Chôros No. 6 is an orchestral work written between 1925 and 1942 by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. It is part of a series of fourteen numbered compositions collectively titled Chôros, ranging from solos for guitar and for piano up to works scored for soloist or chorus with orchestra or multiple orchestras, and in duration up to over an hour. Chôros No. 6 is one of the longer compositions in the series, lasting about 25 minutes in performance. History According to the score and the official catalog of the Museu Villa-Lobos, Chôros No. 6 was composed in Rio de Janeiro in 1926, and the score was dedicated to Arminda Neves d'Almeida, in 1936. It was premiered in Rio de Janeiro on 18 July 1942 by the Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro Municipal, conducted by the composer. However, Lisa Peppercorn casts doubt on the date of composition, based on the fact that it was Villa-Lobos's habit to secure premieres of his works as soon as they were completed. In her opinion, the delay between the nominal date of composition and that of the world premiere suggests that, although the score may have been begun or at least conceived in 1926, it was probably not completed until shortly before the premiere in 1942. Based on his detailed analysis of the score, Guilherme Seixas concludes that stylistic considerations do not support a date of completion as early as the mid-1920s, and agrees with Peppercorn's hypothesis. In a 1929 article, Suzanne Demarquez reported that Villa-Lobos had described Chôros No. 6 to her as a chamber-music composition, scored for "un curieux ensemble de petite clarinette, trompette, bombardine et guitar" (a strange ensemble of E-flat clarinet, trumpet, euphonium, and guitar), which is completely at odds with the large-scale orchestral composition finally unveiled in 1942. Instrumentation Chôros No. 6 is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 piccolos, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, tam-tam, surdo, camisão (small and large), snare drum, coco, roncador, tamborim de samba, tambu-tambi, suspended cymbal with metal beater, cuíca, reco-reco, xylophone, glockenspiel) celesta, 2 harps, and strings. Analysis The composer describes the general harmonic atmosphere of the work as having The opening melody, played by a flute (one of the most typical instruments of the improvising choro ensembles) is a seresteiro theme, sharply