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Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
Antônio Carlos Gomes
Person · male · Brazil · Campinas · born 1836 · died 1896 · recording since 1946
Brazilian composer (1836–1896)
Also known as A. Carlos Gomes · Carlos Gomes · 安东尼奥·卡洛斯·戈麦斯
Timeline
8 events▣ Album 5◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1830s
1890s
1940s
· Debut release
Debut release: Il Guarany: Overture
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1980s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography1,057 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1369052913
Biography
Antônio Carlos Gomes (Brazilian Portuguese: [ɐ̃ˈtoni.u ˈkaʁluz ˈɡomis, ɐ̃ˈtonju -]; 11 July 1836 in Campinas – 16 September 1896 in Belém) was a Brazilian composer notable for being the first New World composer whose work was accepted by Europe. He was the only non-European who was successful as an opera composer in Italy, during the "golden age of opera" contemporary to Verdi and Puccini, and the first composer of non-European lineage to be accepted into the classic tradition of music.
Younger than Verdi, yet older than Puccini, Carlos Gomes achieved his first major success in a time when the Italian audiences were eager for a new name to celebrate and Puccini had not yet officially started his career. After the successful premiere of Il Guarany, Gomes was considered the most promising new composer. Verdi said his work was an expression of "true musical genius". Liszt said that “it displays dense technical maturity, full of harmonic and orchestral maturity.”
Life
He was born on 11 July 1836 in Campinas, São Paulo Province, son of Maestro Manuel José Gomes and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso.
His childhood's musical tendencies were soon stimulated by his father and by his older brother, José Pedro de Sant'Ana Gomes, also a conductor. José Pedro was the most dedicated guide and adviser in his brother's artistic career. He convinced Antônio to visit the Court where he became a protégé of Emperor Dom Pedro II, who, being notoriously interested in the careers of Brazilian artists and intellectuals, made it possible for Antônio Carlos to study at the Musical Conservatory of Rio de Janeiro.
After having graduated with honours, Carlos produced his first opera, A noite do castelo (September 1861), which was a big success. Two years later, he scored an even bigger success with his second opera, Joanna de Flandres, which was considered superior to the first. Mysteriously however, Joanna de Flandres was shelved after its original run and not performed again until the 21st Century (it was even believed to be lost for a time). These two pieces convinced the Emperor to give him a Royal scholarship to study in Italy in 1864. He studied in Milan at the local conservatory with Lauro Rossi and Alberto Mazzucato and completed in three years a course which was normally completed in four years, obtaining the title of Maestro Composer.
Interested in composing an opera which dealt with a truly Brazilian subject, Carlos Gomes chose as the theme of his next work the novel O Guarani, by Brazilian writer José de Alencar. The opera premiered in May 1870 at the La Scala Theater in Milan as Il Guarany.
The success was enormous. Even the most strict musical critics compared the Brazilian musician to the great European maestros, such as Rossini and Verdi (Verdi himself was present at the premiere and later told Gomes backstage that he would be his successor). The King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, even decorated Gomes; after which, the opera was presented in all major European capitals. Before that year was over, Gomes returned to Brazil, where he organized the premiere of Il Guarany in Rio de Janeiro. The piece achieved the same success Gomes had seen in Italy.
Returning to Italy, Carlos Gomes married Adelina Peri, an Italian pianist he had met while studying in Milan.
In 1876, at the request of Emperor Dom Pedro II, Carlos Gomes composed the Hymn for the First Centennial of the American Independence (also known as Saluto del Brasile), written especially for the celebrations of the centennial of the United States’ independence. The work was performed during the Centennial Exposition on July 4 of that year, and again in New York on July 9. The emperor, who attended the ceremony and presented U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant with a copy of the score, recorded in his diary that the performance received little attention due to the noise and distance from the audience (the performance took place at a fair). The original handwritten score is now part of the Carlos Gomes Collection at the Imperial Museum in Petrópolis.
