The Brazilian composer behind "Parabéns Pra Você" also wrote gospel pieces and conducted orchestras.
For something beyond the birthday tune, try "Não Esqueça o Primeiro Amor" or "Novo Homem." They show the other side of his writing.
Most people know his melody without knowing his name. "Parabéns Pra Você" became a global standard, though Silva spent years defending its authorship against claims it borrowed from an American folk song. Beyond that one tune, he wrote gospel songs like "Não Esqueça o Primeiro Amor" and worked with major Brazilian artists.
He studied classical piano and composition, then played with the Orquestra Sinfônica Nacional in the mid-1950s. After composing the birthday song in 1968, he continued writing other pieces and conducting orchestras in Brazil.
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