Vinicius de Moraes

Vinícius de Moraes
Vinícius de Moraes in Paris, 1970.
Born	Marcus Vinicius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (1913-10-19)19 October 1913 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died	9 July 1980(1980-07-09) (aged 66) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Pen name	"O Poetinha"
Occupation	poet lyricist essayist playwright diplomat
Nationality	Brazilian
Alma mater	Rio de Janeiro State University
Literary movement	Modernism

Marcus Vinicius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (October 19, 1913 – July 9, 1980), also known as Vinícius de Moraes (Portuguese pronunciation: [viˈnisjus dʒi ˈmoɾajs]) and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, lyricist, essayist and playwright who became a seminal figure in modern Brazilian music and literature. He served as a national diplomat, composed his own bossa nova music and, as an interpreter of his own lyrics, recorded several significant albums.

Born Marcus Vinicius da Cruz e Mello Moraes, to Clodoaldo da Silva Pereira Moraes, a public servant and Lidia Cruz - a housewife and amateur pianist - Vinícius was born in 1913 in Gávea, then a rural suburb of Rio de Janeiro. In 1916, he moved with his family to various addresses at the downtown quarter of Botafogo, where he attended classes at Afrânio Peixoto Primary School. In 1920, through his maternal grandfather, he gained entrance at a Masonic lodge. In 1922, Moraes' parents, shocked at the 18 of the Copacabana Fort revolt, were to move to another suburb, Governador Island, while young Vinícius stayed at his grandfather's downtown home in order to finish primary school, going to his parents' home only at weekends and during holidays. During his visits to his folks' home, Vinícius was to get in touch with various musicians, among them the composer Bororó.

After receiving first communion in 1923, from 1924 on Vinícius de Moraes attended high school at the traditional Jesuit-sponsored St. Ignatius School, where he sang in the congregation choir and began to write short theatrical sketches (as well as an "epic" piece in tandem with two schoolmates, among them Raul Pompéia's nephew). Three years later, he became friends with the brothers Paulo and Haroldo Tapajós, with whom he assembled his first musical compositions, which were performed at friends' parties. In 1929 he completed high school, as his family moved back to Gávea. This same year, he was admitted to the Faculty of Law at the University of Rio de Janeiro - nowadays the Law School of the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) - which until 1937 was located at a mansion in downtown Rio (Casarão do Catete). At the "School of Catete", he met and became friends with essayist and future novelist Octavio de Faria, an activist integrist Catholic and a leader of the group of rightwing Catholics organized around Centro Dom Vital, a think-tank created by intellectual Jackson de Figueiredo shortly before his untimely death.