Ary Barroso born November 7, 1903

Ary Barroso ONM (7 November 1903 – 9 February 1964) was a Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator, and talent-show host on radio and TV. He was one of Brazil's most successful songwriters in the first half of the 20th century. Barroso also composed many songs for Carmen Miranda during her career.

He was born Ary Evangelista de Resende Barroso in Ubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and although his father, João Evangelista, was a well-known poet, guitar player, singer and lawyer, he became an orphan at the age of seven when his parents died of tuberculosis and was raised by his grandmother and aunt. At his aunt's insistence, Barroso began studying the piano at the age of ten, practicing a mandatory three hours a day. Within two years, he was playing so well that he was hired to accompany silent films at the local cinema.

Although he inherited money at the age of seventeen when his uncle died, Barroso spent it quickly and was forced to turn to music for an income. In addition to playing piano in cinemas, cabarets and with orchestras, he became involved with musical theatre, when composed two works: "Vou à Penha", recorded by the singer Mário Reis, and "Vamos deixar de intimidades", both recorded in 1929. In 1930, Barroso won his first award promoted by Casa Edison Records, in the "Carnival Songs" category. Joining forces with lyricist Luís Peixoto, Barroso composed more than 60 tunes, as well as writing scripts.

Shortly after finishing law school, in 1929, Barroso married Yvonne Arantes who was the daughter of the boarding house in which he lived. In an attempt to raise money, he entered and won a Carnaval song contest in 1930. Three years later, Barroso hosted the first of many radio shows. Music was only one outlet for Barroso's creativity. A lawyer by training, he balanced his musical career with work as a radio announcer, writer, humourist, reporter, producer, emcee, interviewer and football commentator. He was such a fan of the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo football club of Rio de Janeiro that he turned down an invitation to move to the United States at the peak of his fame in the 1940s because he didn't want to be so far from the team.

                                   

Barroso became Brazil's most influential pre-bossa nova composer. His songs were recorded by a lengthy list of artists including Carmen Miranda and João Gilberto. His 1939 composition Aquarella do Brasil, known in the English-speaking world as Brazil, was featured in the 1942 Disney film Saludos Amigos, and has gone on to become one of the 20 most recorded songs of all time. In 1944, Barroso goes to visit the USA and composes "Rio de Janeiro" for the film "Brazil". He spent eight months there, earning a thousand dollars a week and composing the theme song for the movie "Three Girls in Blue". The following year, he returned to North America to set to music the film "O Trono das Amazonas", which would have 18 of his compositions but was not completed (because of the producer's death).

His song Na Baixa do Sapateiro, based on a Brazilian pop tune, was included in the Disney film The Three Caballeros and popularised as Baía. Barroso's soundtrack for the movie Brazil was nominated for an Oscar in 1945. Although he failed to win, Barroso was presented a Merit Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work. By this time  “Aquarela” had been performed more than two million times on U.S. radio and TV. It also enjoys the dubious honour of being the seventh most frequently played song in hotels and restaurants. In the 1946 elections, Barroso ran for councillor in Guanabara for the National Democratic Union (UDN) and had the second highest vote in the Chamber of the then Federal District.

Aurora Miranda (Carmen's sister) records "Risque" in 1952, but Linda Baptista made the samba song more successful. That same year, Barroso composed "Folha Morta", recorded by Dalva de Oliveira in London (for Odeon) and released in Brazil with resounding success. Ary Barroso was often invited to tour abroad. His 1953 tour in Mexico and Venezuela resulted in the composer’s first album—the Mexican LP Fantasia Carioca, which remained practically unknown until 2003. It was for the purpose of touring that Barroso formed his Orquestra de Ritmos Brasileiros in 1953. In January 1955, he embarked with this orchestra on a tour of Uruguay and Argentina. On board were 21 musicians and singers, the latter including Sara Rios, Vera Regina, and Ernani Filho.

In 1955, Barroso  and Heitor Villa-Lobos received the National Order of Merit, the greatest honour bestowed by the Brazilian government, granted by President Café Filho. In 1957, Barroso is honoured with the show "Mr. Samba", produced by Carlos Machado at the Night and Day nightclub (Rio de Janeiro); the script alluded to Barroso's biography, using his own compositions.

In 1961, Barroso fell ill with cirrhosis of the liver and went to live on a farm in Araras, Rio de Janerio. The following year, he was well enough to resume the program "Encontro com Ary" (TV Tupi), broadcast on Sundays. He also wrote the songs “Já Era Tempo” and “Rancho das Namoradas with Bossa Nova poet Vinicius de Moraes. But by 1963, he was in and out  hospital and died there on the night of February 9, 1964 in Rio de Janeiro.

(Edited from Wikipedia, Daniella Thompson notes & UOL Education bio)