Melodia Sentimental - Vila Lobos

🎼 Sentimental Melody

Wake up, come see the moon

That sleeps in the dark night

That shines so beautiful and white

Spills sweetness

Clear silent flame

My dream burns

The wings of the night that emerge

And run in the deep space

Oh, sweet beloved, wake up

Come give your warmth to the moonlight

I wish you were mine

In the serene and calm hour

The shadow trusts the wind

The limit of waiting

When within the night

Claims your love

Wake up, come look at the moon

That shines in the dark night

Dear, you are beautiful and sweet

Feel your love and dream

🎻 About the Piece

Sentimental Melody (Melodia Sentimental) is one of the most beloved vocal works by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Originally written in 1958 as part of the soundtrack for the Hollywood film Green Mansions—starring Audrey Hepburn and directed by Mel Ferrer—the music was ultimately rejected by the studio for being “too sophisticated” for commercial audiences.

Despite this disappointment, Villa-Lobos transformed the unused material into a magnificent concert work: the symphonic suite “A Floresta do Amazonas” (The Forest of the Amazon), completed in 1959. The suite includes 23 movements and features Melodia Sentimental as one of its central lyrical themes.

Set to words written by the composer himself, the song blends classical lyricism with Brazilian soul. The melody is gentle and expressive, evoking themes of longing, solitude, and unrequited love—often interpreted as a reflection of the vast, mysterious beauty of the Amazon and the emotional landscape of the human heart.

Melodia Sentimental has since become a staple in the repertoire of singers across genres—from opera legend Bidu Sayão to contemporary icons like Maria Bethânia—and remains a poignant example of Villa-Lobos’s ability to unite the sophistication of classical music with the emotional warmth of Brazilian song.