Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho (May 4, 1897 – February 17, 1973), better known as Pixinguinha, (Portuguese: [piʃĩˈɡiɲɐ]) was a Brazilian composer, arranger, flutist, and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro. He worked with Brazilian popular music and developed the choro, a genre of Brazilian music that blends Afro-Brazilian rhythms with European influences. Some of his compositions include "Carinhoso", "Glória", "Lamento", and "Um a Zero".

Pixinguinha merged the traditional music of 19th-century composers with modern jazz-inspired harmonies, sophisticated arrangements, and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. This is attributed as having helped establish choro as an aspect of Brazilian culture.

Pixinguinha was among the first Brazilian musicians to embrace radio broadcasting and studio recording, technologies that played a key role in bringing his music to a broader audience.

Pixinguinha was born to musician Alfredo da Rocha Viana, a flutist with an extensive collection of choro music scores and regularly hosted musical gatherings in his house. In 1912, Pixinguinha began performing in cabarets and theatrical revues in Rio de Janeiro’s Lapa district. He later became a flutist for the house orchestra at the Cine Rio Branco movie theater, where live music accompanied silent films. In 1914, Pixinguinha and his friends João Pernambuco and Donga formed a band called Caxangá, which gathered attention until it disbanded in 1919.

In 1919, Pixinguinha, along with his brother and other musicians formed the musical group called Os Oito Batutas (lit. 'The Eight Amazing Players'). The instrumental lineup was initially traditional, dominated by a rhythm section of string instruments: Pixinguinha's flute, guitars, cavaquinho, banjo cavaquinho, and hand percussion. Performing in the lobby of the Cine Palais movie theater, the band's music soon became more popular than the films themselves. Their repertoire was diverse, encompassing folk music from northeast Brazil, sambas, maxixes, waltzes, polkas, and "Brazilian tangos" (the term choro was not yet established as a genre). The band appealed to the nationalistic desires of upper-class Brazilians, who were in support of what was considered to be uniquely Brazilian traditional music, free from foreign influences. Os Oito Batutas became a sensation across Brazil, despite facing disapproval from the white Rio elite against black men performing in popular venues.

Os Oito Batutas and Pixinguinha's music provoked controversy about race and the influence of Europe and the United States on Brazilian music. The band had white and black musicians and performed mainly in upper-class venues where black artists had previously been prohibited. Moreover, they were criticized by people who believed that Brazilian musical culture should primarily reflect its European roots and by those repelled by their music's diversity. Some critics claimed that Pixinguinha's compositional style and instrumental incorporation of trumpets and saxophones were negatively influenced by American jazz.

After performing a gig for Duque and Gabi, a dance duo, at the Assírio cabaret, Os Oito Batutas were discovered by Arnaldo Guinle, who sponsored their first European tour in 1921. In Paris, they served as ambassadors for Brazilian music, performing for six months at the Schéhérazade cabaret. Their tour was a success and Pixinguinha received praise from many Parisian musical artists, including Harold de Bozzi. Upon returning to Brazil, they toured in Buenos Aires, where they made recordings for RCA Victor.

Pixinguinha returned from Paris with a broadened musical perspective. He began to incorporate jazz standards and ragtime music into his band's repertoire, changing the lineup dramatically by adding saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, and a drum kit. The name of the musical group was changed to simply Os Batutas to reflect the new sound.