An incomparable sound
/ TRADITION /
In a doctoral thesis doctoral thesis, musician and researcher examines the history of the pipe organ in Brazil
Many instruments of the type have disappeared in the country, says author
Passionate about the pipe organ since childhood, musician Handel Cecílio, from Belo Horizonte, chose the history of the instrument as the object of research for his doctoral thesis at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), covering the colonial and imperial periods. “I did a historical survey of the organs that arrived in Brazil from the time of the discovery until the 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on Benedictine monasteries, ecclesiastical orders and churches,” says the musician, who has a degree in piano and specialization in organs.
Cecílio says that in order to trace the historical profile of the instrument, he considered the religious, social, urban and economic context of each century of Brazil’s history. “The sad thing is to see that many organs have disappeared in Brazil and others are without proper maintenance, says the musician. For him, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which opened space in churches for the use of other musical instruments, was misinterpreted and pipe organs were left aside. “The tradition is still maintained, but not as it was before, when only organs were allowed in churches. Today we have Brazilian organ builders and many digital organs. The sound is not comparable to the original organs, but they are cheaper and easier to maintain. With this, the use of organs in celebrations is returning,” says Cecílio.
Since his master’s degree, Handel has dedicated himself to the study of organs, organists and organ builders of the colonial and imperial periods. The only way to promote historical recovery was through ecclesiastical documentation and chronicles of the time. For his work, Cecílio examined thousands of documents and learned paleography (the study of ancient and medieval manuscript texts).
His doctorate resulted in the thesis A Arte Organística nos Mosteiros Beneditinos do Brasil Colonial e Imperial: seus Órgãos, Organistas e Organeiros, under the guidance of Professor Helena Jank, from Unicamp and the co-orientation of Maria do Rosário B. Morujão, from the University of Coimbra.
