1917 - 2017: Piano Tradition at the Oporto Music Conservatory. 100 Years of History

By The Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Conservatório de Música do Porto

This exhibition is the result of a selection of images, obtained from the memory preserved in photographs and other historical documents, which are part of the collection of the Conservatory of Music of Porto, other institutions and private collections. Its aim is to remember and honor the successive generations of teachers / pianists, emphasizing their importance and contribution in the construction of the history of the Oporto Music Conservatory from the foundation to the present time.

Bechstein Hall - Pianos and art objects Department Stores (1910) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

At the Dawn of the 20th century

The second half of the 19th century corresponds to a golden age in the city of Porto. The rise of the middle class allied to the prosperity of trade and industry led to major development, endowing the city with a few unique structures. One of these was the Crystal Palace, inaugurated in 1865 with the Portuguese International Exhibition. Amidst the various technological innovations then on show, there were a significant number of Portuguese and foreign makers of musical instruments. As a hard-working trading city Porto should also be characterised by its cultural activity, which flourished simultaneously in the fields of arts and letters. At the end of the 19th century events came to a head with the foundation of the Sociedade de Quartetos (Society of Quartets) (1890) and Orpheon Portuense (1891) by Bernardo Moreira de Sá, the Sociedade dos Concertos Sinfónicos (Society of Symphonic Concerts) (1910) by Raymundo de Macedo, the proliferation of musical instrument shops, the publication and sale of sheet music and a substantial number of musicians who, until the creation of Porto Music Conservatory, taught music privately, the favourite instrument being the piano. Present at society meetings at the time, as recounted by Helena Sá e Costa “playing the piano was a custom, part of one’s education when many talents were revealed”. Private piano classes continued the tradition of weekly individual lessons, culminating in public presentations of students and teachers throughout the city, mostly in salons associated with the musical instrument shops (Salão Bechstein, Sala Moreira de Sá, Casa Mello Abreu, Salão Beethoven, Salão Orfeo), but also at the Salão Nobre do Centro Commercial (Commercial Centre Great Hall), Clube Fenianos Portuense (Porto Fenians Club), Ateneu Comercial (Commercial Athenaeum), to name just a few. Raymundo de Macedo,Óscar da Silva, Luiz Costa, Ernesto Maia and José Cassagne are some of the most prominent pianists and teachers of the time. Having trained mainly in Lisbon and in Germany they were part of the generation that stimulated the opening of Porto Music Conservatory and were members of the first corps of teaching staff in 1917.

Musical Session of Ernesto Maia pupils at Centro Commercial (Commercial Centre) (1898) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Since 1894, Ernesto Maia introduced his students in private musical sessions. From 1898, these sessions began to take place in the Hall of the Commercial Center, former Palacete do Conde da Trindade located in the current Carlos Alberto Square in Oporto

Ernesto Maia, a future piano teacher at the music conservatory he was considered by Michel’Angelo Lambertini as “one of the most intelligent teachers of piano and harmonium in Porto”.

Program of a students hearing of Luiz Costa and Moreira de Sá at Moreira de Sá Salon, Unknown, 1907, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Article about Pedro Blanco students' recital, published by Ilustração Portuguesa magazine in 1914., Portuguese Ilustration: llustrated and Artistic Magazine, 1914, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Program of the 4th rehearsal of students Luiz Costa at the Mello Abreu Salon, Casa Mello e Abreu, 1918/1918, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Bechstein Hall - Pianos and art objects Department Stores (1910) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Property of the pianist Raymundo de Macedo, at the time one of the most reputed Salons, had an intense musical activity proven by the numerous concerts and recitals that were performed by the biggest names of the musical scene of the city of Porto. (Liberal:2013)

Óscar da Silva, Raymundo de Macedo, Luiz Costa and his wife Leonilda Moreira de Sá, promoted in this space many auditions of their students, whose high level was recorded in the press of the time

The Tradition of the Piano in the Conservatory of Music of Porto (1917 - 1940) by Conservatory of Music of PortoThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

First generation of piano teachers of the Conservatory of Music of Oporto (2017/2017) by Ana CancelaThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Founding teachers of the Conservatory of Music of Oporto (1917) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

The first generation of piano teachers at Porto Music Conservatory

At the end of the 19th century Leipzig and Berlin were the cities of choice for the majority of Portuguese musicians looking to perfect their training. For a long time these were two of the most important musical centres in Europe, particularly given the quality of the teaching of its conservatories: in Leipzig the Music Conservatory founded by Félix Mendelssohn in 1843 and in Berlin the Scharwenka Conservatory founded in 1893.

