The European premiere took place in Paris on 3 December 1927 at the Salle Gaveau with the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne and L'Art Choral, once again with the composer conducting.

[3] In the second half of the work, Villa-Lobos introduces a popular melody, originally a schottische called Yára, written by Anacleto de Medeiros [pt].

In a slower tempo, sung to a poem written by Villa-Lobos's friend and former fellow chorão, Catulo da Paixão Cearense [pt], it had become a popular song, "Rasga o coração" (Rend the Heart).

It was in this form that Villa-Lobos used both the melody and the words, and he used the song's title as a subtitle for the Chôros, together with an acknowledgement, "D'après la poésie de Catullo Cearence" [sic].

[4] Unfortunately, in a moment of financial distress, Catulo had sold the rights of all his literary works to a man named Guimarães Martins, who evidently remained ignorant of Villa-Lobos's use of the text for nearly thirty years until by chance, at a demonstration of new gramophone players at the Ministry of Education in Rio de Janeiro, a recording of the work was used as an example.