Henrique Oswald (1852 - 1931) Brésil Henrique Oswald (April 14, 1852 in Rio de Janeiro ? June 9, 1931) was a Brazilian composer and pianist whose work fell into disfavor after the "Semana de Arte Moderna" manifesto. Oswald's father was a Swiss-German immigrant and his mother from Italy. The family name was changed from 'Oschwald' due to concerns of discrimination. His mother taught music privately to aristocrats and by age twelve he had his first recital. His 'farewell recital' occurred at age 16, after this he went to study in Europe.[1]
He studied in Europe then spent several years in Florence. In 1902 he won a piano competition sponsored by Le Figaro.[2] From 1903 to 1906 he directed the Instituto Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro.