Pinto Fonseca is well known for his arrangements of folk music. The Missa Afro-Brasileiria (1976) won the "Best Vocal Work" prize of the Associação dos Críticos de São Paulo, and later became his most popular choral work in the United States.
Pinto Fonseca is renowned for his compositions of folk music. The Missa Afro-Brasileiria (1976) received the "Best Vocal Performance" award from the Associação dos Críticos de São Paulo, and later became his most well-known choral piece in the United States.