de Jesus, Clementina (1902–1987)
de Jesus, Clementina (1902–1987)
Clementina de Jesus (b. 1902; d. 1987), Brazilian samba singer who achieved national acclaim late in life. Born to a musical family in Valença, Rio de Janeiro State, Clementina, as she is called, was singing by age twelve with the Carnaval singing group Moreninha das Campinas. At fifteen, she frequented samba de roda sessions in the Oswaldo Cruz neighborhood, and later paraded with the Portela and Mangueira samba schools. For most of her life, Clementina had to work as a maid to support herself, even though she was a superb samba vocalist and a living archive of old musical forms such as lundu, jongo, and partido alto (a type of samba). Finally, at the age of sixty she was "discovered" by critic-impresario Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, who arranged numerous concert appearances for Clementina. She performed on stage with the likes of classical guitarist Turíbio Santos and in 1963 starred with Paulinho da Viola, Araci Cortes, and several others in the musical Rosa de ouro. In 1970, when she was sixty-eight, Clementina recorded her first album, "Clementina, cade você?" (Clementina, Where Are You?), and was celebrated as a national musical treasure. Many leading Brazilian artists, such as Milton Nascimento, invited her to perform duets on their albums.
See alsoSamba .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rita Caúrio, Brasil Musical (1988).
Chris McGowan