winning compositions, and recognitions such as the CAPES Award and the Francesco Maria Ruspoli Award. The book is divided into five chapters.
The book suggests that Martins Penna’s musical dramaturgy was influenced by both the typology of roles in the Western comic tradition and the acting repertoires of the artists of his time. The author notes that Martins Penna not only wrote his plays considering which actors and actresses would best play each role, but also thought about adapting the musical numbers for the artists who would make up the cast. We believe that this approach is similar to composing a piece of music for a specific performer, which highlights the intrinsic relationship between the theatrical text and the musical performance.
To prove this hypothesis, the author uses a methodological path that includes two main parts and five chapters. In the first part, chapters I and II deal respectively with the “opera of politics” and the creative reworking of repertoires during theatrical performances.
The first chapter suggests that performances in the capital’s theaters were part of an intricate network of relationships involving governmental, political, and cultural institutions linked to the imperial government. In this context, the author highlights the potential for tensions and conflicts between Martins Penna and the board of the Teatro de São Pedro de Alcântara, as well as with the Conservatório Dramático Brasileiro.
The second chapter considers how repertoires were updated and creatively reworked by artists during theatrical performances, with a particular focus on “benefit shows,” where success depended on the artists’ ability to please the audience of the time.
In the second part of the book, the third, fourth, and fifth chapters comprise a substantial analytical text in which the author examines the musical and sound references present in Martins Penna’s comedies. He examines the origin and characteristics of these mentions, relating them to the context of the time and analyzing how they were equivalent or opposed within the system of relationships between comedy and music.
The conclusion of the book takes up the study questions, answering the initial hypotheses and arguments, and suggests potential avenues for further research. The author offers a summary of the main findings and highlights the importance of the relationship between music, theater, and history in Martins Penna’s comedies. This reinforces the relevance of his legacy for the 19th century Brazilian theater scene.
Transforming an academic thesis into a commercial book that is not boring to read is a challenging endeavor, especially when preserving the analytical depth of the original work while making it accessible to the general public. In this context, the transition of the research through the author’s critical perspective on the slave trade and its connection to the administrator of the São Pedro de Alcântara Theater highlights the need to strike a balance between historical rigor and the ability to engage interested readers. Exploring the intersections between history, music, and theater in works of this scope can sometimes be challenging for the reader.
Furthermore, we would like to suggest that the book makes a valuable contribution to music historiography, contextualizing the period with information on the exploitation of African workers and the creation of subsidies for the field of music, which were concomitant in the historical period addressed by the author. One of the book’s strengths is its analysis of the musical and sound mentions in the comedies, which reveals the complexity and musical diversity present in Martins Penna’s dramaturgy. The author examines the origin and characteristics of these mentions, relating them to the historical and social context of the time. In doing so, the work becomes an important source for scholars interested in the history of music and Brazilian theater in the 19th century.
Another relevant aspect of the work is the intrinsic relationship between Martins Penna’s musical dramaturgy and the repertoires of the artists of his time. The author suggests that the playwright not only imagined the roles of the actors and actresses, but also thought about the interpretation of the musical numbers in each comedy, in a similar way to a composer who creates music for a specific performer.
Martins Penna e fachada da Escola Técnica de Teatro Martins Penna (Rio de Janeiro, 2015) | Images: Wikipedia/Jovem Pan
This approach may contribute to understanding the relationship between music, theater, and history in Martins Penna’s works. The book’s conclusion ties up the ends of the research, answering the study questions and returning to the initial hypotheses and arguments. Furthermore, the epilogue suggests potential avenues for future research on the subject.
In conclusion, the book Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846) meets its stated objectives. It is therefore an important work for scholars and those interested in 19th-century Brazilian theater and music. With careful research and a meticulous analysis of the sources, the author offers a comprehensive view of the sound universe of Martins Penna’s comedies, contextualizing them and revealing the complexities of the musical dramaturgy of the period. The richness of the details, the interdisciplinary approach, and the clarity of the exposition make this an important work for theatrical and musical studies in Brazil.
