Alfredo Cristiano Keil (3 July 1850 – 4 October 1907) was a Portuguese

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and art collector. Keil is best known as the composer of the Portuguese national anthem, ''

A Portuguesa "" (; ) is the national anthem of Portugal. It was composed by Alfredo Keil and written by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça during the resurgent Nationalism, nationalist movement ignited by the 1890 British Ultimatum to Portugal concerning its Afric ...

''.

Life

Keil was born in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, the son of the tailor of the court, Johann Christian Keil (later João Cristiano Keil) and his wife Maria Josefina Stellflug, both of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

origin. The boy developed an interest in both painting and music; at the age of 12 he composed the work ''Pensée Musicale'' and dedicated it to his mother. After studying painting in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

with the German romantic painters

Wilhelm von Kaulbach Wilhelm von Kaulbach (15 October 18057 April 1874) was a Germans, German painter, noted mainly as a muralist, but also as a book illustrator. His murals decorate buildings in Munich. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Bio ...

and

August von Kreling August von Kreling (23 May 1818 – 23 April 1876) was a German sculptor and painter born in Osnabrück. He studied with Peter von Cornelius, and in 1853 became director of the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg. He became a member of the Munich A ...

, he returned to Portugal in 1870, due to the Franco-Prussian War. Back home, he developed into a sought-after romantic painter.

Painter

At the time, the art world was moving towards

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

and

Naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

generation, but Keil still gained success with his melancholic intimate scenes and landscapes. Despite never becoming a full-time painter – also developing interests in

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...

– he continued painting and exhibiting throughout his life, and left hundreds of works. Predominantly a landscape painter, he also painted other subjects such as the painting ''Leitura de uma carta'' (The reading of a letter) from 1874, which helped to establish him among the then dominant aristocracy as well as the wealthy bourgeoisie. His work met with high demand. In 1878 he signed up for the Paris exhibition and in 1886 he participated in the Madrid Exhibition, receiving the Decoration of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

. The highlight of his painting career was a well-attended solo exhibition in Lisbon, which took place in 1890.

Composer

In Portugal, Keil's status as a painter soon became overshadowed by his success in music and poetry. As a composer, he gained prominence and great success with his operas '' Donna Bianca'' (1888), ''Irene'' (1893) and ''Serrana'' (1899), then considered the best Portuguese

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

. Keil stood in close contact with composers such as

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...

and

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

– the latter the dedicatee of his successful opera ''Serrana''. With this opera in Portuguese, whose title can be translated as "The Woman from the Mountains", he attempted to break the dominance of foreign-language opera from France, Italy and Germany and to establish Portugal as a musical culture nation. ''Serrana'' is set in around 1820 and is about a woman who is caught between two men from rival villages. In 1890 , Keil was provoked by the British ultimatum to Portugal to compose the patriotic song ''A Portuguesa'', with lyrics by poet and playwright

Henrique Lopes de Mendonça Henrique Lopes de Mendonça (3 July 1856 – 24 August 1931) was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist, novella and short story writer, and naval officer. He wrote several plays, and with his friend, the composer Alfredo Keil, he wrote the ly ...

. The song became popular throughout the country and was officially adopted as the national anthem after the proclamation of the Republic in 1910. Keil did not live to see this lasting success. In 1907, he died in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

of the consequences of surgery to treat

Esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

. Then still-reigning King

Carlos I Carlos I may refer to: * Carlos I of Spain (1500–1558), also Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire *Carlos I of Portugal (1863–1908), King of Portugal *Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Bo ...

visited his funeral, along with many other artists. His grave is in the Cemitério dos Prazeres cemetery in Lisbon. A memorial plaque for Keil, now a national icon, was placed in the Jardim Alfredo Keil at Praça da Alegria, near Lisbon's central

Avenida da Liberdade Avenida da Liberdade ( Portuguese for ''"Avenue of Liberty"'') is a boulevard in central Lisbon, Portugal. It ranks among the most expensive streets in Europe, with property costing over €9,000 per sqm. Originating in the '' Passeio Públic ...

Writer

Among Keil's publications, the book ''Tojos e Rosmaninhos'' stands out.Digitized version of ''Tojos e Rosmaninhos''. Portuguese National Library
/ref> It was a work in three volumes, inspired by the legends and traditions of the area of

Ferreira do Zêzere Ferreira do Zêzere (, ) is a portuguese municipality in the historical Ribatejo portuguese province and in Santarém District The District of Santarém ( ) is a district of Portugal, located in Portugal's West and Tagus Valley region. The di ...

, where Keil had spent much time and where he wrote the opera ''Serrana''.

Family

Keil married Cleyde Maria Margarida Cinatti, daughter of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

parents Giuseppe Luigi Cinatti and Margherita Rivolto. They had four children: Joana Maria Francisca Cinatti Keil, Guida Maria Josefina Cinatti Keil, Luís Cristiano Cinatti Keil and Paulo Henrique Cinatti Keil. Their son Luís (1881 – 1947) was an art historian and art critic, who collaborated with José de Figueiredo in establishing the Portuguese National Museum of Ancient Art.

Compositions (selection)

Opera

*''Susana'', comic opera in 1 act (premiered 1883 in Lisbon) *''Donna Bianca'', lyric drama in 4 acts (1893) *''Irena'', lyrical drama in 4 acts (1893) *''Serrana'', lyrical darma in 4 acts (1899) *''A Índia'' (unfinished) *''Simão Ruivo'' (unfinished)

Orchestral

*''Patria'', Secular Cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra (1884) *''Uma Caçada na Corte'',

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

(1885) *''Orientais'', Secular Cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra (1886) *''A Portugueza'', Hymn for soloists, choir and orchestra (1890) *''Hino do Infante D. Henrique'', Hymn for soloists, choir and orchestra (1890) *''Marcha de Gualdim Pais'' (1895) *''Poema de Primavera'', Secular Cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra (pub. 1930) *''A Morte'', Incidental music for orchestra

Songs

*''Six Mélodies'', Op. 14 *''Manuelinas'', Song cycle *''Cantiga de Cego'', Op. 101 *''Sacrilégio'', Op. 103 *''Promessas'', Op. 102

Other music

*''Beauté'' in E major, for piano. *''O meu lindo país azul'' for piano (later adopted into ''A Portugueza'') *''12 Mélodies'', Op. 9 *''Impressions poétiques. Douze mélodies pour le piano seul'', Op. 12, for piano. *''Fado'', Op. 75 *''À printemps'' in D major, for piano or 2 guitars.

Paintings

References

External links

Bio, Catalogue and Audio Samples
*
''Tojos e rosmaninhos''
Lisbon 1907, at the

National Library of Portugal The (Portuguese language, Portuguese for ''National Library of Portugal'') is the Portugal, Portuguese national library. History The library was created by Decree of 29 February 1796, under the name of Royal Public Library of the Court (). T ...