Francisco Tárrega (in Catalan: Francesc d' Assís Tàrrega I Eixea) is a Spanish type-setter born with Villarreal the November 21st 1852 and died in Barcelona the December 15th 1909. It was one of the most influential guitarists that the world ever knew and it is regarded as the father of the modern traditional guitar.

Biography

Francisco Tárrega was born the November 21st 1852 with Villarreal, in the Province of Castellón in Spain. His/her father, Francisco Tárrega Tirado, were usher, his mother, Antonia Eixea, died whereas Francisco was very young. Francisco fell into an irrigation canal in its earliest youth, deteriorating its sight in a final way. Partially because of this incident, the family moved with Castellón and registered it in class of music. Its first two professors of musics, Eugeni Ruiz and Manuel Gonzalez, were blind.

In 1862, the concert performer Julián Arcas, in round with Castellón, heard of the talent of the Francisco young person and advised with the father of Tárrega to authorize it to come to Barcelona to study with him. The father of Tárrega accepted, but insisted that his/her son also takes piano lessons. The guitar was then perceived like an instrument of accompaniment for the singers, whereas the piano was very in sight through Europe. However, Tárrega had to stop its lessons little time after when Arcas left for a round concerts abroad. Although Francisco Tárrega was only 10 years old, it fugua and tried to begin a musical career of its own boss through the coffees and restaurants of Barcelona. It soon was found and brought back to his devoted father, who had to make great sacrifices to make progress the musical education of his son.

Three years later, in 1865, it fugua for Valence where it rejoigna a group of gipsies. His/her father sought it and once more brought back it to the house, but it fugua third once, still in Valence. At the beginning of its adolescence, Tárrega was good musician as well with the guitar as with the piano. For a time, he played with other musicians at the time of local events to earn money, but thereafter he turned over to the house to help his family.

Tárrega entered to the Conservatoire of Madrid in 1874, under the patronage of a commercial rich person of the name of Antonio Canesa. It brought with him a recently acquired guitar, manufactured with Seville by Antonio de Torres. Its higher sound qualities as well inspired it in its interpretation as in the creative potential of the instrument. With the academy, Tárrega studied the composition with Emilio Arrieta which it convainquit to focus themselves on the guitar and to give up the idea of a career of piano.

At the end of the years 1870, Tárrega taught the guitar (Emilio Pujol and Miguel Llobet was two of its pupils) and gave concerts regularly. Tárrega met much success for its interpretation and started to travel in other areas of Spain to occur. At this point in time it composed its first works for guitar, in addition to those of other type-setters.

During the winter 1880, Tárrega replaced his/her friend Luis of Soria for a concert with Novelda, Alicante, where a man of importance asked him to listen to his daughter, María Jose Rizo, which learned how to play of the guitar. They became engaged soon.

In 1881, Tárrega occurred in first with the Opéra of Lyon and the Théâtre of Odéon to Paris, for the second centenary of died of Pedro Calderón of Barca.

He also played London, but neither the language there nor the climate appreciated. There exists an anecdote in connection with its visit in England. After a concert, some people noticed that maestro had the air melancholic person. " What does it occur? " they asked him. " Do you miss your country? Your family, perhaps? " , they advised to him to project this moment of sadness in its music. Thus it conceived the topic of one of its most memorable works, Lágrima . After having played London, it turned over to Novelda for its marriage. In Christmas 1885, Tárrega Maria with María Jose Rizo.

It started soon to transcribe works for piano of Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and others to widen its musical repertory of guitar, and, undoubtedly, to make profitable its considerable knowledge musics for keyboard. Tárrega and his wife moved for Madrid, earning their living by giving private lessons and occurring in concerts, but after the death of his/her young girl, Maria Josefa, they settled in a permanent way in Barcelona in 1885. Among his/her friends in Barcelona were Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina and Pablo Casals.

Shortly after a round in concerts in Valence, Tárrega met a widowed rich person, Conxa Martinez, which became to him an owner of value. It authorized it like its family to occupy her house in Barcelona, where he wrote the majority as of his best works. Later it made it go to Grenade, where the guitarist conceived the topic of his famous Recuerdos of Alhambra , that he composed on his return and dedicated to his friend Alfred Cottin, French who organized his concerts in Paris to him.

In 1900 Tárrega visited Argel, where he heard a repetitive rate/rhythm on an Arab drum. The next morning, it composed its famous Danza Mora based on this rate/rhythm.

From the end of the year 1880 until 1903, Tárrega continued to compose, but limited its concerts to Spain. About 1902, it cut its nails and created a sonority which was to become typical guitarists associated with his school. The following year it came in round in Italy, giving concerts to great success with Rome, Naples, and Milan.

In January 1906, it was affected of a paralysis of the right-sided, and although it found its level of concert performer thereafter, it never recovered completely. It finishes its last work, Oremus, on December 2nd, 1909. He died thirteen days later in Barcelona, the December 15th 1909.

Musical style

As a type-setter, Tárrega was preserving, confining its style with the general tendencies of second half of the 19th century. As a virtuoso on his instrument, it was known like the " Sarasate of the guitare".

Tárrega is regarded as the creator of the bases of the traditional guitar of the 20th century, and to have increased the advantage of the guitar like an instrument of recital. Large the Andrés Segovia used many technical works and compositions of Tárrega to play them in concert through Europe.

Tárrega preferred small intimate hearings at the time of the stages of round. Some believe that they was because he played without nails, necessary to have more volume. Others say that it is related to its infantile traumatism.

Compositions

The music and the style of Francisco Tárrega became very influential in the 20th century. He played an important role with the re-establishment of the guitar like an instrument solo in the recitals and concerts. The whole of its work was modest, with only 78 original parts and 120 transcriptions - mainly with personal use - great classics. Among its more popular works for guitar appear: Recuerdos of Alhambra , Capricho Árabe and Danza Mora . Tárrega arranged for the guitar of the parts of other type-setters, of which works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin and Felix Mendelssohn.

He is also the type-setter of what was proclaimed " music in the world the probably more écoutée" : ringing of Nokia, also used in commercials, based on work Gran Valleys of Tárrega. Its music inspired also Mike Oldfield, of which " Study (The Killing Fields) " is based on the tremors of Tárrega in the part for guitar solo " Recuerdos of Alhambra".

Same manner as some of its Spanish contemporaries, such his friend Isaac Albéniz, it attached importance to combine the dominant romantic tendency in classical music with the Spanish popular elements, and transcribed some parts for piano of Albéniz (in particular " Asturias") for guitar. The remarkable type-setter and contemporary guitarist Angelo Gilardino wrote that the 9 preludes of Tárrega are " … deepest of the musical thought of Tárrega in its form more ténue".

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