He first studied music with his father, who was a 'cellist, which may account for his predilection for writing prominent parts for the 'cello in many of his best pieces. As a very young man, Villa Lobos traveled throughout Brazil as a concert pianist. It was only in 1912, when Villa Lobos took part in a scientific expedition to the interior of the country, that he first heard Brazilian folklore, which deeply influenced his own music.