Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born in Rio de Janeiro. He began teaching himself to play guitar as a child. He studied in Rio with Uruguayan classical guitarist Isaías Sávio from the age of 12. These weekly lessons entailed a long, harsh commute by rail and on foot from his family home in the western rural outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to the teacher's home in the hills of Santa Teresa. Given Bonfá's extraordinary dedication and talent for the guitar, Sávio excused the youngster's inability to pay for his lessons.
Bonfá first gained widespread exposure in Brazil in 1947 when he was featured on Rio's Rádio Nacional, then an important showcase for up-and-coming talent. He was a member of the vocal group Quitandinha Serenaders in the late 1940s. Some of his compositions were recorded and performed by Brazilian crooner Dick Farney in the 1950s. It was through Farney that Bonfá was introduced to Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, the leading songwriting team behind the worldwide explosion of Brazilian jazz/pop music in the late 1950s and 1960s. Bonfá collaborated with them and with other prominent Brazilian musicians and artists in productions of de Moraes' anthological play Orfeu da Conceição, which several years later gave origin to Marcel Camus' film Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro in Portuguese). In the burgeoning days of Rio de Janeiro's thriving jazz scene, it was commonplace for musicians, artists, and dramatists to collaborate in such theatrical presentations. Bonfá wrote some of the original music featured in the film, including the numbers "Samba de Orfeu" and his most famous composition, "Manhã de Carnaval" (of which Carl Sigman later wrote a different set of English lyrics titled "A Day in the Life of a Fool"), which has been among the top ten standards played worldwide, according to The Guinness Book of World Records.
As a composer and performer, Bonfá was at heart an exponent of the bold, lyrical, lushly orchestrated, and emotionally charged samba-canção style that predated the arrival of João Gilberto's more refined and subdued bossa nova style. Jobim, João Donato, Dorival Caymmi, and other contemporaries were also essentially samba-canção musicians until the sudden, massive popularity of the young Gilberto's unique style of guitar playing and expressively muted vocals transformed the music of the day into the music of the future. Camus' film and Gilberto's and Jobim's collaborations with American jazzmen such as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd did much to bring Brazilian popular music to the attention of the world, and Bonfá became a highly visible ambassador of Brazilian music in the United States beginning with the famous November 1962 Bossa Nova concert at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Bonfá worked with American musicians such as Quincy Jones, George Benson, Stan Getz, and Frank Sinatra, recording several albums while in United States. Elvis Presley sang a Bonfá composition, "Almost in Love", in the 1968 MGM film Live a Little, Love a Little. Also of note is his "The Gentle Rain".
Bonfá died in Rio de Janeiro on January 12, 2001. He was 78 years old.
Legacy
In 2005, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released an album of Bonfá's work, entitled, Solo in Rio 1959, which included previously unreleased material from the original recording session.
In 2008, Universal Music France released a coffee table book containing two CDs which included previously unreleased material of Black Orpheus soundtrack, and a DVD. Also in 2008, Universal Music released The Brazilian Scene, Braziliana and Black Orpheus celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bossa nova.
Bonfá's major legacy continues to be his compositions from the Black Orpheus soundtrack, most notably the instantly recognizable bossa nova classic "Manhã de Carnaval". But Bonfá's discography also attests to his uniquely inventive mastery of Brazilian jazz guitar. Bonfá's guitar style was brassier and more penetrating than that of his major contemporary, João Gilberto, and Bonfá was a frequent and adept soloist whereas Gilberto plays his own suave, intricate brand of rhythm guitar almost exclusively. Bonfá often played solo guitar in a polyphonic style, harmonizing melody lines in a manner similar to that made famous by Wes Montgomery in the USA, or playing lead and rhythm parts simultaneously. As a composer and as a guitarist, Bonfá played a pivotal role in bridging the incumbent samba-canção style with the innovations of the bossa nova movement.
Bonfá's "Seville" was sampled by Gotye for his 2011 hit single release "Somebody That I Used to Know". This created the guitar hook, and foundations of a song which reached the 10 top in over 30 countries.
