In 1879, he wrote his first tango, "Cruz perigo". In 1880, at the age of 17, he made his first public appearance at the Mozart Club. The following year, he composed the tango "Não caio n'outra", his first great success, with several reprints. In 1885, he performed in concerts in different clubs of the court. In 1893, Casa Vieira Machado launched a new catalogue of his compositions, including the tango "Brejeiro", which achieved national and even international success, in that the Republican Guard band of Paris began to include it in their repertoire, coming even to record it.