Gilberto Gil at Song Festivals

Produced by TV stations and record labels, music events in the 1960s and 1970s were like soccer championships and the singer-songwriter took part in several of them.

By Instituto Gilberto Gil

Text: Chris Fuscaldo, journalist and music researcher

Gilberto Gi e Nana Caymmi no final da década de 1960Instituto Gilberto Gil

Working with Nana

Around the time Gilberto Gil decided to dedicate himself entirely to his music, he separated from his first wife, Belina de Aguiar, and became involved with Nana Caymmi, the daughter of Dorival Caymmi. This famous singer-songwriter and guitarist was one of the main figureheads in Bahian music at that time and Gil admired him deeply.

Gilberto Gil e Nana Caymmi durante apresentação no III Festival da Canção da Record (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Bom Dia

Nana was only one year younger than Gil but her singing career had started much earlier, in 1960. This was the era of festivals and, between the large number of performances Gil did, he wrote the song Bom Dia with his new girlfriend. She went on to perform the song at Record TV's 3rd Brazilian Popular Music Festival (Festival de Música Popular Brasileira) in 1967.

Gilberto Gil e Maria Bethânia no Festival da Canção (1966)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The Festivals

The first Brazilian Popular Music Festival was held in São Paulo and broadcast by TV Excelsior in April 1965. By the following year, it had become a popular event, beamed into Brazilian households on their TV sets. 

Gilberto Gil e Os Mutantes em ensaio para o III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

This success led a rival broadcaster, Record TV, to invest in the format, too, setting up its own festival in São Paulo in 1966. 

Gilberto Gil e Marília Medalha no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967-10-21)Instituto Gilberto Gil

In the midst of this ratings war, the producer Solano Ribeiro, who had been dismissed from Excelsior, took the Brazilian Popular Music Festival over to Record TV, which became the new broadcaster. 

O cantor e compositor Caetano Veloso durante apresentação no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira da TV Record, mesma ocasião em que Gilberto Gil se apresentou com a música Domingo No Parque (Outubro de 1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

This new version of the event, featuring names like Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Elis Regina, would go on to produce some memorable songs. 

Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Sidney Miller e Elton Medeiros no Festival da Canção (1966)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Gil standing between Caetano and the songwriters Sidney Miller and Elton Medeiros

Gilberto Gil e Os Mutantes em ensaio para o III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Domingo no Parque

Held in 1967 and broadcast by Record TV, the 3rd Brazilian Popular Music Festival brought Gilberto Gil and the group Os Mutantes together on stage. Their performance transformed the song Domingo no Parque into a classic and Gil won second prize in the contest. 

Gilberto Gil e o conjunto Os Mutantes durante apresentação no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira da TV Record (Outubro de 1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The young band from São Paulo had been providing the backing music for Nana Caymmi's recording of the song Bom Dia, when the innovative conductor Rogério Duprat introduced them to the Bahian musician. Won over, Gil invited them to record and perform Domingo no Parque with him at

Gilberto Gil e a banda Os Mutantes à época do movimento tropicalista (1968)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Gilberto Gil tells how he met the band Os Mutantes in the late 1960s
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Gilberto Gil e Os Mutantes em ensaio para o III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

A New Sound

Formed by the singer Rita Lee and brothers Arnaldo Baptista (on bass) and Sérgio Dias Baptista (on electric guitar), the band Os Mutantes mixed rock with Brazilian music, and were one of the influences behind the shift in Gilberto Gil's sound.

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The Grand Finale

The various rounds of the festival took place at the Record Theater (Teatro Record) in São Paulo. In 1967, Gilberto Gil reached the final of Record TV's 3rd Brazilian Popular Music Festival, eventually taking second place for Domingo no Parque. The musicians wore stage outfits for each round.

Gilberto Gil e Marília Medalha no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967-10-21)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The Trophy

The festival's winning song was Ponteio, written by Edu Lobo and Capinam, and sung by Edu and Marília Medalha. However, some other outstanding songs were also performed for the first time, including Alegria, Alegria by Caetano Veloso and Roda Viva by Chico Buarque. Gil's song Domingo no Parque also emerged from the festival, marking the start of the Tropicália movement.

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Berimbau and Electric Guitar

With the help of conductor Rogério Duprat, Gilberto Gil used regional Bahian components to create something different for his performance at Record TV's festival. 

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Domingo no Parque became an iconic song because two instruments that would become the mainstays of the Tropicália sound were heard together on a Brazilian stage for the first time ever: a traditional, single-string percussion instrument called a berimbau, and the electric guitar

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The berimbau gives the start of the song a capoeira feel, since it is typically used in this Afro-Brazilian practice combining dance and martial arts. The song itself mimics a folk song, telling the story of jealousy in a love triangle that ends in tragedy.