Uma Prece
Luiz Bonfá Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dá me tuas asas me ensina a voar
Cruzar os horizontes vencer montes e mares
Tua Luz do Saber pela virtude de Amar
Com tua força tamanha óh urso me ajude a derrubar,
As barreiras da vida que eu venha a encontrar.
E eu venho pedir a ti óh Tartaruga que o totem está a sustentar,
Dá me tuas certeza de um dia eu poder chegar.
Na força do urso
E em todas as coisas criadas por ti
Eleva minha alma
Me faz tão perfeito
Me leva saber que estás dentro de mim.
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
Poderosa águia que há no Alto do totem
Dá me tuas asas me ensina a voar
Cruzar os horizontes vencer montes e mares
Tua Luz do Saber pela virtude de Amar
Com tua força tamanha óh urso me ajude a derrubar,
As barreiras da vida que eu venha a encontrar.
E eu venho pedir a ti óh Tartaruga que o totem está a sustentar,
Dá me tuas certeza de um dia eu poder chegar.
A ver-te nas asas da águia
Na força do urso
E em todas as coisas criadas por ti
Eleva minha alma
Me faz tão perfeito
Me leva saber que estás dentro de mim.
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
The song "Uma Prece" by Luiz Bonfà is a prayerful request for strength, guidance, and wisdom from three powerful animal totems: the eagle, the bear, and the turtle. The first stanza of the song implores the eagle to lend its wings and teach the singer how to overcome obstacles and traverse great distances. The second stanza calls upon the strength of the bear to help the singer break down barriers and face challenges that come their way. The third stanza asks the turtle, who supports the totem, for its wisdom and guidance, in order to help the singer achieve their goals. Throughout the prayer, the singer also acknowledges the divine power of God and asks for His protection, guidance, and favor.
The use of totems, or symbolic representations of animals with great power, is a common element in indigenous and shamanic spirituality. The eagle is often associated with freedom, vision, and transcendence, while the bear represents courage, strength, and endurance. The turtle symbolizes wisdom, patience, and protection. The song suggests that by calling upon these totems, the singer hopes to gain their qualities and embody their power. The use of first-person pronouns, such as "me" and "I," suggests that the prayer is a personal request for the singer's own growth and transformation.
Luiz Bonfà is a Brazilian composer and guitarist who is known for his contributions to bossa nova music. "Uma Prece" was recorded in the 1960s and features the smooth rhythms, melodic guitar work, and poetic lyrics that are characteristic of the genre. The song's call for spiritual guidance and intercession is in keeping with the themes of introspection, social justice, and contemplation that are common in bossa nova music.
Line by Line Meaning
Poderosa águia que há no Alto do totem
Calling upon the powerful eagle that sits atop the totem pole
Dá me tuas asas me ensina a voar
Asking for the eagle to lend its wings and teach how to fly
Cruzar os horizontes vencer montes e mares
To cross horizons and conquer mountains and seas
Tua Luz do Saber pela virtude de Amar
By the virtue of love, the eagle's knowledge and wisdom shines bright
Com tua força tamanha óh urso me ajude a derrubar,
Requesting the great and powerful bear to help overcome life's obstacles
As barreiras da vida que eu venha a encontrar.
Challenges and barriers that one may face in life
E eu venho pedir a ti óh Tartaruga que o totem está a sustentar,
Seeking the certainty and stability from the turtle that supports the totem pole
Dá me tuas certeza de um dia eu poder chegar.
Asking for the turtle's assurance that one can reach their destination
A ver-te nas asas da águia
To behold the eagle's flight
Na força do urso
To seek the strength from the bear
E em todas as coisas criadas por ti
To find the divine power in all things created by God
Eleva minha alma
To lift one's soul
Me faz tão perfeito
To make oneself perfect
Me leva saber que estás dentro de mim.
And to know that God is within oneself
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Addressing God as our Father in heaven
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
Hallowing God's name for the benefit of all of us
Óh pai nosso que estás no céu
Addressing God as our Father in heaven
Santificado seja o teu nome em favor de todos nós.
Hallowing God's name for the benefit of all of us
Writer(s): Luiz Bonfa
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.