“Carlos Gomes’s Last Days,” a 1899 painting by Domenico de Angelis and Giovanni Capranesi.
In the eve of the end of the monarchy, Carlos Gomes was still awaiting his appointment as the director of the Conservatório de Música in Brazil. During this time, the republic was established through a coup in 1889, and his great friend and protector, Dom Pedro II, was exiled. The newly installed republic’s government offered him the sum of 20,000$000 (twenty million réis) to compose a new national anthem, but the maestro refused out of respect for the deposed emperor. Carlos Gomes passed away in 1896 due to a malignant throat tumor.
Reference: Collection of the Belém Art Museum
Matheus Araújo
Matheus Araújo is the founder and editor of Brazilian History. Born in Rio de Janeiro and holding a degree in Advertising and Marketing, his passion for history led him to enroll at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, where he is currently pursuing a degree in History Education.
