Carinhoso for Clarinet Quintet: A Beloved Choro‑Song by Pixinguinha

VIDEO

The great Pixinguinha, whose real name was Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1897 and died in the same city in 1973. He was a composer, author of hundreds of choros, musician (flutist and saxophonist), conductor, arranger, and undoubtedly one of the pillars of modern Brazilian popular music. The choro‑song Carinhoso is Pixinguinha's most famous work, with hundreds of recordings worldwide, and remains one of the icons of Brazilian popular music. Its exact date of composition is uncertain, possibly created between 1923 and 1925, or perhaps in the previous decade. The piece was first recorded in 1928 in an instrumental version. Later, Carinhoso received lyrics by João de Barro (see below), and over time it became the most recorded Brazilian song in history.

In the video above, you can listen to my Carinhoso for clarinet quintet arrangement, featuring four soprano clarinets and one bass clarinet. It is a relatively simple arrangement: I recorded the four soprano clarinets, while the bass clarinet was performed by my Peruvian colleague Marco Antonio Mazzini (director of Clariperu). This recording was made "remotely," with parts recorded in Buenos Aires and Lima. In the video, you can follow the score of the 1st clarinet, which carries the melody from beginning to end, although the performance is quite free and often deviates from the written score. I hope you enjoy it.

Pixinguinha (1897–1973), Brazilian composer and musician, author of the iconic choro-song “Carinhoso.”

Lyrics of Carinhoso (by João de Barro):

Meu coração, não sei por quê

Bate feliz quando te vê

E os meus olhos ficam sorrindo

E pelas ruas vão te seguindo

Mas mesmo assim foges de mim

Ah, se tu soubesses

Como sou tão carinhoso

E o muito, muito que te quero

E como é sincero o meu amor

Eu sei que tu não fugirias mais de mim

Vem, vem, vem, vem

Vem sentir o calor dos lábios meus

À procura dos teus

Vem matar esta paixão

Que me devora o coração

E só assim então serei feliz

Bem feliz

Meu coração

---

I hope you enjoyed this arrangement of Carinhoso for clarinet quintet. If you liked the article, you can leave a star rating and a comment below – I’d love to hear your thoughts!