In 1883 Gomes traveled to Brazil, receiving homages in every city he visited. When he returned to Italy, he dedicated himself to the composition of an opera themed against slavery, inspired by the liberation struggles of black slaves in Brazil, which got the title of Lo schiavo. The composition, which had been suggested by a great friend of Antônio's, a black engineer named André Rebouças, only debuted several years later in 1889 with its theme changed from 19th Century black slavery to 17th Century Indigenous slavery (due to censors who thought that the work was too controversial in its original form).
When the Brazilian republic was proclaimed in 1889, Carlos Gomes, who at this time was in Campinas, sailed once more to Italy. Faithful to the Brazilian monarchy and Dom Pedro II, Gomes refused the opportunity given to him by president Deodoro da Fonseca to compose the new Brazilian National Anthem. In the following years, he composed the opera Condor and the cantata Colombo, for the Columbus Festival (12 October 1892), in celebration of the fourth centenary of the discovery of America.
Invited by the governor of the Brazilian province of Pará to direct the Musical Conservatory, the maestro traveled to the capital Belém, willing to take the position. However, shortly after arriving, Carlos Gomes, by then an elderly man in poor health, died at 22:20 BRT on 16 September 1896. Besides his eight operas, he composed songs (3 books), choruses, and piano pieces.
Studies have discussed how the public image of Carlos Gomes was historically presented as that of a white man, despite references to his mixed-race background and experiences of racial prejudice in 19th-century Brazil. Scholars link this portrayal to visual and narrative standards of the period, such as studio photography and the monumentalization of the composer, which contributed to a “whitened” social memory. The debate relates Gomes’s case to figures like Machado de Assis and Castro Alves and to broader discussions of scientific racism and memory politics in Brazil. Recent perspectives emphasize that recognizing his racial background enriches the understanding of his artistic path and inspires new interpretations, such as educational projects in Campinas and the upcoming biopic Bravo! Carlos Gomes do Brasil, starring tenor Jean William.
Operas
See List of works for the stage by Antônio Carlos Gomes
Other languages
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 8 | 88.9th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -50 | 6.5th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (9 release groups · 8 studio albums)
Albums · 8
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 34:11
A1Quem sabe [Tão longe de mim distante]3:25A2Romance - Foi meu amor um sonho2:56A3Noturno2:09A4Sonho3:22A5Canta ancor2:29A6Anália ingrata2:59B1Suspiros d’alma3:05B2Lontana2:39B3Rondinella (Idílio)1:24B4Conselhos1:34B5Al chiaro di luna (Meditazione)2:34B6O guarani - Era uma vez um príncipe5:35Missa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição
2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks
1Kyrie2Gloria3Laudamus4Domine Deus5Qui tollis6Qui sedes7Cum Sancto Spiritu8Gloria2019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 47 tracks · 2:09:56
Disc 11Lo schiavo: Preludio4:102Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 1. “Oggi Imene qui prepara”2:283Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 2. “Salute a voi, signor…”1:174Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 3. “Una rivolta degli schiavi”2:155Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 4. “Segue e sorveglia i passi miei”2:456Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 5. “Vittoria!”1:177Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 6. “Fermate… Che avvenne mai?”1:368Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 6. “In aspra guerra per la mia terra”2:219Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 6. “Che dissi io mai!”2:5410Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 6. “Baciar desìo la tua man”2:2011Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 7. “Di ribellione autore”1:1112Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 7. “Ah! Amo l’angelo che Iddio”2:1913Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 8. “Che