Vasco Martins


Vasco Martins was a Cape Verdean musician and composer. He lived in Calhau, Cape Verde.
WWW vascomartins.com

Life and career

Martins was born in Queluz, Portugal in 1956.
Self-taught, he began his studies in 1974. He was a member of the band Colá in 1976 but then went to Portugal where he studied with Fernando Lopes Graça and later to France to pursue his musical education with Henri-Claude Fantapié. In 1979, he recorded his first LP. He returned to Cape Verde, and it was there that he created most of his work as a composer and instrumentalist, but also as musicologist and producer. He organized and founded the Baía das Gatas Music Festival along with his friends in 1984, the first music festival in the nation. He released more albums, including Quinto Mundo, Eternal Cycle, Memórias Atlânticas and Lunário Perpétio. He released 4 Sinfonias in August 2007 which is related to his first four symphonies he made. His album Lua água clara, a CD, was recorded in Paris in 2008. He later made Li Sin which was released in June 2010, one of his singles was first heard on Praia FM. Nearly two years later in January 2012, he released Azuris, titled after the Latin word for blue. His last album was Twelve Moons, released in Spring 2014.
Martins died on 27 November 2025, at the age of 69.

Other works

Vasco Martins was the first Cape Verdean to ever compose symphonies. His first one was related to the Spring Equinox. His second symphony was started in 1998 and completed in 2002 and titled Erupção, after the last eruption at the time which was on Fogo, it was revised in 2004. His third one was titled Arquipélaco magnético, the Magnetic Archipelago, and his fourth one was titled Buda Dharma made in 2001. The fifth one was set in the Eastern parts and divided into six parts: the first four were the directions, the other two were in space and titled nadir and zenith. The sixth one was set in his family's island's tallest summit, Monte Verde, which was also Pandion halieatus. The seventh one was Alba, the eighth was titled A Procura da Luz and the ninth one was for orchestra and was performed with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Martins also made works related to instrumentals, including 4 Notes on the City of Mindelo using a solo clarinet. He also performed chamber music, piano works including Piano Azul in 1998, guitar works including the Subtle Desert and electro music.
In 2008, he performed the opera play titled Crioulo. It premiered at Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon on 27 March 2009, he was composer and performed the cantata "Lágrimas na Paraise".
He also wrote three poems, Universo da Ilha in 1986, Navegam os olhares com o voo do pássaro, in 1989 and Run Shan in 2008.

Interviews

Martins was interviewed on 10 October 1997 with FM Stéreo and later with the major newspaper A Semana on 23 April 2005.

Musical styles

In the Cape Verdean musical panorama, Vasco Martins may be considered unique. A composer who refused to be labeled, he may be considered a classical musician because of his incursions into symphonic orchestra music, but he may also be considered a new age musician because of his instrumental compositions, mostly using synthesizers, but in both cases, he was always inspired by traditional Cape Verdean music.

Compositions

Symphonies

Symphony No. 1: "Celebração do equinócio de Março"
  • 1998–2002 rev. 2004: Symphony No. 2:: "Erupção", for orchestraSymphony No. 3 "Arquipélago magnético", for orchestra
  • # Assim
  • # melodicamente em três partes
  • # Final generoso
  • 2001: Symphony No. 4: "Buda Dharma",, for orchestra
  • Symphony No. 5: "Oriente", for orchestra
  • # norte
  • # este
  • # oeste
  • # sul
  • # nadir
  • # zenite Symphony No. 6: "Monte Verde" , for orchestraSymphony No. 7: "Alba", for orchestraSymphony No. 8: "A procura da Luz" , for orchestraSymphony No. 9, for orchestra

Instrumental music

4 Notas na cidade do Mindelo, solo clarinetAnámnesis, guitarConcert, guitarDôs temp p'um valsa, clarinet, in São Vicente CriouloMusique pour adoucir le Coeur, in French

Other works

  • 1989 Danças de Câncer, symphonic suite
  • # Abertura
  • # Pulsações
  • # Noites mágicas
  • # Terra vulcânica A garça por cima das ondasClara Luz, Golfinhos no horizonteOceano no coração Calmas tardes no Monte Verde
  • ''Tardes caminhando''

Discography

Albums

  • 1979: Vibrações
  • 1985: Para além da noite
  • 1987: Oceano imenso
  • 1989: Quinto mundo
  • 1995: Quiet moments
  • 1995: Ritual periférico
  • 1995: Eternal cycle
  • 1996: Island of the secret sounds
  • 1997: Sublime delight
  • 1997: Memórias atlânticas
  • 1998: Danças de Câncer
  • 2000: Apeiron
  • 2001: Dôs
  • 2001: Lunário perpétuo
  • 2007: 4 sinfonias
  • 2009: Lua água clara
  • 2010: Li Sin
  • 2012: Azuris
  • 2014: Twelve Moons

Chamber music

  • Primeiras Meditações, with a flute, cello piano, violin and a guitar
  • Azul Ibérico, string quartet
  • Azul Caboverdiano, string quartet

Piano works

  • Piano Azul
  • Amendoeira celeste
  • AmornandoLua de Abril Lua de Dezembro Luz e sombra no deserto Memória da água OrionPeregrinações
  • ''Ventos oceânicos''

Guitar works

Deserto subtil Estudo Gesto flutuanteMolto continuumNum varandaPrelúdioSattva
  • ''Situações triangulares''

Electronic music

ApeironDivinas of S. NicolauLunario Perpetuo Ocean-LightOcean and MoonSarva Mangalam
  • ''Sublime Delight''

Literary works

  • Música Tradicional Cabo-verdiana
  • *''Vol. I − A morna''

Poems

  • Universo da Ilha, 1986
  • Navegam os olhares com o voo do pássaro, 1989
  • Run Shan, 2008