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Rose Thorn

After his performance, Gilberto Gil talked to journalists about Domingo no Parque. An excerpt from the lyrics about the love triangle says: "In the park was where he first caught sight of Juliana / There he saw Juliana on the wheel with João / A rose and an ice cream in her hand / Juliana, his dream, an illusion / Juliana and his friend João / The thorn on the rose wounded Zé / And the ice cream froze his heart."

Gilberto Gil no III Festival Internacional da Canção Popular (1968-09-14)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Question of Order

TV Globo also had its own song contest and the third edition of its International Song Festival (Festival Internacional da Canção) in 1968 held rounds in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. However, the underlying tone of protest against the military regime made the event an historic moment in Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). 

Gilberto Gil no III Festival Internacional da Canção Popular (1968-09-14)Instituto Gilberto Gil

The country had been under a dictatorship since 1964 and the regime had imposed censorship of songs and theatrical plays, among other things. Gil performed Questão de Ordem (Question of Order) on stage, accompanied by the Argentinian rock band Beat Boys.

Gilberto Gil no III Festival Internacional da Canção Popular (1968-09-14)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Message to the Censors

The lyrics of the song Questão de Ordem sent a message to the military, who had taken power four years earlier: "If I stay at home / I am preparing / Slogans / For my comrades / Who are waiting in the streets / All around the world / In the name of love."

Gilberto Gil no III Festival da Música Popular Brasileira (Outubro de 1967)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Repression

In the same festival that Gil performed Questão de Ordem to booing from the audience, Caetano Veloso took the stage to sing É Proibido Proibir (Prohibiting Is Prohibited) with the band Os Mutantes. His performance was interrupted by even louder booing than his friend had received. Days later, Gil and Caetano were arrested for contempt of authority. 

Gilberto Gil e Caetano Veloso prestes à partir para o exílio (1969)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Taken by officers from the 2nd Army (II Exército), they both spent a week in solitary confinement in tiny cells at the Army Police (Polícia do Exército) barracks in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Tijuca. At night, it was pitch black. By day, a shaft of light allowed them to read books. With a guitar borrowed by a military man, Gil composed songs in his cell.

Gilberto Gil e Elis Regina em apresentação no festival Phono 73 (1973)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Defying Censorship

Gil and Caetano left prison and were forced to go into exile. They spent three years living in London. When they came back, they returned to the stage and appeared at music festivals. One such festival was Phono 73, organized by the record label Phonogram and held at São Paulo's Anhembi convention center in May 1973.

Gilberto Gil e Elis Regina em apresentação no evento Phono 73 (1973)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Determined to Sing

Almost all of the record label's artists performed, and Gilberto Gil's duets with Jorge Ben and Elis Regina were particularly memorable. Gil had only recently returned from exile and censorship still controlled all equipment used for cultural purposes in Brazil. As he sang Cálice with Chico Buarque, the microphones were switched off one by one.

Gilberto Gil em apresentação no evento Phono 73, 1973, From the collection of: Instituto Gilberto Gil
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Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil e Caetano Veloso no encerramento do evento Phono 73 (1973)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Jorge Ben, Fagner e Gilberto Gil em show no festival Phono 73 (1973)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Other Duets

Gilberto Gil also shared the stage at Phono 73 with fellow Tropicálista Jorge Ben, and Fagner, a native of Ceará State who had recently emerged onto the national scene.

Gilberto Gil em apresentação no evento Phono 73, 1973, From the collection of: Instituto Gilberto Gil
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Gilberto Gil durante o festival "Phono 73" (1973)Instituto Gilberto Gil

Credits: Story

Exhibition credits

Research, writing and structure: Chris Fuscaldo

General credits

Editing and curation: Chris Fuscaldo / Garota FM 
Musical content research: Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Laura Zandonadi e Ricardo Schott 
Ministry of Culture content research: Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo 
Captions: Anna Durão, Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Daniel Malafaia, Fernanda Pimentel, Gilberto Porcidonio, Kamille Viola, Laura Zandonadi, Lucas Vieira, Luciana Azevedo, Patrícia Sá Rêgo, Pedro Felitte, Ricardo Schott, Roni Filgueiras e Tito Guedes 
Data editing: Isabela Marinho and Marco Konopacki
Gege Produções Review: Cristina Doria
Acknowledgements Gege Produções, Gilberto Gil, Flora Gil, Gilda Mattoso, Fafá Giordano, Maria Gil, Meny Lopes, Nelci Frangipani, Cristina Doria, Daniella Bartolini e todos os autores das fotos e personagens da história
All media: Instituto Gilberto Gil
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audios and videos and correctly tell the story about the episodes narrated in the exhibitions. If you find errors and/or omissions, please contact us by email atendimentogil@gege.com.br

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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