José Ferrer (guitarist)

José Ferrer (guitarist).

José Ferrer Esteve de Fujadas (in 19th-century France known as "Joseph Ferrer") (13 March 1835 – 7 March 1916) was a Spanish guitarist and composer.[1]

Life

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Ferrer was born in Torroella de Montgrí, Girona, and studied guitar with his father, a guitarist and collector of sheet music, before continuing his studies with José Brocá. In 1882, he left Spain for Paris in order to teach at the Institut Rudy and at the Académie Internationale de Musique, also becoming the official guitarist of the Comédie Française, and remained in Paris for 16 years.

Ferrer gave regular performances as a soloist. He taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona from 1898 to 1901. Following a period of moving between Barcelona and Paris, he settled permanently in Barcelona in 1905, where he died.

Music

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Most of Ferrer's compositions were written for guitar but, being a deeply religious man,[2] he also wrote some sacred music. His works for guitar solo and duo resemble the fashionable salon music of his time, bearing titles such as Le Charme de la nuit ("Charm of the Night") and La Danse des Naïades ("Dance of the Naiads"). One of his most popular pieces was his opus 1, Recuerdos de Montgri.[3] He dedicated a number of pieces to his pupils, especially to the females. About half the number of his c.100 compositions were published during his lifetime, mainly by Vidal of Barcelona, Dupont and Pisa of Paris and latterly by Union Musical Española of Madrid.

He also wrote an unpublished method for guitar as well as duos for guitar and flute, and songs. His method "shows his great knowledge and understanding of the guitar's history and technique".[4]

Compositions

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Sorted, within the sections, after opus number. Dates are for first publication, not necessarily for composition, taken from the online catalogues of the Biblioteca Nacional de España and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Selected recordings

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  • Complete Guitar Duets, performed by Jørgen Skogmo and Jens Franke (Naxos 8.574011, CD 2019).

Bibliography

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  • Domingo Prat: Diccionario de Guitarristas (Buenos Aires, 1934)
  • Simon Wynberg (ed.): Charme de la nuit. Selected Character Pieces for Guitar (London: Faber Music, 2003)

References

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  1. ^ Josef Zuth: Handbuch der Laute und Gitarre (Vienna, 1926–8), p. 96; Józef Powroźniak: Gitarren-Lexikon (Berlin, 1979; 3rd edition, 1986), p. 73.
  2. ^ David Burden: Introduction to José Ferrer: Minuet & Vals for Guitar Duo (Heidelberg: Chanterelle, 1992).
  3. ^ J. Powroźniak (1986), as above.
  4. ^ D. Burden, as above.
  5. ^ Originally unpublished; edited by David Burden: Heidelberg, Chanterelle, 1992.
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Sheetmusic
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