Conclusive Gestures in Symphony no. 8 (1950) by Heitor Villa-Lobos

Abstract

The Symphony no. 8 (1950) by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) is marked by the composer's close relationship with the United States, as well as the search for a universal musical language. Belonging to the fourth creative phase, this symphony is characterized by the return to the musical genres of the past and the distance from nationalism. We found the presence of several dialogues with structures, techniques and procedures inherited from styles and previous composers. Among the multiple creative processes employed by Villa-Lobos, we highlight a procedure alluding to cadential harmonic language, being a typical artifice of Villalobian writing. We investigated ten types of conclusive gestures present in Symphony no. 8, occurring at the end of sections and movements, being designated as: cadence in monad; cadence in dyads; cadence in pentatonic chord; Wagnerian cadence; cadence by Tristan chord; cadence by Tristan motif; Varèsian cadence; cadence in fourths; diatonic cadence; and chromatic cadence.