The Chiquinha Gonzaga Collection as an Autobiographical Narrative

Abstract

In this investigation, I analyze the documents comprising the collection of conductor and composer Chiquinha Gonzaga, now in possession of the Moreira Salles Institute in Rio de Janeiro. This collection was started by the musician herself preserving countless fragments of her life, memories, and personal and professional trajectory. That said, I consider part of this material “representations of the self”, i.e., a potential for autobiographical narrative. Based on the notions of “culture of the self” and “discursive formations” by Foucault (2015), “biographem” by Barthes (1977), and “autobiographical pact” by Lejeune (2014), I employ Discourse Analysis based on the grounds that the information contained in the collection is a system of statements, partial truths, and historically and culturally constituted interpretations, therefore, more than describing and interpreting the material, I am interested in understanding how its contexts – social and symbolic − were conceived, modified and produced. The analysis questioned the mechanisms by which the discourse and narrative on Gonzaga’s life and work have endured over time, as well as the implications of archiving life itself. Moreover, the study reveals that the collection is a privileged source and good alternative for understanding the social universe of women, given the lack of information on female artists – often ignored and undervalued − in Brazilian music historiography.

Keywords

• autobiografia. análise do discurso. relações de gênero. música brasileira. historiografia da música.