Alexandre Lagoya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexandre Lagoya |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 29 June 1929 Alexandria, Egypt |
| Died | 24 August 1999 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Guitar |
Alexandre Lagoya (born June 29, 1929 – died August 24, 1999) was a famous French classical guitarist and composer. He was known for his amazing guitar playing and for teaching others how to play.
Life and Career
Alexandre Lagoya was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on June 29, 1929. His father was Greek, and his mother was Italian.
In 1955, he married another talented French guitarist named Ida Presti. They often played music together as a duo. Lagoya said that after Ida's early death, he found it very hard to play the guitar for several years.
He eventually returned to music as a teacher. He taught many students, including the famous Canadian guitarist Liona Boyd. In the early 1980s, when he was 52, Lagoya started performing and recording again. He released a record with Columbia and went on an international tour.
Lagoya played many different pieces for the guitar. He performed in concerts and recorded albums. He often worked with his wife, Ida Presti, and other musicians.
Alexandre Lagoya was also a very successful teacher. He taught at the Conservatoire de Paris in France and also in Canada. He created a new way of holding your hand when playing the guitar. He believed this method helped people learn to play better. He also taught how to use the little finger for plucking strings. He claimed he found a way to make the classical guitar sound as loud as possible.
When it came to his right hand, Lagoya liked to pluck the strings from the right side of his fingernail. He thought this gave the guitar a more powerful sound.
Many composers wrote special music for Lagoya and the Presti-Lagoya Duo. Some of these composers included:
- Daniel Jean-Yves Lesur
- Pierre Petit
- André Jolivet
- Joaquín Rodrigo
- Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
For example, Joaquín Rodrigo wrote a piece called Concierto Madrigal for two guitars. Ida Presti and Lagoya were supposed to play it first, but Ida passed away. Later, other guitarists performed it.
Selected Compositions and Arrangements
Alexandre Lagoya also wrote some of his own music for the guitar. He also made "transcriptions." A transcription is when you take a piece of music written for one instrument and arrange it to be played on a different instrument, like the guitar.
Guitar Solo
- Six Études (1958)
- Caprice (1959)
- Rêverie (1959)
Arrangements for Guitar Lagoya arranged many famous pieces by other composers for the guitar. He often arranged them for solo guitar or for two guitars. Some of the composers whose music he arranged include:
- Johann Sebastian Bach (like his Gavotte)
- Georg Friedrich Händel (like his Sarabande)
- Domenico Scarlatti
He helped create a collection of these arrangements called "Collection Presti/Lagoya." This collection includes music by composers like Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Niccolò Paganini, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
