Folklore manifestation in the musical heritage of Komitas Vardapet and Heitor Villa-Lobos: A comparative study

Resumo

This article examines and compares key episodes from the life and career of Komitas Vardapet (1869–1935), an Armenian pioneer of national music, ethnomusicologist, choirmaster, and teacher—and Brazilian composer, conductor, folklorist, and teacher Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959). Attention is paid to their decisive contribution to the collection, preservation, and scientific systematization of musical folklore, thanks to which folk music was transformed from an oral practice into an object of artistic interpretation and academic research within the relevant national contexts. It reveals the prerequisites that shaped their musical paths, as well as the influences and cultural ties that contributed to their artistic development.  In a comparative context, the article explores the composers' motivations for valuing folklore and the aesthetic strategies through which it was integrated into their creative practice. A comparative analysis of their piano cycles for children further shows how folk material was reinterpreted in a pedagogical context in accordance with contemporary educational ideals. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that both composers approached folklore through different artistic visions, integrating contemporary compositional techniques into a close dialogue with folkloric idioms, thereby reinterpreting folklore as a dynamic foundation for 20th-century academic music and national musical thought.