Nuno Graceliano Lino

Nuno Graceliano Lino (1859-1929) was a leading character in Madeiran music even though scarce data is available about this musician. The rare biographical data that we actually own, is issued from “Diário de Notícias da Madeira” from the 16 th of February 1929, when he passed away. There the musician is described as “a distinct and renowned piano professor and orchestra conductor”. Still according to the author of the mentioned news of his death, this Madeiran musician “apart from being appreciated as a composer” was “the organiser of almost all the orchestras that played in aristocratic ballrooms and solemn events of the religious community” in Funchal.

As far as profane music is concerned, one of the most important moments in Nuno Lino's musical life occurred during the visit of King Carlos I and Queen Amélia to Madeira archipelago, in 1901. Throughout the royal stay, Nuno Lino was the conductor of the orchestra that played during one of the most important moments for the royal couple: the ball in Quinta Vigia! This choice is proof of his enormous prestige as a musician in Madeira at that time. According to a description of this ball the musician corresponded to the expectations as stated by the following: «The reception ball went on till 4 am, joyfully and brilliantly to the sound of the magnificent orchestra distinctively conducted by Mr. Nuno Graceliano Lino leaving in all of the guests' spirits an everlasting print of grateful memories, like a splendid dream, until then never dreamt”. There was voice spread that the ball in honour of the Portuguese monarchs was the greatest social gathering that had ever occurred in Funchal until then. One of the greatest defenders of this idea was Cyriaco de Brito Nóbrega who wrote in his book about the monarchs visit to Madeira that «[the social gathering] was the best and more complete in the records of the great Madeiran festivities, and that we can state without the slightest exaggeration”.