Abel Carlevaro facts for kids

Abel Carlevaro (born December 16, 1916 – died July 17, 2001) was a famous classical guitar player, composer, and teacher from Montevideo, Uruguay. He created a completely new way of playing the guitar. This new method focused on how you sit and hold the guitar, using ideas based on how the human body works (called anatomy).

He was a very successful concert performer. Other famous musicians like Heitor Villa-Lobos and Andrés Segovia admired his playing. People and critics loved his performances in major music cities across Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

His Musical Journey

Carlevaro was a dedicated composer. He wrote many pieces for the guitar. Some of his most famous works are his Preludios Americanos, which are now played by guitarists all over the world.

He also wrote a Concierto No. 3 para Guitarra y Orquesta. This piece was specially requested by and first performed by The Chamber Symphony of San Francisco.

Other well-known music groups, like The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and The Kronos Quartet, have also played Carlevaro's music for the first time. His "Concierto del Plata" for guitar and orchestra has been performed by many important orchestras in Europe and America.

The Carlevaro Technique

Abel Carlevaro was a very thoughtful and dedicated teacher. He developed a brand new way of teaching guitar technique. This method changed how people thought about guitar posture, how to make a beautiful sound, and the overall idea of playing music.

He shared these important ideas in his teaching books, called the "Cuadernos" series. These include "Escuela de la Guitarra Exposición de la Teoría Instrumental" (which means "School of Guitar: Explanation of Instrumental Theory") and the "Carlevaro Masterclass" series.

His teaching materials, his own compositions, and his transcriptions (which are pieces he arranged for guitar) are published by well-known companies. These include Boosey and Hawkes in New York, Chanterelle Verlag in Heidelberg, Barry Editorial in Buenos Aires, and Henry Lemoine in Paris.

The Carlevaro Guitar

Carlevaro was always looking for new ideas. He even invented a special new guitar called the Concert-Guitar Model "Carlevaro". Its design was very different from traditional guitars.

This unique guitar was first built in 1983 by a Spanish guitar maker named Manuel Contreras (the father) in Madrid. The top part of the guitar's body, where a guitarist rests their arm, was straight. But the bottom part, which rests on the guitarist's leg, was curved like a normal guitar.

This made the guitar's soundboard look a bit like a grand piano. Carlevaro believed this shape helped the lower notes vibrate better.

Another special feature of this new guitar was its sound hole. Instead of the usual round hole, it had a thin "slot" all around the edge of the top. This meant the top of the guitar was almost floating, held in place only by small wooden pins from the sides. So, the guitar was made of two almost separate parts: the back and sides, and the top.

Today, the Model "Carlevaro Guitar" is made by Eberhard Kreul in Germany, a place known for great guitar makers.

Teaching Master Classes

When Carlevaro traveled, he often taught special "Master Classes." These were short courses, usually lasting a few days. Students of all skill levels would come to ask him questions about playing techniques, how to use their fingers, how to express music, and more.

Carlevaro would listen carefully as students played a piece or a part of it. After they finished, he would share his thoughts and advice, usually in an encouraging way. Often, he would also ask to try their guitar, check it, tune it, and then play the same piece or passage himself. Everyone, including the students and the audience, really appreciated this.

His Students

Many of Carlevaro's "star pupils" won important international music competitions. Some of them include Eduardo Fernández, Álvaro Pierri, Baltazar Benítez, Miguel Ángel Girollet, and José Fernández Bardesio.

His teaching assistants also became well-known. These include Patrick Zeoli, Alfredo Escande (who wrote Carlevaro's biography in Spanish), Bartolomé Díaz, and Jad Azkoul. Jad Azkoul also translated some of Carlevaro's works. In 1997, Carlevaro said that Azkoul was his "genuine representative" and a "great master teaching alongside" him.

Other students of Carlevaro came from all over the world. From Argentina, there were Eduardo Castañera, María Isabel Siewers, Néstor Ausqui, and José Luis Merlin. Daniel Wolff came from Brazil, Berta Rojas from Paraguay, Janez Gregoric from Austria, and Gentaro Takada from Japan. Ricardo Barceló was from Uruguay, and many others came from South America and other parts of the world. From Spain, his students included Juan Luis Torres Román, Manuel Gómez Ortigosa, and Pompeyo Pérez Díaz.

Abel Carlevaro continued to teach and perform until the very end of his life.

Legacy

On May 6, 1997, Abel Carlevaro officially recognized his fellow classical guitarist Jad Azkoul as his "genuine representative." He said that Azkoul had been a "great master teaching alongside" him.

In 2014, the government of Uruguay honored him by putting up a statue of him on the Montevideo coastline.

Recordings

• Carlevaro plays Carlevaro (CHR005, Chanterelle-Verlag)
• Recital de Musica Española (TE27CD, tacuabé)
• 20 microestudios (TE29CD, tacuabé)
• En vivo / 1 (TE37CD, tacuabé)
• Música popular del Río de la Plata (TE41CD, tacuabé)
• A Guitar Lesson with Abel Carlevaro DVD (ECH767DVD, Chanterelle-Verlag)

See also

In Spanish: Abel Carlevaro para niños