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''Maestro'' '''António Fortunato de Figueiredo''' (20 August 1903&nbsp;– 1981) was a famous [[Goa]]n conductor and violinist. He was India's first conductor of Western classical music.

==Early life==
António was born in [[Nacordá]], near [[Loutolim]], in [[Goa]], then known as [[Portuguese India]], the son of Gabriel de Figueiredo and Ermelinda Parras e Figueiredo.  He learnt the first rudiments of music at primary school under the local teacher. Whilst studying at the Lyceum of [[Panjim]], he learnt the Violin and soon became an accomplished player. He went to [[Portugal]] in 1927 to pursue an Arts degree at the [[University of Lisbon]], but transferred to the [[National Conservatory of Lisbon]] (''Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]), graduating with a Higher Education Degree in Violin in 1932. He then proceeded to Paris to further his musical studies in Musical Sciences and Composition & Harmony at the Faculty of Music and Musicology at the [[University of Paris]] (the ''Sorbonne'').

==Performing career==
On his return to [[Goa]] in 1936, António was appointed [[Choir]]master (''Professor de Canto Coral'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]) at the Lyceum of [[Panjim]], (''Liceu [[Afonso de Albuquerque]]'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]).

António organised and directed choral groups (''Orfeões'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]) and string ensembles (''Tunas'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]) which staged many performances in [[Loutolim]] and [[Panjim]], most of them in aid of [[Foundation (charity)|charity foundations]]. The most memorable ''Orfeão'' was the one presented in aid of the crusade against [[Leprosy]] and [[Tuberculosis]] in 1946.

In 1948, António again embarked for Paris, with a Portuguese scholarship, to undergo a two-year degree in [[Conducting|Orchestra Conducting]]. He studied at the [[National Conservatory of Music of Paris]], under Maestro [[Eugene Bigot]], earning the highest classification for excellence in conducting the orchestra of the ''Conservatoire'', and thus gaining the title of ''Maestro''. He then attended the [[Accademia Musicale Chigiana]] ([[Siena]], in Italy), where he gained more experience under Maestros [[Paul van Kempen]] and [[Alceo Galliera]], and then conducted the ''L'Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino'' ([[Florence]], in Italy) as a Guest-Conductor.

On return to Lisbon, Maestro António de Figueiredo conducted the [[Symphony Orchestra of Portuguese State Radio]] (''Grande Orquestra Sinfónica da Emissora Nacional'') in [[Lisbon]]&nbsp;– a concert broadcast worldwide.

Maestro António Fortunato de Figueiredo soon returned to [[Goa]] and, with assistance from the [[Portugal|Portuguese government]] of the time, founded the [[Goa Symphony Orchestra]] (''Orquestra Sinfónica de Goa''), giving its first concert on 16 February 1952. The orchestra gave regular performances thereafter, the most memorable being the one given on the occasion of the 400th Death Anniversary and Exposition of the [[Relic]]s of [[Francis Xavier|St. Francis Xavier]], on 6 December 1952.

Other notable concerts were those in honour of Indian Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], (one in 1963 on the occasion of his visit to [[Goa]], shortly after the end of Portuguese colonial rule, and the other in 1964 as a tribute on Nehru's death), as also on the occasion of a meeting at Campal when [[Indira Gandhi]] was [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]].

In February 1977, Maestro António de Figueiredo handed over the conductorship of [[Goa Symphony Orchestra]] to Rev. Dr. [[Lourdino Barreto]].

Soon after founding the [[Goa Symphony Orchestra]], Maestro António convinced the [[Portugal|Portuguese government]] to found the [[Music Academy of Portuguese India]] (''Academia de Música da Índia Portuguesa''), modelled on the lines of the [[National Conservatory of Lisbon]]. The pioneers in the Academia's foundation were, besides himself: [[Alfredo da Gama]] (Piano), [[Espírito Santo Mascarenhas]] (Cello) and [[Lourenço Menezes]] ([[Solfeggio]]).

The [[Music Academy of Portuguese India]] had its beginnings in a humble single-storeyed building at [[Fontainhas, Goa|Fontainhas]], next to [[Mary Immaculate's school of Goa|Mary Immaculate's School]].  Maestro António de Figueiredo was its director until 1977, by which time, the Music Academy had merged with the [[Kala Academy]], and handed the directorship to [[Lourdino Barreto]]. Today, the Music Academy is known as the ''Kala Academy's Department of Western Music''. The last concert conducted by Maestro António de Figueiredo with the students of the Academy and the Goa Symphony Orchestra was Verdi's opera La Traviata.

Maestro António gave a number of ''palestras'' or lectures on Music and History of Music which were broadcast by the [[Goa's Portuguese Radio]] (''Emissora de Goa'') (before 1961&nbsp;– the year of Indian annexation) and later by the [[All India Radio Panjim]] under their [[Portuguese language]] programme ''Renascença'' ("Rebirth" in English), at the [[Institute Menezes Braganza]], and [[Clube Nacional]].  He also orchestrated the [[A Portuguesa|Portuguese]] and [[Jana Gana Mana|Indian]] national anthems, a number of [[Mando (music)|Mandós]] and other [[Music of Goa|Goan folk songs]].

Maestro António arranged sound-tracks for the film on [[Francis Xavier|St. Francis Xavier]] (B&W) which was produced in [[Bombay]] in 1967. Some of the tracks were recorded at the Music Academy itself, with a subset of the Goa Symphony Orchestra and members of the [[Choral Society]].

The [[Politics of Portugal|Government of Portugal]], in recognition of the efforts of Maestro António de Figueiredo in promoting the Arts, conferred on him a [[knighthood]]&nbsp;– ''Cavaleiro da Ordem de Sant'Iago da Espada'' (Knight of the Order of St. James of the Sword) in 1961. He also received accolades from the [[Institute Menezes Braganza]] and the [[Rotary Club]].

Fortunato de Figueiredo's portrait hangs in the [[Kala Academy]], and was unveiled by [[Pratapsing Rane]] on 20 August 1989. This date has been instituted as Founder's Day in the Kala Academy, in honour of Maestro António Fortunato de Figueiredo.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205152553/http://www.colaco.net/1/FMantonioFigueiredoBio.htm Biography (in Portuguese)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100601073900/http://www.supergoa.com/pt/read/news_cronica.asp?c_news=359 An article by Fernando do Rego (in Portuguese)]
*[http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/boletimSetOut2003.html Homenageado em Pangim no centenário do seu nascimento (in Portuguese)]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070818043440/http://www.goacom.com/casa-de-goa/boletimJulAgo2003.html Sessão de homenagem ao Maestro António de Figueiredo (in Portuguese)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071023100052/http://www.colaco.net/1/BenAntonioFigueiredo.htm An article by Ben Antão]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Figueiredo, Antonio Fortunato}}
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Indian conductors (music)]]
[[Category:People from South Goa district]]
[[Category:Goan music]]
[[Category:Musicians from Goa]]
[[Category:20th-century conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]