The son of a peasant and accordion player, he was attracted to the 8-bass accordion at an early age, although he started out by accompanying his father by playing the zabumba (a type of bass drum) and singing at parties and religious celebrations. He left home in 1930 to join the army, and toured Brazil with an army band until 1939. Gonzaga decided to remain in Rio de Janeiro with a recently purchased accordion. He performed in the streets and in bars, playing boleros, waltzes and tangos.
After noticing that the Northeastern immigrants missed the music from their hometowns, he started to give listeners the sort of music they craved to hear: xaxados, baiões, chamegos and cocos. At Ary Barroso’s talent show, Luiz Gonzaga played his chamego "Vira e Mexe" and was acclaimed by the audience and by the dreaded host, who gave him the highest score.
In 1943, he dressed up in typical Northeastern costumes for the first time to perform live, and got hyped. Later on, as well as playing popular tunes on the accordion, he began to sing his own material, and his skills as a songwriter were revealed.
Gonzaga's son, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento Júnior, known as Gonzaguinha, born 1945, was also a noted Brazilian singer and composer.
His greatest hit ever, "Asa Branca" (written with Humberto Teixeira), was recorded in 1947 and was covered countless times by many different artists. He worked on the radio until 1954, enjoying huge popularity. He is widely recognized for singlehandedly taking the baião style and the accordion to a wide audience. For a time RCA (now BMG), his recording label, was almost exclusively dedicated to printing his singles and albums. During the 60's, as the public taste shifted to bossa nova and iê-iê-iê, he found himself increasingly stranded from big city stages, so he toured the countryside, where his popularity never abated.
In the 70s and 80s, he slowly re-emerged, partly due to covers of his songs by famous artists like Geraldo Vandré, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, his son Gonzaguinha and Milton Nascimento. Some of his greatest hits are "Vozes da Seca" ("Voices From Drought"), "Algodão" ("Cotton"), "A Dança da Moda" ("The Dance In Fashion"), "ABC do Sertão" ("The ABC of Sertão"), "Derramaro o Gai" ("They Spilt the Gas"), "A Letra I" ("The 'i' letter"), "Imbalança" ("Shake It"), "A Volta da Asa-Branca" ("The Return Of The Picazuro Pigeon"), "Cintura Fina" ("Slender Waist"), "O Xote das Meninas" ("The Girls' Schottische", written with Zé Dantas, and "Juazeiro", "Paraíba", "Mangaratiba", "Baião-de-Dois", "No Meu Pé de Serra" ("There In My Homeland"), "Assum Preto" ("Blue-back Grassquit"), "Légua Tirana" ("Tyrannical league"), "Qui Nem Jiló" ("Like Solanum gilo", written with Humberto Teixeira. Other successful collaborations resulted in "Tá Bom Demais" ("It's Very Good") (with Onildo de Almeida), "Danado de Bom" ("Very Good") (with João Silva), "Dezessete e Setecentos" ("Seventeen And Seven hundred") and "Cortando o Pano" ("Cutting Cloth") (both with Miguel Lima).
Gonzaga died of natural causes at the age of 76.
Contrastes de Varzea Alegre
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
De Zé Felipe afamado
Onde o bode era marchante
E Jesus foi intimado
Sou da terra do arroz
Do sabido acabrunhado
Do calango carcereiro
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
Que o peru foi delegado
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
Que o sobrado é nos oitão
Houve três anos de guerra
Não morreu um só cristão
Onde o eleitor, amigo
Pra votar não faz questão
Elegeram pra prefeito
Numa só semana
Quatro nobres cidadãos
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
Meu amigo, em minha terra
Já pegou fogo no gelo
Apagaram com carbureto
Foi o maior desmantelo
São Brás lá é São Raimundo
Se festeja com muito zelo
O prefeito completava idade
Era de quatro em quatro anos
E nunca penteou o cabelo
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
Que o padre era casado
Enviuvou duas vezes
E depois foi ordenado
Ainda hoje reza missa
Os filhos já estão criados
O juiz é uma mulher
Finalmente, eu sou da terra
Onde o cruzeiro é isolado
Lalalailalalailalalailala
The song "Contrastes de Varzea Alegre" by Luiz Gonzaga is a conversation between two people, where one asks the other where he comes from. The chorus of the song repeats the response "Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café" meaning "I am from the land where coffee is made from the Mastruz plant." The verses of the song describe different aspects and contrasts of the town of Varzea Alegre, where the singer is from.
The singer talks about the famous people from his town, such as Zé Felipe and the bode (goat) marchante. They also mention that Jesus was once summoned in their town. The song talks about the different crops grown in Varzea Alegre, including rice and Mastruz. The singer highlights the political situation in the town, where electing four mayors in one week is not out of the norm. The chorus "Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café" ties all of these contrasts together, emphasizing that despite all these differences, they all come from a place where coffee is made from the Mastruz plant.
Line by Line Meaning
Mas diga moço, de onde você é?
But tell me, young man, where are you from?
Eu sou da terra que de Mastruz se faz café
I am from the land where coffee is made from Mastruz
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
My friend, I am from the land
De Zé Felipe afamado
Of the famous Zé Felipe
Onde o bode era marchante
Where the goat was a trader
E Jesus foi intimado
And Jesus was summoned
Sou da terra do arroz
I am from the land of rice
Do sabido acabrunhado
Of the wise and sad
Do calango carcereiro
Of the jailer lizard
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
My friend, I am from the land
Que o peru foi delegado
Where the turkey was appointed
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
My friend, I am from the land
Que o sobrado é nos oitão
Where the mansion is in the corners
Houve três anos de guerra
There were three years of war
Não morreu um só cristão
Not a single Christian died
Onde o eleitor, amigo
Where the voter, my friend
Pra votar não faz questão
Doesn't bother to vote
Elegeram pra prefeito
Elected for mayor
Numa só semana
In just one week
Quatro nobres cidadãos
Four noble citizens
Meu amigo eu sou da terra
My friend, I am from the land
Que o padre era casado
Where the priest was married
Enviuvou duas vezes
Was widowed twice
E depois foi ordenado
And then was ordained
Ainda hoje reza missa
Still says mass today
Os filhos já estão criados
The children are already grown up
O juiz é uma mulher
The judge is a woman
Finalmente, eu sou da terra
Finally, I am from the land
Onde o cruzeiro é isolado
Where the cross is isolated
Writer(s): Luiz Gonzaga Do Nascimento, Jose Clementino Do Nascimento Sobrinho
Contributed by Joseph L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tatá
Hino 👏👏👏 várzea Alegre, boa de mais!! só e longe.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Irandy Leandro
Eu sou de Várzea Alegre, terra dos contrastes, cantada por Luiz Gonzaga numa composição de Zé Clemetino.
CBT Online
Minha linda várzea Alegre!.👏❤️😍😃
CBT Online
A Terra Mais Feliz Do Brasil!.👏❤️😍😃
Francisco Monteiro
Sensacional obra da literatura musical popular brasileira de raiz nordestina. Nota:10.
Maria das Graças Almeida
Linda homenagem a terra do arroz
Oxente Coroinha
Eu sou de Várzea Alegre, a terra dos constrastes
General franklin Kilber
Ainda não conheço várzea Alegre mas conheço muitas cidades do ceará show
Natalía Oliveira
Ah minha terra ❤️
Rosimeire Bezerra
Saudades da minha cidade.