Clara Nunes

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Clara Nunes
MPB
Years active1960 – 1983

Clara Nunes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklaɾɐ ˈnunis], August 12, 1942 – April 2, 1983) was a Brazilian samba and MPB singer, considered one of the greatest of her generation. She was the first female singer in Brazil to sell over 100,000 copies of a record,[1] with "Tristeza Pé No Chão"[2] and her achievements in the samba genre earned her the title of "Queen of Samba".[3]

She had an enormous success with samba songs written by composers such as

Portela, her favorite samba school. Among her hits, recorded in 16 solo albums, are "Você passa, eu acho graça" (1968), "Ê baiana" (1971), "Conto de areia" (1974), "O mar serenou" (1975), "Coração leviano" (1977), "Na linha do mar" (1979), "Morena de Angola" (1980), and "Nação" (1982). At the peak of her career, Nunes would sell more than a million copies of each album she released.[1]

Nunes was also a researcher of the rhythms and folklore of

Afro-Brazilian dances and traditions, she converted to Candomblé in her later life. On April 2, 1983, she died at age 40 after suffering from anaphylaxis during a surgery to treat varicose veins
. Even today she remains one of the most popular singers in Brazil.

Biography

Early life

Clara Francisca Gonçalves was born on August 12, 1942, in

Festival of the Three Kings. Manuel died in 1944, and soon after, the young Clara would also lose her mother. Orphaned, she would be raised by her older sister Dindinha (Maria Gonçalves) and brother José (known as Zé Chilau). At that time, Clara attended catechism classes in the Church of the Eucharistic Crusade. There, she also sang litanies in Latin
in the church choir.

According to her own words, she grew up listening to

Ângela Maria, and especially Elizeth Cardoso and Dalva de Oliveira, the latter who had always been a big influence on her music, even though she kept a unique style. In 1952, as a young girl, Clara won her first singing contest, held in her hometown, performing "Recuerdos de Ypacaraí". As a prize, she won a blue dress. At age 14, Clara became a weaver
in the Cedro & Cachoeira factory, the same in which her father had also been an employee.

At age 16, she moved to Belo Horizonte after her brother Zé Chilau killed her boyfriend in 1957. In the state capital, Clara lived with her sister Vicentina and her brother Joaquim. There, she worked as a weaver by day and attended school by night. On weekends, Clara participated in the rehearsals of the Renaissance Choir, at the church in the neighborhood where she lived. At that time, she met guitar player Jadir Ambrósio, known for having composed the anthem of Cruzeiro. Admired for her voice, he took Clara to sing in several local radio programs, such as Degraus da Fama, in which she performed under the name of Clara Francisca.

Name change and early success

In the early 1960s, Clara also met Aurino Araújo (brother of

maiden name. She would change her name
once again, becoming Clara Francisca Gonçalves Pinheiro after her marriage.

In 1960, still working as a weaver, she won the Minas Gerais stage of a contest named "The Golden Voice of ABC",

Vinícius de Moraes and previously recorded by Elizeth Cardoso. In the national stage of the competition, held in São Paulo
, she won the third place with the song "Só Adeus" (composed by Jair Amorim and Evaldo Gouveia).

Thereafter, Clara Nunes began singing at Rádio Inconfidência in Belo Horizonte. For three consecutive years she was named the best radio singer of Minas Gerais. She also began to perform as a crooner in nightclubs and bars in the state capital, later working with then bassist Milton Nascimento, then known as Bituca. At that time, she made her first appearance on television, performing on Hebe Camargo's show in Belo Horizonte. In 1963, Clara Nunes got her own TV show on Belo Horizonte's Itacolomi channel, titled Clara Nunes Presents. In the program, which aired for a year and a half, she received famous artists such as Altemar Dutra and Ângela Maria as guests.

Following the end of her TV show, in 1965, Clara moved to the

Copacabana neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro
to pursue a national career as singer.

First recordings

After a few LPs featuring assorted styles, she became a samba vocalist in the 1970s and became well known. In 1974, Clara had a hit with the samba "Conto de Areia" and her album sold approximately 300,000 copies. It was a remarkable achievement which helped to overturn the idea that women were unable to become big record sellers (in Brazil) and thereby stimulated other companies to invest in other female samba musicians, such as Alcione and Beth Carvalho. In 1975, she toured Europe.

The following albums transformed her into one of the "three samba queens" of her time, along with the two above-mentioned musicians. In the second half of the decade, she released one album every year, all of them selling well and featuring historic tracks such as "Juízo Final", "Coração Leviano" and "Morena de Angola". Other hits were "Você Passa e Eu Acho Graça", "Ê Baiana", "Ilu Ayê - Terra da Vida", "Tristeza, Pé no Chão", "A Deusa dos Orixás", "Macunaíma", "O Mar Serenou", "As Forças da Natureza", "Guerreira", "Feira de Mangaio", "Portela na Avenida" and "Nação".

Clara was also famous for songs crafted from the rhythms of Umbanda, her Afro-Brazilian religion, and for her typical costumes, as she always dressed in white and wore many necklaces and African beads.[5]

Death

Main article: Death of Clara Nunes

On March 5, 1983, Clara Nunes underwent a seemingly simple surgery to treat

spousal abuse by her husband". A similar episode occurred after the death of her friend, singer Elis Regina
, in the previous year.

In the morning of April 2, 1983 – a

Oswaldo Cruz
where Portela is located was named after her.

Discography

Albums

  • 1966 A voz adorável de Clara Nunes
  • 1968
    Você passa eu acho graça
  • 1969 A beleza que canta
  • 1971 Clara Nunes
  • 1972 Clara Clarice Clara
  • 1973
    Clara Nunes
  • 1973 Poeta, Moça e Violão (with Vinicius de Moraes e Toquinho)
  • 1974 Brasileiro Profissão Esperança (with Paulo Gracindo)
  • 1974
    Alvorecer
  • 1975 Claridade
  • 1976 Canto das três raças
  • 1977 Forças da natureza
  • 1978 Guerreira
  • 1979 Esperança
  • 1980 Brasil Mestiço
  • 1981 Clara
  • 1982 Nação

Notes

1.^ At the time of her birth, the Cedro district was part of the Paraopeba municipality, but then was emancipated and became a city of its own, under the name of Caetanópolis.
2.^ Mané is a popular nickname for Manuel, while Serrador means "sawyer" in Portuguese.

General references

References

  1. ^ a b (in Portuguese) "Viúvo de Clara Nunes não quer mexerico em filme". R7. November 15, 2010.
  2. ^ Alvaro Neder. "Clara Nunes - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  3. ^
    All Music Guide
    .
  4. ^ All Brazilian Music
  5. ^ "Calabash music". Archived from the original on 2006-11-14.
  6. ^ (in Portuguese) Souza, Ana Cláudia. "Clara Nunes, 25 anos depois" Archived 2021-03-14 at the Wayback Machine. Ego. September 29, 2007.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clara_Nunes&oldid=1220254532"