Sons de Carrilhões

Sons de Carrilhões is one of the best-known compositions by Brazilian guitarist and composer João Pernambuco. Traditionally dated to 1912 and first documented on record in 1926, the piece is rooted in the Brazilian maxixe and choro tradition and has become a classic of the Brazilian guitar repertoire.

Django Reinhardt is not known to have recorded Sons de Carrilhões. The piece belongs to the Brazilian guitar tradition rather than historical Manouche Jazz, but its rhythmic drive, melodic clarity, and strong acoustic character make it particularly well suited to arrangements for guitar, cavaquinho, violin, and other string instruments.

Musical character:
Sons de Carrilhões combines a lively syncopated rhythm with an immediately recognizable melody and elegant guitar writing. The piece is often described as a choro-maxixe, reflecting the close relationship between these Brazilian styles during the early twentieth century. Its rhythmic precision and flowing melodic lines make it both technically demanding and highly rewarding to play.

Connection to Manouche Jazz:
Sons de Carrilhões is not originally a Manouche Jazz composition, but there are clear musical qualities that allow the two traditions to meet naturally. Both Brazilian choro and Gypsy Jazz value acoustic string instruments, rhythmic independence, virtuoso melody, and a strong interaction between accompaniment and solo lines.

Interesting facts:

• João Pernambuco is generally credited as the sole composer of Sons de Carrilhões.
• The João Pernambuco Institute dates the composition to 1912, while Música Brasilis lists its first documented manifestation in 1926.
• The title means approximately “Sounds of Chimes”.
• According to the João Pernambuco Institute, the piece was inspired by sounds associated with ox carts that Pernambuco remembered from his native region.
• João Pernambuco himself recorded the piece in 1926, accompanied by cavaquinho player Nelson Alves.
• The original repertoire classification is closely linked to the maxixe, although the piece is now widely considered part of the choro guitar tradition.
• It became one of Pernambuco's most internationally performed works and later entered the repertoire of major Brazilian guitarists.

Sons de Carrilhões is a landmark of Brazilian guitar music. Its combination of rhythmic vitality, melodic elegance, and idiomatic guitar writing helped establish João Pernambuco as one of the foundational figures of the Brazilian guitar tradition and continues to inspire musicians more than a century later.