| 1919 | Claudio Franco de Sá Santoro was born on the 23rd of November 1919 in Manaus, Brazil, in the State of Amazonas, in the street "Oriental" nr. 16. First son out of twelve of Cecília Franco Autran de Sá, graduated in piano and painting, and of Giotto Michelangelo Santoro, officer of the Italian army and endowed with great musical intuition (he played the piano and could sing by ear any melody). |
| 1920 | He was baptized on the 4th of April at the Church of "São Sebastião" in Manaus. |
| 1925 | He entered the primary year at the School "Colégio dos Salesianos" in Manaus, before completing the demanded age. |
| 1929 | He got from his uncle Attilio a violin and a Method of Theory and Solfeggio and received his first music lessons from his aunt Iracema Franco de Sá. |
| 1930 | He started studying with professor Avelino Telmo, a chilean violinist eradicated in Manaus. After a few months he played concerts in his house, accompanied by his mother at the piano. |
| 1931 | He gave his first recital in the "Leitaria Amazonas". In the Newspaper "Commercio de Manaus" the critic Adriano Jorge writes: "Claudio Santoro, listen well to these prophetic words - he will be the fulgurante glory of the Amazonas". He started to listen the complete work of Beethoven and to the most famous virtuosos of his time at the house of the Commander Braz Aguiar Dias. |
| 1932 | At the "Club Caxeiral" and at the "Politeama de Manaus", he performed concerts in benefit of his professor Telmo who, without resources, needed to submit himself to a surgery. |
| 1933 | He arrived at Rio de Janeiro with Commander Braz Aguiar Dias that, besides financing the trip and the sojourn, directed him to the famous professor Edgardo Guerra. Problems of relationship with the family who houses him, maked him return to Manaus. |
| 1934 | He gave a concert organized by his father in the "Ideal Club" of Manaus". Governor Nelson de Mello signed, for decree-law, a scholarship of the government of Amazonas so that he may study in Rio de Janeiro. |
| 1935 | He returned to Rio de Janeiro. To be able to pay the ticket of his father, who accompanied him for being a minor, he played in Belém, the Theater of the Peace, and in Recife, in the Theater Santa Isabel. Prepared by Professor Guerra, he entered the 7th year of the Conservatory of Music of the Federal District. He played his first recital in Rio de Janeiro, for the Musical Center, accompanied by the pianist Arnaldo Estrella. |
| 1936 | As a soloist he performed the violin concerto op. 64 by Mendelsohn with the Pro-Arte Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, with Alberto Lasoli as the conductor. He passed to be considered the biggest talent that appeared in the musical scene of Rio de Janeiro. |
| 1937 | He completed the graduation course at the Conservatory of Music of the Federal District. The teacher Nadile de Barros stimulated him to compose, after his extraordinary performance in the harmony course. |
| 1938 | He became assistant violin teacher at the Conservatory of Music of the Federal District. He composed a string quartet, a violin sonata and some pieces that received compliments of Francisco Braga. |
| 1939 | He played in Manaus and included in the program two of his works. In Rio, beyond violin, he started to lecture harmony and counterpoint. He composed a symphony for two string orchestras, a work where he disclosed techniques of international vanguard before exactly knowing them. |
| 1940 | In Rio de Janeiro, with H. J. Koellreuter, musician that just arrived from Germany, he works the methods of composition of Hindemith and Schoenberg, Aesthetic and Counterpoint. With this new knowledge, he is able to organize his work the way he imagined, however without knowing how. He takes part in the creation of the Group Musica Viva, responsible for the spreading of the vanguard music and the magazine Musica Viva. He publishes a article criticizing the reigning orthodox nationalism and the academicism. He moved to a house in Laranjeiras where a lot of politic discussions happens. He felt attracted to Marxist ideas. He forms a trio with the pianist Oriano de Almeida and the violoncellist Aldo Parisot. |
| 1941 | He marries the violinist Maria Carlota Horta Braga. Earning little as a professor, he resigns to the positions in the Conservatory of Music of the Federal District and starts to play in some orchestras - in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, the National Radio and in the Copacabana Casino. |
| 1942 | His first son Carlos Arlindo is born. |
| 1943 | Directs the program "Musica Viva" in the Radio Ministry of the Education, with the live participation of interpreters and records supplied by the flutist Carlton Spraguer Smith, cultural attaché of the North American embassy. The work "Impressions of a steel plant" receives the prize from the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. |