vedo! Là…”1:4414Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 9. “Conservi ognor fedele”7:1015Lo schiavo: Act I, Scene 10. “Ah! Tradimento!”1:0316Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 1. “Piacer! Ecco la cura”1:4217Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 2. “Conte, voi obliarmi sembrate”7:3218Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 3. “All’istante partir di qui vorrei”1:2519Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 3. “Quando nascesti tu”2:1720Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 6. “Grazie davver, signori”2:0021Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 6. “Un astro splendido”2:3822Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 7. “Quegl’infelici or dunque”2:3323Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 8. “Che vedo? Qui costoro?”1:3324Lo schiavo: Act II, Scene 8. “La fiamma cocente”4:42Disc 21Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 1. “Alba dorata del natio mio suol”3:022Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 1. “Oh ciel di Parahyba”3:033Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 1. “La stella dell’amor”2:494Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 2. “Vedi? Son teco!”6:285Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 3. “Fragile cor di donna”3:096Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 4. “Iberè!”3:237Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 5. “Di quale frastuono la selva risuonò!”1:388Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 5. “Guerrier prode e fedele”1:139Lo schiavo: Act III, Scene 6. “Pari alla tigre”1:5910Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 1. “All’erta! All’erta!”1:1011Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 2. “Uno scampo Iberè si prepara…”4:3212Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 3. “Sospettano di me”2:0913Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 3. “Sogni d’amore”3:0014Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 3. “Ullàa! All’erta!”1:2015Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 4. “Preludio orchestrale”6:3516Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 5. “Oh come splendido e bello”3:2617Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 5. “Come serenamente”3:2818Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 6. “Ecco l’ombra mia funesta”1:4219Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 7. “Il temerario vien dal mar”1:1220Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 8. “Benché le insegne e l’armi”1:2821Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 9. “Traditor! La giusta vendetta”2:1722Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 9. “È ver, l’amai nell’iride”5:0223Lo schiavo: Act IV, Scene 10. “Olà! Che tardi?”2:39Serenata: Brazilian Music for Chamber Orchestra
2022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:08:13
1Sonata for Strings: I. Allegro animato5:432Sonata for Strings: II. Allegro scherzoso4:223Sonata for Strings: III. Largo8:124Sonata for Strings: IV. Vivace “O Burrico de Pau”3:455Madrigal-Pavana4:406Suíte Antiga, op. 11: I. Minuet – Trio3:347Suíte Antiga, op. 11: II. Aria4:208Suíte Antiga, op. 11: III. Rigaudon4:499Serenata4:3410Suíte à antiga, op. 25: I. Prelúdio. Moderato3:5811Suíte à antiga, op. 25: II. Sarabanda. Andante5:0612Suíte à antiga, op. 25: III. Gavota. Allegro moderato1:5013Suíte à antiga, op. 25: IV. Ária e Double. Andantino9:0114Suíte à antiga, op. 25: V. Giga. Allegro vivace4:192023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 58:16
1Il Guarany: Overture8:192Maria Tudor: Act I – Prelude7:333Condor: Act I – Prelude4:444Condor: Act III – Nocturne3:495Fosca: Overture5:466Joana de Flandres: Act I – Prelude5:107Salvator Rosa: Overture6:518A noite do castelo: Act I – Prelude4:239Lo schiavo: Act I – Prelude4:4410Lo schiavo: Act IV – Prelude ‘Alvorada’6:57— · studio album
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Tracklist · 26 tracks · 2:24:59
