José Ferrer (guitarist) facts for kids
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José Ferrer Esteve de Fujadas (born March 13, 1835 – died March 7, 1916) was a talented Spanish guitarist and composer. In France during the 1800s, people often called him "Joseph Ferrer".
Life of José Ferrer
José Ferrer was born in a town called Torroella de Montgrí in Girona, Spain. He started learning the guitar from his father, who was also a guitarist and collected sheet music. Later, he continued his studies with another musician named José Brocá.
In 1882, Ferrer moved from Spain to Paris, France. There, he taught guitar at two schools: the Institut Rudy and the Académie Internationale de Musique. He also became the official guitarist for the Comédie Française, which is a famous French theater. He lived and worked in Paris for 16 years.
Ferrer often performed as a solo guitarist. After his time in Paris, he taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona from 1898 to 1901. He spent some years moving between Barcelona and Paris before finally settling in Barcelona in 1905. He passed away there in 1916.
José Ferrer's Music
Most of José Ferrer's musical pieces were written for the guitar. He was a very religious person, so he also composed some sacred music for churches.
His guitar solos and duets sound a lot like the popular "salon music" of his time. This type of music was often played in people's homes for entertainment. Some of his pieces have interesting titles like Le Charme de la nuit ("Charm of the Night") and La Danse des Naïades ("Dance of the Naiads"). One of his most well-known early works was Recuerdos de Montgri, which means "Memories of Montgri".
Ferrer often dedicated his music to his students, especially his female students. About half of his nearly 100 compositions were published while he was alive. Publishers like Vidal in Barcelona, Dupont and Pisa in Paris, and Union Musical Española in Madrid helped share his music.
He also wrote an unpublished method book for learning guitar. Besides guitar music, he created duos for guitar and flute, and also songs. His guitar method book showed how much he knew about the guitar's history and how to play it.
Selected Compositions
Here are a few examples of José Ferrer's many compositions:
- Guitar Solos:
* Recuerdos de Montgri. Capricho, Op. 1 (1873) * Quejas de mi lira. Vals, Op. 2 (1892) * El ramillete. Diez pequeñas piezas, Op. 5 (1885) * Doce minués, Op. 12 (1888) (dedicated to Francisco Tárrega) * Los encantos de París. Capricho fantástico, Op. 16 (1892) * La Danse des Naïades, Op. 35 (1898) * Charme de la nuit. Nocturne, Op. 36 (1898) * Minué, Op. 49 (1906)
- Piano Music:
* Ismalia. Galop (1864) * La Exposicion. Vals * La Inquieta. Polka (1864)
- Duos (for two instruments):
* Fantasía sobre motivos de "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) (1878) * Mélancolie. Nocturne, Op. 23, for two guitars or flute and guitar (1898) * Sérénade espagnole, Op. 34, for two guitars (1898)
- Songs:
* El jaque. Canción española (1904)
Selected Recordings
You can listen to some of José Ferrer's music on recordings. For example, there's an album called Complete Guitar Duets, played by Jørgen Skogmo and Jens Franke (Naxos 8.574011, CD 2019).
See also
In Spanish: José Ferrer Esteve de Fujadas para niños