| 1944 | His daughter Sonia Maria is born. His 1st Quartet receives honors mention in the International Competition promoted by the Chamber Music Guild, of Washington, in combination with the RCA Victor, a jury formed by Ernst Primrose, Wanda Landowska, Michael Piastro, Edgar Varèse, Germaine Tailleferre and Charles Seeger. |
| 1945 | the song "A menina exausta", on poem of Oneyda Alvarenga, receives in the Rio Grande Do Sul the 1st Prize from the National Competition Interventor Dornelles for the category "Lied". |
| 1946 | Receives for the set of his works a scholarship of the Guggenheim Foundation of the United States. By politic reasons, the visa of the American government was denied to him. |
| 1947 | By recommendation of Charles Münch, he receives a scholarship from the French government. He goes with his wife Carlota Maria to Paris on the 8th of September, on board of the ship Groix. He studies composition with Nadia Boulanger, conducting with Eugène Bigot, and frequents a special course of cinema in the Sorbonne. |
| 1948 | Receives in Paris the annual prize for young composers of the Lili Boulanger Foundation in Boston, granted by a jury composed of Stravinsky, Koussevitzky, Walter Piston and Aaron Copland. He returns to Brazil. He stays at the farm of the father-in-law in the mountain range of the Mantiqueira. Researches folklore and popular music. His 3rd Symphony receives the 1st Prize from the National Competition promoted by the Berkshire Music Center of Boston, in association with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. |
| 1950 | Returns to Rio de Janeiro to assume the position of 1st violin of the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra. To complement the low wage that he earns, he composes music for a childrens program and for the Odeon records. He receives a gold medal as the best instrumentator and composer for the Radio of the Association of Theaters Authors of Rio de Janeiro. His musical style passes to a period of transition that takes him to the nationalism, result of emotional, philosophical, aesthetic and political factors. |
| 1951 | He presented in the Berkshire Festival of Boston his 3rd Symphony, under the conducting of Eleazar de Carvalho. By invitation of Dias Gomes, he takes the musical direction of the Radio Club of Brazil. His daughter Letícia is born. |
| 1952 | He received the International Peace Prize for the work "Canto de Amor e Paz", granted by the World Peace Council (WPC), in Vienna. |
| 1953 | Dismissed from the Radio Club of Brazil, after his return of Moscow, where he participated of the Peace Congress held in Moscow. He moves to São Paulo to work at MultiFilmes (Film Producer). |
| 1954 | He received gold medal of the Association of Critics of Cinema in Rio de Janeiro, as such as prizes for the film scores "A Estrada" and "Agulha no Palheiro". He follows to Europe to conduct in some socialist countries. |
| 1956 | In Moscow, he conducts his 4th Symphony. Katchaturian grants it with standing ovation. Guest for the position of musical Director of the Radio Ministry of the Education. Released the recording of his 5th Symphony. |
| 1957 | Creates the Orchestra of Chamber of the Radio Ministry of the Education, considered the best one in Rio de Janeiro. With a pró-labore corresponding to just 10% of that of a orchestra musician and tired of waiting for a raise, he decides to accept a invitation to participate of II the Congress of Composers in Moscow. There he conducts his 5th Symphony and signs contract for the edition of the 4th and the 5th Symphony. The Soviet authorities invite him to leave of the country in virtue of his relationship with the Russian translator Lia. In Paris, while he waits the possible escape of Lia, he composes in partnership with Vinicius de Moraes "the most beautiful Love Songs". |
| 1959 | His work "Recitativo e Variações" is awarded in the National Competition promoted by the State Commission of Music of São Paulo. He goes to London by invitation of the British government. He finishes his 7th Symphony. In Vienna, he participates of the jury of the International Competition of Composition. He refuses a invitation to teach in Peruggia, since to accept this, would have him to opt to the Italian citizenship. He receives a letter from Kabalewski saying that he was jealous of his 4th Symphony, that just has been published in Moscow. He signs contract with the Universal Edition to publish his orchestra work "Brasiliana". |
| 1960 | His 7th Symphony receives the 1st place in the National Competition instituted by the Ministry from the Education and Culture to commemorate the Foundation of Brasilia. By invitation of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany he passes one season in Berlin, researching electro acoustic music. In London, he conducts his ballet Zuimaaluti by invitation of Dame Margot Fonteyn and sponsored by S. M. Elizabeth II of England. |
