The Eight Brazilian Ballads are my very personal voyage through the world of old Brazilian folk songs. These "cantigas de roda" (as they are called in Brazil) are usually very short melodies easy enough to be sung by children. The cantigas I chose for my duets happen to be all in an eight bar design. Their harmonic structure is very simple, most of it built on tonic, subdominant and dominant chords. Although the eight Brazilian Ballads are written in a 20th century sound language I made sure to keep their folk song harmonic design.

Although the work is not programme music, I eventually use sound effects that are related to what the piece's story tells. For example, Cai, Cai Balao! is related to a very traditional celebration in the Northeast area from Brazil, the Sao Joao (Saint John's day), when people launch paper balloons and burn fireworks. The left hand staccato sevenths try to imitate the crackle of fire works. In Ballad no. 8, Garibaldi, I emphasize the mood of the comic story of a man (Garibaldi) who jumps from a mad horse in order to save his life as he goes to church.

One of the most important characteristics of Brazilian music is its rhythm. In the Eight Brazilian Ballads the performers need to judiciously follow its rhythmic patterns in order to bring the work to life.