#BlackHistoryMonth:
José Mauricio Nunes Garcia (1767-1830) was a Roman Catholic priest and one of several accomplished Afro-Brazilian composers during the Portuguese colonial period. Each of his parents was the child of an African slave and a White plantation owner. Most of his music was liturgical; about 240 works survive. In 1817 Padre José Mauricio Nunes Garcia wrote Brazil’s first opera, Le Due Gemelle (The Two Twins),which was later destroyed by fire.
