Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

Spain

Birth

:

November 14, 1927 in Marchena, Spain

Death

:

May 3, 1997 in Murcia, Spain

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

Narciso Yepes was a Spanish classical guitarist who was born on November 14, 1927, in Lorca, a city in the region of Murcia, Spain. He was the youngest of ten children in a family of humble origins. His father was a laborer, and his mother was a housewife. Despite the family's financial difficulties, Yepes showed an early interest in music and began playing the guitar at the age of four. Yepes received his first guitar from his father, who had made it himself. He began taking lessons from a local teacher, and by the age of eight, he was already performing in public. In 1940, at the age of thirteen, he won first prize in a guitar competition in Valencia, Spain. This victory marked the beginning of his professional career as a guitarist. In 1947, Yepes moved to Madrid to study at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He studied under the renowned guitarist Regino Sainz de la Maza, who had won the first prize in the International Guitar Competition in Paris in 1934. Under Sainz de la Maza's guidance, Yepes developed a unique style of playing that emphasized clarity, precision, and expressiveness. In 1950, Yepes won first prize in the International Guitar Competition in Paris, which brought him international recognition. He became known for his virtuosity and his ability to play complex pieces with ease. He also became known for his use of a ten-string guitar, which he had designed himself. The ten-string guitar allowed him to play a wider range of notes and to produce a richer, more resonant sound. Throughout his career, Yepes performed in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Salle Pleyel in Paris. He also performed with some of the world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. Yepes recorded extensively throughout his career, and his recordings are still highly regarded today. He recorded the complete works of Joaquín Rodrigo, one of Spain's most famous composers, and his recording of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is considered one of the definitive recordings of the piece. He also recorded the complete works of Francisco Tárrega, another famous Spanish composer, and his recording of Tárrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra is considered one of the most beautiful recordings of the piece. In addition to his performing and recording career, Yepes was also a teacher. He taught at the Conservatory of Music in Madrid and at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany. He also gave masterclasses around the world, and many of his students went on to become successful guitarists in their own right. Throughout his career, Yepes received numerous awards and honors. In 1964, he was awarded the Gold Medal of Fine Arts by the Spanish government. In 1980, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, one of Spain's most prestigious awards. In 1985, he was awarded the National Music Prize by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Yepes continued to perform and record until his death on May 3, 1997, in Murcia, Spain. He was 69 years old. His legacy as one of the greatest classical guitarists of all time lives on through his recordings and the many guitarists he inspired.

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