The brief ballad A lenda do Caboclo (The Legend of the Native) is one of Villa-Lobos' most popular piano pieces. Its most notable feature is the slow tango-like, syncopated bass line. The work switches between the minor and major modes, opening with an introduction made up of just the accompaniment before the swaying, light melody begins. A duple meter interlude in the major appears, with a new melodic line in the left hand while the right hand provides an impelling, dotted-rhythm accompaniment. The main theme returns in a lighter version, leading to a dramatic section that develops and transforms the theme. The introduction and opening melody are quietly revisited, with an added coda of small chords lifting off into the clouds.

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