Alberto Nepomuceno was born in 1864 in Fortaleza, a city in northeastern Brazil. He grew up in a musical family, as his father was a musician. After finishing his early music studies in Brazil, he traveled to Rome and Berlin to continue his training. These experiences helped shape his musical style and knowledge of European classical music traditions. Nepomuceno married Walborg Rendtler Bang, who had been a student of the composer Edvard Grieg. Grieg supported the idea of national music styles and encouraged Nepomuceno to create a Brazilian national school of composition. During this time, Nepomuceno wrote important pieces, including his third string quartet. This work is notable for blending Brazilian folk elements with European musical forms, making it one of the first to do so. In 1894, Nepomuceno returned to Brazil and began teaching at the National Institute of Music. He traveled in 1910 to perform concerts in Belgium, France, and Switzerland, where he became friends with Claude Debussy. After coming back to Brazil, he worked to promote the use of the Portuguese language in opera and songs. He also taught many students, such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, helping to shape the next generation of Brazilian musicians.