Henrique Vogeler

Composer of several classics of the golden era of Brazilian song, Henrique Vogeler was also a skilled pianist and writer of successful operettas. Son of Jaime Vogeler, he began his piano studies at five, later completing the course at the Conservatório Nacional de Música. He was occasionally a substitute for Ernesto Nazareth at the piano of the Cinema Odeon. In 1928 he wrote his masterpiece "Linda Flor" (also known in different versions as "Meiga Flor" and "Ai, Iôiô"), which later received new lyrics by Luís Peixoto, becoming nationally famous in the Araci Cortes recording. His operetta Canção Brasileira (1933) became a success with Vicente Celestino and the debuting Gilda de Abreu, reaching the mark of 300 consecutive performances. In 1930 he worked as session pianist for Odeon. In 1943, he was nominated by Heitor Villa-Lobos for the Conservatório Nacional de Canto Orfeônico. He was also artistic director for Odeon and Brunswick recording companies. He recorded an album distributed abroad, containing his compositions and Ernesto Nazareth's. He left, along with several songs, the unpublished operettas Gigante Papa-Gente, Maria Negra, Branca de Neve e os Sete Anões, Senhorita, and others. Fagner's "Mucuripe" is acknowledged by researchers to in fact be Henrique's composition. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi