Alceu Valença

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**Alceu Valença** (born July 1, 1946 in São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil) is a Brazilian composer, writer, performer, actor, and poet.

Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music) in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.

Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate Northeastern traditional music, like baião, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.

## Biography

Alceu Valença was born in São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. When he was young, he used to listen songs by Dalva de Oliveira, Orlando Silva, Sílvio Caldas etc. When he was 5 years old, he participated in a music contest, singing a song by Capiba. Some years later, his mother got sick and his family moved to Recife to live in his aunt's house. In this period, Valença got interested in some musical instruments, such as acoustic guitar and viola. However, he only won his own guitar when he was 15.

In 1970, Valença earned a law degree at the Recife Law School. However, he only followed the career for a few of months. In fact, in the early 1970s, the reason he had no time for a law career was that he had already launched into a musical direction.

He started his musical career in 1968, with the group Underground Tamarineira Village, later known as Ave Sangria. He also played with Zé Ramalho and Elba Ramalho during this period. In 1972, he joined Geraldo Azevedo. Together, they participated of many festivals and, in that same years, recorded their first album: *Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo*, also known as *Quadrafônico*.

Along his career, Valença recorded more than 20 albums and travelled around many countries, such as Portugal, France and United States. Actually, he is considered one of the greatest exponents of the music of Pernambuco.

Finally, with the 2013 release of *Três Tons de Alceu Valença*, a box with the oldies *Cinco Sentidos* (1981), *Anjo Avesso* (1983) and *Mágico* (1984) all of Alceu Valença's solo work is available on CD. In 2014, his album *Amigo da Arte* was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Roots Album.

## Discography

* 1974: *A Noite do Espantalho*, Continental (soundtrack, movie by Sérgio Ricardo, with Alceu Valença and Geraldo Azevedo)
* 1974: *Molhado de suor*, Som Livre
* 1976: *Vivo!*, Som Livre
* 1977: *Espelho cristalino*, Som Livre
* 1979: *Saudade de Pernambuco*, released in 1998 as a supplement of the newspaper Jornal da Tarde
* 1980: *Coração bobo*, Ariola
* 1981: *Cinco sentidos*, Ariola
* 1982: *Cavalo de pau*, Ariola
* 1983: *Anjo avesso*, Ariola
* 1984: *Mágico*, Barclay
* 1985: *Estação da luz*, RCA Victor
* 1985: *Ao vivo*, Barclay/Polygram
* 1986: *Rubi*, RCA Victor
* 1987: *Leque moleque*, BMG Ariola
* 1988: *Oropa, França e Bahia*, BMG Ariola

* 1992: *7 desejos*, EMI Odeon
* 1994: *Maracatus, batuques e ladeiras*, BMG Ariola
* 1996: *O grande encontro*, BMG Brasil, with Elba Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo and Zé Ramalho
* 1997: *Sol e chuva*, Som Livre
* 1998: *Forró de todos os tempos*, Oásis/Sony Music
* 1999: *Todos os cantos*, Abril Music
* 2001: *Forró lunar*, Columbia
* 2002: *De janeiro a janeiro*
* 2003: *Ao vivo em todos os sentidos*, Indie Records/Universal Music
* 2005: *Na embolada do tempo*, Indie Records/Universal Music
* 2006: *Marco Zero ao vivo, Indie Records*
* 2009: *Ciranda mourisca*, Biscoito Fino
* 2014: *Amigo da Arte*, Deck
* 2014: *Valencianas*, Deck, with Orquestra Ouro Preto

DVD* 2003: Ao vivo em todos os sentidos
* 2006: Marco Zero ao vivo
* 2014: Valencianas, with Orquestra Ouro Preto

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Alceu Valença: Biografia". *Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Alceu Valença". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
3. ↑ "Alceu Valença: Release". *Música de Pernambuco* (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2010. Unknown parameter `|deadurl=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help)
4. ↑ "Nominados - 15a Entrega Anual del Latin Grammy". *Latin Grammy Awards official website* (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2014.
5. ↑ "Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo - Quadrafônico". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
6. ↑ "Molhado de suor". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
7. ↑ "Vivo". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
8. ↑ "Espelho cristalino". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
9. ↑ "Coração bobo". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
10. ↑ "Cinco sentidos". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
11. ↑ "Cavalo de pau". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
12. ↑ "Anjo avesso". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
13. ↑ "Mágico". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
14. ↑ "Estação da luz". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
15. ↑ "Ao vivo". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
16. ↑ "Rubi". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
17. ↑ "Leque moleque". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
18. ↑ "Oropa, França e Bahia". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
19. ↑ "Andar andar". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
20. ↑ "7 desejos". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
21. ↑ "Maracatus, batuques e ladeiras". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
22. ↑ "O grande encontro". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
23. ↑ "Sol e chuva". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
24. ↑ "Forró de todos os tempos". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
25. ↑ "Todos os cantos". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
26. ↑ "Forró lunar". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
27. ↑ "De janeiro a janeiro". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
28. ↑ "Ao vivo em todos os sentidos". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
29. ↑ "Embolada do tempo". *Cliquemusic* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
30. ↑ "Marco Zero ao vivo". *Discos do Brasil* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.
31. ↑ "Ciranda mourisca". *Discos do Brasil* (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 March 2010.

## External links

* Official Alceu Valença website
* The Music of Alceu Valença independent site with all the lyrics and sound clips
* Alceu Valença at NordesteWeb
* Template:Imdb name
* MTV's Alceu Valença page
* Alceu Valença at Música de Pernambuco