BIOGRAPHY

Having lost his father when he was six, José Maurício showed, since his early years, interest in music, by improvising on the harpsichord and viola and singing in the church choir. At 16, he composed Tota Pulchra es Maria. At 25, he took the holy orders; six years later, he was named chapel master of the Rio de Janeiro cathedral. In 1808, with the arrival of the Portuguese royal family at Brazil, he became the chapel master, organist and professor of the recently created Royal Chapel. After the death of his mother, bad health led him to remain nearly exclusively at home. In addition to sacred and dramatic music, he is author of symphonies, popular songs and divertimentos.