Searching for the Origins of the Portuguese Waltzes - Hardcover

by Irene Maria F. Blayer (Editor), Dulce Maria Scott (Editor), Richard Simas (Author)

Searching for the Origins of the Portuguese Waltzes is a collection of narratives depicting a six-year quest to discover the roots of a piece of traditional music played in St. John's, Newfoundland: the Portuguese Waltzes. Through interviews, research, and observations, author Richard Simas explores the relationship between Portuguese bacalhoeiros (cod fishermen) and the population of St. John's during the recent cod-fishing era (approximately 1950 to 1980). Memory, and its varying interpretation among different communities, is a major underlying theme. Above all, though, this is a book about music, shared, invented, and improvised, underscoring the power of melody to capture and conserve emotional memory across the Atlantic.

Author Biography

Richard Simas, a freelance writer with a background in literature, music, and the performing arts, publishes regularly in contemporary art and literary reviews. His book The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzes was published in 2019 and was a finalist in the 2020 Indie Publisher Awards.