Joseph Cassagne (1881-1939) and Raymundo de Macedo (1889-1931) both graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Leipzig, the latter being a pupil of Adolf Ruthardt, Han Sitt and Arthur Nikisch. For his part, Luiz Costa completed his training in Berlin with Bernhard Stavenhagen, Conrad Ansorge and Ferrucio Busoni, representatives of the "New German Piano School" founded by Franz Liszt. Except for this list Ernesto Maia who in 1883 goes to Paris to study with Marie Jaell and Pedro Blanco (1883 - 1919), a native of Leon, completed his training at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, where he studied with Andrés Monge, and finally, Joaquim Gonçalves de Freitas (1871 - 1943) which is included as one of the most gifted students of Óscar da Silva.

Photo of Ernesto Maia and Laura with dedication to Lambertini. (12/06/1909) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Ernesto Maia was part of the first teaching staff at the Conservatory in 1917, appointed deputy director and piano teacher, and then, between 1922 and 1924, took over from Bernardo Moreira de Sá as director.

The pianist Raymundo de Macedo by Costa & Carvalho, PortoThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

The pianist Raymundo de Macedo was one of the great promoters of the foundation of the Conservatory of Music of Porto. In 1916 he elaborates a project to found a conservatory, which he presents to the Porto City Hall.However, it was not until 1917, at the initiative of Eduardo Santos Silva, Mayor, that the Conservatory of Music of Porto was established in a City Hall session on June 1. Raymundo de Macedo was invited to join the first faculty as a piano teacher.

Article about the pianist Raymundo de Macedo - Portuguese Ilustration magazine, Portuguese Ilustration: llustrated and Artistic Magazine, 1909, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Portrait of Joaquim de Freitas Gonçalves, Unknown, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Joaquim de Freitas Gonçalves taught piano from 1917 at Porto Music Conservatory and was its director between 1934-1939 and 1940-1941. As a pianist he is considered one of Óscar da Silva’s most talented students.

The pianist Luiz Costa by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Luiz Costa - Prelúdio op. 9 nº6 Piano Luiz Costa
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Luiz Costa, one of the most preeminent Portuguese pianists and composers of his time, taught piano from 1917 at Porto Music Conservatory and held the position of director between 1933 and 1934. He left an indelible mark on the training of a generation of Portuguese pianists such as Berta Alves de Souza, Hélia Soveral and Helena Sá e Costa.

Luiz Costa and students at Conservatory of Music of Porto (1951/1951) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Luiz Costa and students after a concert in the Hall of the Conservatory of Music of Oporto on July 19, 1951.

Luiz Costa - Embalando (1908/1908) by O Comércio do Porto IlustradoThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Luiz Costa is also one of the most representative composers of Portuguese Modernism, gathering multiple influences, from the poetry of Corrêa de Oliveira and Teixeira de Pascoaes, to the sculpture of Teixeira Lopes and also the rural environment of his native Minho.

"Embalando" Luiz Costa - Piano António Oliveira
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The pianist Pedro Blanco accompanied by his students (19?) by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Pianist and teacher Pedro Blanco, was part of the group of founders of the Conservatory of Music of Porto. From 1903, after a long digression of one year, he settled in Oporto, where he developed an intense concert and teaching activity.

Pedro Blanco - Mazurka del Amor. Piano - Cristovão Luiz
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Pedro Blanco excelled as a composer, having an extremely extensive work (considering his premature death in 1919). It can be divided into two currents: post-romantic, close to the language of Chopin and nationalist based on Spanish folklore.

Portrait of the pianist José Cassagne (teacher fo Conservatory of Music of Porto), Photo Beleza, 1953, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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Musical Soirée - closing concert of the first school year of the Conservatory of Music of Porto, Conservatory of Music of Oporto, 1918, From the collection of: The Conservatory of Music of Oporto
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The closing concert of the first school year of the Conservatory of Music of Porto, took place on July 30, 1918 at the Gil Vicente Theater. This space, which belonged to the Crystal Palace was, over the years of its existence, the stage of numerous public presentations of students and professors of the Conservatory of Music of Porto

Page of pianist Berta Alves de Souza's memories album. by UnknownThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

The auditions of students of the Conservatory of Music of Porto, at that time denominated Exercises of Students, had great impact in the city, usually deserving references in the press, tradition that has remained until the present day. This 1918 newspaper clipping, prominence is given to " Miss Bertha de Souza" Luiz Costa student that from the 40's she joined the faculty of the Conservatory as a piano teacher and chamber music.

Portrait of the pianist Hernâni Torres (1935) by Domingos AlvãoThe Conservatory of Music of Oporto

Three years later the foundation, the integration of the pianist Hernâni Torres (1881 - 1939) into the teaching staff of the Conservatory confirmed the marked German influence. In 1908 he completed the piano course at the Leipzig Conservatory in the Teichmuller class. Years later he was officially invited and appointed professor of the Leipzig Conservatory and Thomaschule in the same city.

In 1921 he returned to Portugal to the Conservatory of Music of Porto, as piano teacher, and in 1924 he assumed the position of director, an activity that he held until 1933.

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