Summary of Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)
COSTA-LIMA NETO, Luiz. Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846). Rio de Janeiro: Folha Seca, 2018. Review by: LIMA, Hudson Cláudio Neres. Pretitudes and whiteness on stage. Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n.17, May/June, 2024. Available in <https://www.criticahistoriografica.com.br/en/pretitudes-and-whiteness-on-stage-hudson-claudio-neres-limas-uff-review-of-entre-o-lundu-a-aria-e-a-aleluia-musica-teatro-e-historia-nas-comedias-de-luiz-carlos-martins-penna/>.
Pretitudes and whiteness on stage. Hudson Cláudio Neres Lima’s (UFF) review of “Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)”, by Luiz Costa-Lima Neto
Abstract: “Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)”, by Luiz Costa-Lima Neto, offers an insightful analysis of the intersection of music, theater, and history in the 19th century. Dense in content, the work is praised for its meticulous research.
Keywords: Luis Carlos Martins Penna, history of music, and history of theater.
The book Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846), published by Folha Seca (2018), is the result of a thesis of the same name that discusses the theatrical and musical universe of the 19th century in Brazil. With an interdisciplinary approach, the author dedicates himself to researching the musical dramaturgy of twelve comedies written by Martins Penna, a Brazilian playwright known for his “comedies of manners” and “musical theater.” The aim of the book is to evaluate the multiple meanings that the musical elements, whether in the texts of the comedies or in the theatrical performances, have acquired. In order to achieve this goal, the author attempts to create a comprehensive overview of the musical influences that can be found in Penna’s works. These influences range from Afro-Brazilian genres to Italian opera, as well as urban popular music, modinhas, and medieval Gregorian chant. Martha Tupinambá de Ulhôa offers a foreword to the work, suggesting that reading it will help readers to appreciate the interconnectedness of Martins Penna’s comedies with his work as a citizen, defending the rights of choristers, actors and musicians in the São Pedro Theatre orchestra and defending the creation of Music and Theatre Conservatories as a way of opening up space for social inclusion.
Luiz Costa-Lima Neto, born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, has been a music teacher at the Martins Pena Theater School since 1993 and at the Pomar Clinic since 2006. He has a master’s degree and a doctorate in Musicology. His career includes participation in bands, award-winning compositions, and recognitions such as the CAPES Award and the Francesco Maria Ruspoli Award. The book is divided into five chapters.
The book suggests that Martins Penna’s musical dramaturgy was influenced by both the typology of roles in the Western comic tradition and the acting repertoires of the artists of his time. The author notes that Martins Penna not only wrote his plays considering which actors and actresses would best play each role, but also thought about adapting the musical numbers for the artists who would make up the cast. We believe that this approach is similar to composing a piece of music for a specific performer, which highlights the intrinsic relationship between the theatrical text and the musical performance.
To prove this hypothesis, the author uses a methodological path that includes two main parts and five chapters. In the first part, chapters I and II deal respectively with the “opera of politics” and the creative reworking of repertoires during theatrical performances.
The first chapter suggests that performances in the capital’s theaters were part of an intricate network of relationships involving governmental, political, and cultural institutions linked to the imperial government. In this context, the author highlights the potential for tensions and conflicts between Martins Penna and the board of the Teatro de São Pedro de Alcântara, as well as with the Conservatório Dramático Brasileiro.
The second chapter considers how repertoires were updated and creatively reworked by artists during theatrical performances, with a particular focus on “benefit shows,” where success depended on the artists’ ability to please the audience of the time.
In the second part of the book, the third, fourth, and fifth chapters comprise a substantial analytical text in which the author examines the musical and sound references present in Martins Penna’s comedies. He examines the origin and characteristics of these mentions, relating them to the context of the time and analyzing how they were equivalent or opposed within the system of relationships between comedy and music.
The conclusion of the book takes up the study questions, answering the initial hypotheses and arguments, and suggests potential avenues for further research. The author offers a summary of the main findings and highlights the importance of the relationship between music, theater, and history in Martins Penna’s comedies. This reinforces the relevance of his legacy for the 19th century Brazilian theater scene.
