Ismael Silva

Part of Brazil's legacy of samba pioneers, composer and singer Ismael Silva (1905-1978) represented an elite group of the genre's innovators or sambistas, and set the tone for a more creative and edgy approach. From the famous Rio neighborhood of Estácio (regarded as the "cradle of samba") emerged a group of artists such as Silva who would forge a new sound as well as forever change the landscape of Rio's Carnaval with the formation of the first escola de samba, Deixa Falar (Let Them Speak), in 1928.

Following in the footsteps of samba's founding fathers (such as Pixinguinha and Donga), Ismael Silva was a member of a new generation of musicians in a group collectively called the
Turma do Estácio (Estácio Gang), and became one of the most important composers of the genre into the decades of the 1930s and 40s. Known for his creative melodies and strong poetic imagery, Silva joined other now-legendary sambistas such as Nilton Bastos, Bide and Armando Marçal and began introducing new elements into the previously jaunty samba, slowing down the tempo and adding sophisticated harmony.

Perhaps the most important contribution made by the group was the formation of the very first escola de samba (samba school) known as Deixa Falar in 1928, and from that point onward the escolas would form a critical part of the Carnaval tradition in Rio (and throughout Brazil and beyond). The name of the group was an ironic reference to a neighborhood school near the group's first meeting place, but would resonate into the future as the escola became the signature grouping or contingent associated with the annual celebration of carnival in Brazil.

Deixa Falar, like all future escolas, was a social organization devoted to making music and parading through the streets. Although disbanded in 1933, Deixa Falar set the pace for the creation of all future samba schools in Brazil. Silva's many famous sambas would have a profound influence on future musicians such as Milton Nascimento and Chico Buarque, and with national support and the height of the radio boom, Silva's music would become part of Brazil's official sound in the first half of the 20th century. —Rebeca Mauleon