| 1961 | He participate of the German Congress of Composers in East Berlin. |
| 1962 | He takes positions of coordinator for subjects of music, titular professor of composition and regency and head of the Department of Music of the University of Brasilia. He presents the Thesis "Reform of musical education in Brazil" and organizes the I Symposium on Musical Education in Brazil, promoted by the Ministry of the Education and Culture in Brasilia |
| 1963 | He marries the dancer Gisèle Loise Portinho Serzedello Corrêa. He participates of the 1st National Conference of Educators in the University of Yale in Connecticut, U.S.A.. |
| 1964 | Receives the trophy "Candanguinho" from the Association of Journalists and Broadcasters of Brasilia as the best composer and conductor of the year. He creates the Chamber Orchestra of the University of Brasilia with national and foreign musicians, responsible for the Department of Music. His daughter Gisèle Loïse is born. |
| 1965 | Receives the prize "Jornal do Brasil" for the repercussion of his work in other countries and for the national educational work developed in Brasilia. He quits the University of Brasilia for not agreeing to the resignation of several of its integrants (280 professors). |
| 1966 | Guest by the Ford Foundation and government of Germany as resident artist of the Küenstler Programm in Berlin. His son Alessandro is born. |
| 1967 | Paints pictures provided with a tape that permanently plays a music as the spectator approaches it. |
| 1968 | His son Claudio Raffaello is born. In Paris, he makes lithography's in an atelier inherited by his publisher in order to present them with the musical scores. |
| 1969 | Receives decoration from the government of Amazonas. In the Radio Diffusion Française he carries through a cycle of 10 conferences on the subject "random in music". |
| 1970 | "Agrupamento a 10" is chosen as the best work presented in II Guanabara Festival in a competition promoted by the newspaper "O Globo". |
| 1971 | Assume the position of titular professor of conducting in the Superior State School of Music of Mannheim, Germany. He starts experiences with electro acoustic music. |
| 1973 | The work "Interações Assintóticas" receive the 1st prize from the National Competition instituted by the Secretariat of Culture of the State of Rio de Janeiro. |
| 1976 | Invited as Guest Speaker on music, science and technology in coloquium of the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Center of Atomic Energy of France, in the SACLAY. |
| 1978 | He returns to the Department of Music of the University of Brasilia. He receives the prize Gold Dolphin Gold for his work "Hochzeit ohne Figaro". |
| 1979 | He receives homage's for his 60 years in Mannheim in different cities in Germany, where he carry through concerts with dedicated programs to his works. In São Paulo, he receives the Moinho Santista Award. He establishes and conducts the Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasilia. |
| 1980 | He composes the official hymn of the state of Amazonas. |
| 1981 | After many misunderstandings, and without obtaining a mean to impose a level of professional severity necessary to form a team of first quality, he was dismissed of the Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasilia. |
| 1982 | He composes his 9th Symphony and delineates the 10th. He receives the Medal of Merit of the State of Amazonas. |
| 1983 | He finishes his 10th Symphony. |
| 1984 | He prepares the opera "Alma", based on the work of Oswald de Andrade. He commemorates his 65th birthday in Germany. He conducts his Mass in the Music School of Karlsruhe, recorded for the Radio of Stuttgart. |
| 1985 | He receives the Shell prize for classical music. In São Paulo, he receives the prize Ciccilo Matarazzo and, in Brasilia, he is decorated with the Order of the Rio Branco. He reassumes the Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasilia. |
| 1986 | He is condecorated with the Order of the Merit of Brasilia. |
| 1987 | He receives the prize Law Sarney for Brazilian Culture. |
| 1988 | He realizes conferences on "psychological Aspects in the work of one Orchestra", in the SEPRO of Brasilia, and on "the creative process and the super endowed one", in the University of Brasilia. |
| 1989 | He passes one more time vacation at the Brahms House in Baden-Baden, Germany, where he finishes his 14th Symphony. Exhausted and disappointed due to his dissatisfaction with the politics of the Cultural Foundation he returns to Brasilia. On the 27th of March, at 10 o'clock, he dies from an infarct while rehearsing the 2nd piano concerto from Saint-Saëns with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theater, frustrating all the homage's programmed in Brazil, in Germany and France, for the 70 years that he would complete on 23rd of November. |