Between Histories and Songs: Cornelio Pires and Campesino Culture (Sao Paulo, 1920-1950)

This article, inserted in the perspective of cultural history and the history of music, is focused on the trajectory of the public figure of a cultural promoter, Cornelio Pires, who tried to preserve the culture of village life, extending it through publications, sound recordings, and show productions (staging and music, presenting violeros and bands), and making its dissemination possible through radio broadcasts. In contrast to the urban transformations experienced in the city of sao Paulo, representations of the countryside and life in the interior emerge that constitute different currents which express esteem for the paleto or campesino man and then criticize him. It is in this context that the article traces the trajectory, performance, and production of Cornelio Pires.