author

Antônio da Silva Leite

1759–1833

A late-18th- and early-19th-century Portuguese musician from Porto, he moved from an early path in the Church to a life centered on composition and teaching. He is especially remembered for sacred music and for work connected to the Portuguese guitar.

1 Audiobook

Estudo de Guitarra

Estudo de Guitarra

by Antônio da Silva Leite

About the author

Born in Porto in 1759, António da Silva Leite appears to have spent his whole life in that city, dying there in 1833. Sources describe him as having begun an ecclesiastical career and received minor orders before turning fully to music.

He is associated with Porto’s rich sacred and civic musical life, with work as a composer, teacher, and chapel musician. His output included sacred music as well as pieces for the Portuguese guitar, and he is often noted for helping document or shape performance practice for that instrument.

Although details of his life are not widely documented online, he remains a recognized figure in Portuguese music history, especially for listeners interested in Porto’s musical culture around the turn of the 19th century.