Corcovado — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Antonio Carlos Jobim
- Year:
- 1960
- Key:
- C major
- Form:
- AB (32 bars)
- Style:
- Bossa Nova
- Tempo:
- 100–160 BPM
Also known as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," this gentle bossa nova ballad features simple, elegant harmonic progressions. Perfect for beginners learning jazz harmony and bossa nova feel.
About This Standard
Composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and published in 1960 (also known in English as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars"), Corcovado takes its name from the famous Rio de Janeiro mountain surmounted by the Christ the Redeemer statue. Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto's recording on Getz/Gilberto (1964) brought it to international audiences alongside "The Girl from Ipanema."
Notable recordings:
- Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto — Getz/Gilberto (1964)
- Antônio Carlos Jobim — (various recordings)
- Widely recorded — (bossa nova ballad standard)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
Corcovado is a bossa nova ballad in C major with flowing, lush harmony characteristic of Jobim's writing. The tune moves through major ii-V-I progressions with chromatic approach chords and extended sonorities (maj7, maj9). Jobim's harmonic language features unexpected chromatic ii-Vs that tonicize chords briefly before resolving — creating the characteristic "surprising but inevitable" feeling of his best work. The gentle bossa nova groove and lyrical melody reward a singing, unhurried approach.