Transforming an academic thesis into a commercial book that is not boring to read is a challenging endeavor, especially when preserving the analytical depth of the original work while making it accessible to the general public. In this context, the transition of the research through the author’s critical perspective on the slave trade and its connection to the administrator of the São Pedro de Alcântara Theater highlights the need to strike a balance between historical rigor and the ability to engage interested readers. Exploring the intersections between history, music, and theater in works of this scope can sometimes be challenging for the reader.
Furthermore, we would like to suggest that the book makes a valuable contribution to music historiography, contextualizing the period with information on the exploitation of African workers and the creation of subsidies for the field of music, which were concomitant in the historical period addressed by the author. One of the book’s strengths is its analysis of the musical and sound mentions in the comedies, which reveals the complexity and musical diversity present in Martins Penna’s dramaturgy. The author examines the origin and characteristics of these mentions, relating them to the historical and social context of the time. In doing so, the work becomes an important source for scholars interested in the history of music and Brazilian theater in the 19th century.
Another relevant aspect of the work is the intrinsic relationship between Martins Penna’s musical dramaturgy and the repertoires of the artists of his time. The author suggests that the playwright not only imagined the roles of the actors and actresses, but also thought about the interpretation of the musical numbers in each comedy, in a similar way to a composer who creates music for a specific performer.
Martins Penna e fachada da Escola Técnica de Teatro Martins Penna (Rio de Janeiro, 2015) | Images: Wikipedia/Jovem Pan
This approach may contribute to understanding the relationship between music, theater, and history in Martins Penna’s works. The book’s conclusion ties up the ends of the research, answering the study questions and returning to the initial hypotheses and arguments. Furthermore, the epilogue suggests potential avenues for future research on the subject.
In conclusion, the book Entre o lundu, aria e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846) meets its stated objectives. It is therefore an important work for scholars and those interested in 19th-century Brazilian theater and music. With careful research and a meticulous analysis of the sources, the author offers a comprehensive view of the sound universe of Martins Penna’s comedies, contextualizing them and revealing the complexities of the musical dramaturgy of the period. The richness of the details, the interdisciplinary approach, and the clarity of the exposition make this an important work for theatrical and musical studies in Brazil.
Summary of Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846)
COSTA-LIMA NETO, Luiz. Entre o lundu, a ária e a aleluia: música, teatro e história nas comédias de Luiz Carlos Martins Penna (1833-1846). Rio de Janeiro: Folha Seca, 2018. Review by: LIMA, Hudson Cláudio Neres. Pretitudes and whiteness on stage. Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n.17, May/June, 2024. Available in <https://www.criticahistoriografica.com.br/en/pretitudes-and-whiteness-on-stage-hudson-claudio-neres-limas-uff-review-of-entre-o-lundu-a-aria-e-a-aleluia-musica-teatro-e-historia-nas-comedias-de-luiz-carlos-martins-penna/>.
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Luiz Costa-Lima Neto, born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, has been a music teacher at the Martins Pena Theater School since 1993 and at the Pomar Clinic since 2006. He has a master’s degree and a doctorate in Musicology. His career includes participation in bands, award-winning compositions, and recognitions such as the CAPES Award and the Francesco Maria Ruspoli Award. The book is divided into five chapters.
Hudson Cláudio Neres Lima holds a PhD in Music from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), is a cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) and a postdoctoral fellow at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Author of the works Entre Palcos, Ruas e Salões: Processos de Circularidade Cultural na Música dos Ranchos Carnavalescos do Rio de Janeiro (1890-1930); O trabalho de pesquisa sobre o trabalho musical: uma abordagem preliminar do encontro com o acervo do Sindicato dos Músicos do Estado do Rio de Janeiro; A hierarquia como método: equidade na produção da música de concerto, um relato etnográfico. ID LATTES: https://lattes.cnpq.br/3780941061225585; ID ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3609-5980 ; Site: www.hudsonnereslima.com.br; E-mail: hudsonnereslima@gmail.com.
