O Terramoto de Lisboa is the title of the symphonic poem premiered by Armando José Fernandes in October 1962 at the Pavilhão dos Desportos (now Pavilhão Carlos Lopes). Commissioned by the Lisbon City Council, the work was meant to musically evoke the seismic disaster of 1755, one of the most significant events in the modern history of Lisbon.
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In 1962, the Lisbon City Council commissioned a series of symphonic poems intended to “exalt the history and life of the City.” The premieres took place over two concerts titled Lisbon and Music, both performed by the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1953 by conductor Fernando Cabral. The first concert, held on June 13—St. Anthony’s Day—featured The Ruins of Carmo by Joly Braga Santos, The Castle of Lisbon by Ruy Coelho, The Aqueduct of Águas Livres by Wenceslau Pinto, and Alfama by José Domingos Brandão. On October 25, the program included A Red Candle by Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos, The Brooms of Monsanto by António Victorino d’Almeida, the symphony Os Jerónimos by Frederico de Freitas, and The Lisbon Earthquake by Armando José Fernandes.
At the time, Armando José Fernandes was one of Portugal’s most prestigious composers. Having received several composition awards in the 1940s, he was part of the Musical Studies Office of the National Radio and taught composition at the Lisbon Conservatory. Among his most notable works were the ballet The Man with the Carnation in His Mouth, Fantasy on Portuguese Popular Themes, the Violin Concerto, and the Suite for String Orchestra.
The Lisbon Earthquake continues to use the neoclassical resources and touches of traditional music that characterize his work. The symphonic poem genre itself allowed freedom from formal conventions. While maintaining coherent development of rhythmic and melodic motifs, the piece is structured as a succession of contrasting episodes. After awakening, it paints a picturesque portrait of the city in the splendor of its daily routine: “Colorful Lisbon plays with the Tagus River, and the carriages of the great gentlemen leave the beautiful estates in the outskirts on their way to the city palaces.” At one point, church bells and the Introit of the Mass are heard—a direct reference to All Saints’ Day. Following this is a choral polyphony resembling a prayer, which recalls a Kyrie melody by Renaissance composer Duarte Lobo.
Amid this contemplative mood, the looming threat arises suddenly. Chaotic percussion rhythms and dissonances break through: “The earth trembles, the alarm sounds. Untamable forces shake the buildings more and more. Structures crack and collapse, fires spread, disasters multiply.” Finally, calm returns, accompanied by shock and desolation. The first cries are heard in a funeral march. The dramatic tension thickens with inconclusive harmonic sequences and scattered responses from the orchestra’s sections. “Piercing screams, tears of pain and mourning fill the air!”—evoking the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony. “But one man assumes responsibility for governance: The Marquis of Pombal, dignified, clear-sighted, courageous, stern.” The finale prepares itself with the resolute rhythm of a military march. The hero is announced, who “manages to master terror, suppress crime, impose order.” The piece exalts the resilience of a people and their spirit to “rebuild, raise a new Lisbon!”
Rui Campos Leitão
Photography: On the occasion of the concert at the Pavilhão dos Desportos on October 25, 1962; Armando José Fernandes standing before the President of the Portuguese Republic Américo Tomás and the President of the Lisbon City Council António Vitorino da França Borges, accompanied by the other composers of the program.
Source: Municipal Magazine No. 95