Milton Villela

Origin

Juiz de Fora, MG

Also known as

Milton Luiz Villela Mascarenhas

Years Active

1949–1975

Genres

samba-choro, carnival samba, MPB

Instruments

acoustic guitar

Biography

Milton Luiz Villela Mascarenhas, known as Milton Villela, was a Brazilian composer born in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, in 1927. His work, concentrated between the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, mainly encompasses samba-choro and carnival samba. Despite having lived a good part of his life in Rio de Janeiro, his connection with Juiz de Fora is marked by his family's influence and local musical historiography. Villela passed away in 1983, at the age of 56, but his work continues to yield copyright royalties to his children.

From an early age, Milton Villela showed an interest in Brazilian popular music, influenced by the recordings of artists like Noel Rosa and Carmen Miranda that his father listened to. He learned to play the acoustic guitar with Júlio de Oliveira and soon moved on to composition. His music, often classified as samba-choro, is characterized by being closer to traditional samba, especially carnival samba, than to instrumental choro. Among his notable partnerships are "Teco-teco", with Pereira da Costa, which was recorded by artists like Ademilde Fonseca and Gal Costa, and "Baiana Tereza", with Hélio Nascimento, recorded by Blecaute.

Milton Villela's work is a portrait of a specific period in Brazilian music, which began to lose ground to genres like Bossa Nova and Jovem Guarda. In addition to his musical contributions, Villela also stood out for his social engagement, having composed the song "Maior presidente", dedicated to Getúlio Vargas and used by the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB). His daughter, Maria de Lourdes Ferreira Mascarenhas, recounts that, despite coming from a wealthy family, Milton and his grandmother possessed a great sensitivity towards social injustices.