René Bittencourt

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Genres

mpb, samba

Biography

René Bittencourt Costa was born on Paquetá Island, in Rio de Janeiro, on December 23, 1907. Throughout his career, he stood out not only as a composer, but also as a journalist and artistic manager, playing a prominent role in the Brazilian cultural scene of the first half of the 20th century.

In addition to his creative production, he had a strong institutional involvement in the defense of copyright. He was an active member of the Brazilian Society of Authors, Composers and Music Writers (SBACEM), where he served on the deliberative board and participated in finance and repertoire committees, contributing to the organization of the artistic class of the time.

His relevance in Brazilian popular music is attested by his inclusion in important reference works, such as the Encyclopedia of Brazilian Popular Music by Marcos Antônio Marcondes and the Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music by Sylvio Tullio Cardoso, associating his name with great composers and researchers of the genre such as Ary Vasconcelos. He passed away in his hometown on November 21, 1979, leaving his name marked in the history of our song.