Disc 11Fosca: Atto Primo. Sinfonia5:582Fosca: Atto Primo. Coro e Scena "Buon di, compagni"8:403Fosca: Atto Primo. Scena "Salute al capitano"4:174Fosca: Atto Primo. Preghiera "Fratel, da un fascino"2:065Fosca: Atto Primo. Stretta e Scena "Ah! Crudeli"2:186Fosca: Atto Primo. Aria "D'amore l'ebbrezze"5:017Fosca: Atto Primo. Scena e Duetto "Cara città natia"7:038Fosca: Atto Primo. Finale Primo - Scena e Terzettino "La tua rivale odiata"4:409Fosca: Atto Secondo. Scena d'amore e duettino "Soli, del mondo immemori"5:2010Fosca: Atto Secondo. Dialogo e Canzone "Io vengo dai mondi"4:4811Fosca: Atto Secondo. Terzetto "Mirate questa collana"4:1612Fosca: Atto Secondo. Scena e frase "Bel cavaliero... sposa gentile"2:5013Fosca: Atto Secondo. Duettino "Già troppo al mio supplizio"4:4014Fosca: Atto Secondo. Aria "Quale orribile peccato"5:25Disc 21Fosca: Atto Secondo. Marcia e coro nuziale6:042Fosca: Atto Secondo. Finale Secondo - Pezzo Concertato "Pazza! Pazza! É ver!"6:053Fosca: Atto Terzo. Scena ed Aria "Ad ogni mover lontan di frenda"7:074Fosca: Atto Terzo. Scena e Duetto "Orfana e sola"10:285Fosca: Atto Terzo. Coro di Corsari "Dei due qual mente?"4:196Fosca: Atto Terzo. Scena e Duetto "Tu la vedrai negli impeti"9:53Disc 31Fosca: Atto Quarto. Scena del Consiglio e Strofe "Son capitano"7:422Fosca: Atto Quarto. Invettiva - Coro "Di Venezia la vendetta"2:553Fosca: Atto Quarto. Scenetta "Ti allegra, o giovane"5:214Fosca: Atto Quarto. Romanza "Ah! Se tu sei fra gli angeli"4:195Fosca: Atto Quarto. Gran Scena "Alfin tremanti e supplici"7:046Fosca: Atto Quarto. Quartetto - Scena Finale "Non m'aborrir, compiangimi"6:20Maria Tudor: The Sofia National Opera
— · studio album
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Tracklist · 29 tracks · 2:27:55
Disc 11Preludio7:042Atto Primo - Coro e Ronda - La Reggia Tripudia5:373Romanza - Quanti Raggi Del Ciel4:534Scena - Buon Fratello e Dolce Padre4:235Arioso - Tanti Il Mio Cor Bell'Angelo2:506Scena - Non Piu M'Attendono Al Lavoro1:327Serenata - Se All'ora Bruna2:508Scena e Duetto - Finale Primo - Canta Sempre, Canta, O Bella8:119Atto Secondo - Coro - Viva Il Re Della La Fulgida mensa2:3210Scena - Grazie Vi Rendo4:4111Madrigale, Coro - Corse Ciprigna4:0412Scena - Grazie, Prodi Cantor1:2213Duetto - Colui Che Non Canta8:5814Seca, Racconto e Quartetto6:1715Scena - L'oddi? Vendetta Avrai1:1016Gran Scena ed Aria - Finale Secondo7:32Disc 21Atto Terzo - Scenetta Dell'Ironia - Non Vo Gemme, Non vo fior3:092Romanza - Sol Ch'io Ti Sfiori4:313Scena e Duetto - Qual Ape Nomade7:184Scena e Baccanale3:115Sarabanda4:016Inno Della Regina - Dio Salvi L'eccelsa Regina3:127Danza Burlesca - Ripresa Del Baccanale2:328Scena e Duettino - Questo Cerchietto Splendido4:429Pezzo Concertante - Finale terzo11:4710Atto Quarto - Monologo ed Aria - O Mie Notte D'amor9:1711Scena Delle grida4:3112Aria - Lugubre Giocoliero4:5513Gran Scena Drammatica - Duetto - Qui Nell'ombra10:53— · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 58:20
1Salvator Rosa6:452O Guarani: abertura8:293O Guarani: prelúdio4:434Noite no Castelo3:425Maria Tudor7:036O escravo: prelúdio5:017O escravo: alvorada7:468Joana de Flandres4:549Condor4:0510Fosca5:52
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Il Guarany: OvertureSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAIl Guarany: Overture (Part One) BIl Guarany: Overture (Part Two) | August 1946 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Antônio Carlos Gomes head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 8 | 88.9th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -50 | 6.5th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Imperial Order of the Rose | won | |
| — | Livro dos Heróis e Heroínas da Pátria | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlos_Gomes_portrait%2C_1886.tifaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4da0193e-f9a7-4531-a0c4-86d130c8002bdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4da0193e-f9a7-4531-a0c4-86d130c8002bcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q263855genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q263855seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Gomesbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Gomesbiography—wikipedia-pt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Gomes
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Brazilian musicians
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (30 language versions, career ended)
Image: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q263855 · MusicBrainz: 4da0193e-f9a7-4531-a0c4-86d130c8002b
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