Esmeraldino Salles (1916 - 1979) documented by the press: a foray into the Digital Newspaper Collection of the National Library

Abstract

This  article  describes  the  process,  methodology  and  results  of  a  search in the National Library’s Digital Library for the São Paulo musician Esmeraldino Salles, who lived between 1916 and 1979. The Hemeroteca Digital has an important digitalized collection of newspapers, magazines and periodicals, photocopied and scanned, and the optical character recognition technology allows keyword searches, opening up enormous possibilities  for  researching  the  careers  of  musicians  unknown  to  the  general public. The aim of this paper is to document the results obtained from this source, describing and mapping Esmeraldino’s main professional activities as a musician: 1) performing on Rádio Tupi and television; 2) accompanying  singers  in  São  Paulo’s  nightlife,  in  bars,  nightclubs  and  concert halls; 3) photographic records; and 4) recording phonograms and  albums.  Through  this  description  and  mapping  of  data  obtained  from the Hemeroteca Digital, we can get an idea of the repercussions of Esmeraldino Salles’ work in his heyday, as well as the public’s perception of him.