Sinval Silva composed many hits (some of them turned into classics) recorded by the greats of the golden age of radio in Brazil. Carmen Miranda recorded most of his body of work, and he also had several of his songs recorded by Aurora Miranda, Orlando Silva, Odete Amaral, Trio de Ouro, Ataulfo Alves, and Ciro Monteiro. Silva was also one of the founders of the Império da Tijuca samba school, having written the samba "As Minas de Prata," presented by the samba school in the 1974 Carnaval contest. The son of a clarinetist, Silva started very early to play the guitar, having achieved a good command of this instrument. But it was the clarinet that would reveal him to the audiences, with Silva playing the instrument in his city's symphonic band. Having written his first song in 1927, the valse "Lua de Prata," he moved to Rio de Janeiro three years later, where he joined the Regional de Jorge Nóbrega and the Regional Good-Bye (both hired by Rádio Mayrink Veiga). In 1934, Carmen Miranda recorded two songs of his, "Alvorada" and "Ao Voltar do Samba," for which she had promised to pay one conto de réis (a considerable amount in the currency of the time) if any of them were a hit. With the success achieved by the second composition, Miranda ordered a new one from him, for twice as much; which represented a small fortune then. The result was "Coração," successful in 1935. Offering three contos de réis for a new one, she received from him "Adeus Batucada," which, recorded in the same year, became an instant hit and the signature tune of Miranda's shows. She would also record "Saudade de Você," "Amor Ideal," "Nosso Amor Não Foi Assim," and "Gente Bamba." In 2001, Ney Matogrosso would re-record "Coração" and "Adeus Batucada" on his Batuque, in which he revisits the repertory of "the Pequena Notável" (as Miranda is known in Brazil). Already an established composer, Silva started to be requested by other popular artists. Aurora Miranda recorded in 1936 his marcha "Amor! Amor!" and his samba "Moreno"; in 1938, Orlando Silva interpreted the samba "Agora é Tarde," Odete Amaral recorded "Alma de Um Povo" (written with Amado Régis), and the Trio de Ouro recorded the samba "Madalena Se Zangou" (written with Ubenor Santos); the trio would also record, in 1946, the samba "Negro Artilheiro"; in 1940, Ataulfo Alves recorded the samba "Geme Negro" (written with Alves); in 1942, Ciro Monteiro recorded the samba "Fonte de Amor," in 1944 the samba "Crioulo Sambista" (written with Nelson Trigueiro), and in 1945 "Pra Minha Morena." In the 1950s, Silva visited Miranda in the U.S., participating with her in a coast-to-coast tour entertaining soldiers during the Korea War. Upon his return to Brazil, unable to make a living off the copyright of his songs, he returned to being a mechanic, his previous profession prior to his success in music. His samba "Marina," interpreted by Noite Ilustrada, was a finalist in the I Bienal do Samba festival (TV Record) in 1968, having been recorded by Zenaide on As Classificadas e Vencedoras da 1.a Bienal do Samba. In 1972, Silva performed in São Paulo as a member of the Batuk Show, aided by Mano Décio da Viola and Xangô da Mangueira. His only LP was recorded in 1973. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi