Opus (Dec 2007)
João dos Reis Pereira, um virtuose
Abstract
João dos Reis Pereira, born in São João del-Rei on January 6, 1782, was the most successful Brazilian singer during the period the Portuguese Court was in Brazil. Member of the Royal Chapel for over three decades, among the basses that sang there, he vas the most prominent one, which can be attested by the high salary he received, as well as by the number of arias dedicated to him by Marcos Portugal and Pe. José Maurício Nunes Garcia. Through these dedications we verified that João dos Reis’ vocal extension was very large, that of which he explored mainly the higher tessitura. These arias are long and demanding, demonstrating that he had a resistant and agile voice, as well as able to sustain long notes. As for his dramatic career, he was very successful in the Régio, São João and São Pedro theaters. João dos Reis died in Rio de Janeiro on April 2, 1853.
