Gaucho Corta-Jaca

Gaucho Corta-Jaca (1895)

Brazilian Tango

Francisca Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935)

Saxophone Quartet SATB

Gaucho or Corta Jaca is a Brazilian tango (maxixe) composed by Chiquinha Gonzaga. Darius Milhaud borrowed the tune to use in his ballet Le Boeuf sur le Toit.

This arrangement of Gaucho/Corta Jaca is for SATB saxophone quartet and is in the original keys.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• Audio and score excerpts are available above.
• Registered users can download a complete sample score and full length audio file of Gaucho Corta-Jaca on the ‘Samples’ tab.

About the Composer

Francisca Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935)

Chiquinha Gonzaga was a strong, independent woman at a time and place where that was not acceptable. She was born into a well-off Brazilian military family and received an education designed to make her a good wife. After she married, her husband told her to choose him or music. She chose music. Her husband and family abandoned her. Chiquinha was forced to rely on her music to make a living. Against all odds she became very successful. She was the first Brazilian female conductor and the first composer of the carnivale march genre (with “Ô Abre Alas”). Gonzaga became an extremely successful composer with several hundred compositions credited to her. She was also worked to end slavery and for Brazilian independence.