Narciso Yepes
Encyclopedia
Narciso Yepes was a Spanish
guitarist
.
, Region of Murcia
. His father gave him his first guitar when he was four years old. He took his first lessons from Jesus Guevara, in Lorca. Later his family moved to Valencia
when the Spanish Civil War
started in 1936.
When he was 13, he was accepted to study at the Conservatorio de Valencia with the pianist and composer Vicente Asencio
. Here he followed courses in harmony, composition, and performance.
On December 16, 1947 he made his Madrid début, performing Joaquín Rodrigo
's Concierto de Aranjuez
with Ataúlfo Argenta
conducting the Spanish National Orchestra. The overwhelming success of this performance brought him renown from critics and public alike. Soon afterwards, he began to tour with Argenta, visiting Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. During this time he was largely responsible for the growing popularity of the Concierto de Aranjuez.
In 1950, after performing in Paris, he spent a year studying interpretation under the violinist George Enescu
, and the pianist Walter Gieseking
. He also studied informally with Nadia Boulanger
. This was followed by a long period in Italy where he profited from contact with artists of every kind.
On May 18, 1951, as he leant on the parapet of a bridge in Paris and watched the Seine
flow by, Yepes unexpectedly heard a voice inside him ask, "What are you doing?" He had been an unbeliever for 25 years, perfectly content that there was no God or transcendence or afterlife. But that existential question, which he understood as God's call, changed everything for him. He became a devout Catholic, which he remained for the rest of his life.
In 1952 a work (Romance
), Yepes claims to have written when he was a young boy, became the theme to the film Forbidden Games
(Jeux interdits) by René Clément. Despite the fact that Yepes confessed to being its composer, the piece (Romance
) has often been attributed to other authors; indeed published versions exist from before Yepes was even born, and the earliest known recording of the work dates from a cylinder
from around 1900. In the credits of the film Jeux Interdits, however, Romance is credited as "Traditional: arranged - Narciso Yepes."
Yepes also performed other pieces for the Forbidden Games soundtrack. His later credits as film composer include the soundtracks to La Fille aux yeux d'or (1961) and La viuda del capitán Estrada (1991). He also starred as a musician in the 1967 film version of El amor brujo
.
In Paris he met Marysia Szumlakowska, a young Polish
philosophy student. They married in 1958 and had two sons, Juan de la Cruz (deceased), Ignacio Yepes, an orchestral conductor and flautist
, and one daughter, Ana Yepes, a dancer and choreographer
.
In 1964, Yepes performed the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
, premièring the ten-string guitar
, which he invented in collaboration with the renowned guitar maker José Ramírez III
.
The instrument made it possible to transcribe works originally written for baroque lute
without deleterious transposition
of the bass notes. However, the main reason for the invention of this instrument was the addition of string resonators tuned to C, A#, G#, F#, which resulted in the first guitar with truly chromatic string resonance
- similar to that of the piano with its sustain/pedal mechanism.
After 1964, Yepes used the ten-string guitar
exclusively, touring all six inhabited continents, performing in recitals as well as with the world's leading orchestras, giving an average of 130 performances each year.
Apart from being a consummate musician, Yepes was also a significant scholar. His research into forgotten manuscripts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries resulted in the rediscovery of numerous works for guitar or lute. He was also the first person to record the complete lute works of Bach on period instruments (14-course baroque
lute
). In addition, through his patient and intensive study of his instrument, Narciso Yepes developed a revolutionary technique and previously unsuspected resources and possibilities.
He was granted many official honours including the Gold Medal for Distinction in Arts, conferred by King Juan Carlos I; membership in the Academy of “Alfonso X el Sabio” and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Murcia
. In 1986 he was awarded the Premio Nacional de Música
of Spain, and he was elected unanimously to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
.
In the 1980s, Yepes formed Trio Yepes with his son Ignacio Yepes on flute and recorder and his daughter Ana dancing to her own choreography.
After 1993, Narcisco Yepes limited his public appearances due to illness. He gave his last concert on March 1, 1996, in Santander
(Spain).
He died in Murcia
in 1997, after a long battle with lymphoma
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
guitarist
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
.
Biography
Yepes was born into a family of humble origin in LorcaLorca
Lorca is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 36 miles southwest of the city of Murcia. It had a population of 92,694 in 2010, up from the 2001 census total of 77,477. Lorca is the municipality with the second-largest surface area in Spain with...
, Region of Murcia
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
. His father gave him his first guitar when he was four years old. He took his first lessons from Jesus Guevara, in Lorca. Later his family moved to Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
when the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
started in 1936.
When he was 13, he was accepted to study at the Conservatorio de Valencia with the pianist and composer Vicente Asencio
Vicente Asencio
Vicente Asencio y Ruano was a Spanish composer. He is perhaps best known for his works for guitar of which guitarists Andrés Segovia and Narciso Yepes were notable exponents. His most well known works for this instrument are Elegía a Manuel de Falla , Sonatina , Colletici Íntim , and Dipso...
. Here he followed courses in harmony, composition, and performance.
On December 16, 1947 he made his Madrid début, performing Joaquín Rodrigo
Joaquín Rodrigo
Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success...
's Concierto de Aranjuez
Concierto de Aranjuez
The Concierto de Aranjuez is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is probably Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the twentieth century. ...
with Ataúlfo Argenta
Ataúlfo Argenta
Ataúlfo Exuperio Martín de Argenta Maza , was a Spanish conductor and pianist.-Biography:Argenta was born in Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, one of the two children, and the only son, of the local station master and a worker with the railways, Juan Martín de Argenta, and Laura Maza...
conducting the Spanish National Orchestra. The overwhelming success of this performance brought him renown from critics and public alike. Soon afterwards, he began to tour with Argenta, visiting Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. During this time he was largely responsible for the growing popularity of the Concierto de Aranjuez.
- Quotes by Angelo GilardinoAngelo GilardinoAngelo Gilardino is an Italian composer, guitarist and musicologist.During his concert career, from 1958 to 1981, he premiered hundreds of new works for the guitar. He taught at the Liceo Musicale G. B. Viotti in Vercelli from 1965 to 1981, and held a professorship at the Antonio Vivaldi...
on the relationship between Argenta and Yepes:
-
- "A very young Narciso Yepes - not yet enlightened by Argenta's lessons, but surely capable of occupying the hot seat with dignity - gave at least one public performance of "Aranjuez" on 1948" http://www.ga-usa.com/classical-guitar/projects/ag_post/100/ag00028.html
-
- "[...] great Spanish conductor Ataulfo Argenta (1913-1958).[...] He associated Yepes to his project and he taught the guitarist how to perform Aranjuez note by note. Yepes was humble and intelligent enough to do exactly what Argenta had asked him to do. It was only after that historical recording that Aranjuez became a famous piece, and Yepes an even more famous guitarist." http://www.ga-usa.com/classical-guitar/projects/ag_post/100/ag00025.html
-
- "Argenta played the shapes at the piano and the guitarist absorbed them with his skilfullness." http://www.ga-usa.com/classical-guitar/projects/ag_post/100/ag00027.html
-
- "I refer to the interpretation of the piece: in order to have the solo part performed with full consistency to his views (and to the orchestra) Argenta took Yepes under a thorough instruction and he was able to get from him the best. I never implied that Yepes couldn't read pieces himself - he had been given basic music instruction by the composer Vicente Asencio, who had added a lot of knowledge to the rather amateurish musical instruction Yepes had got from his former teacher, the guitarist Estanislao Marco." http://www.ga-usa.com/classical-guitar/projects/ag_post/100/ag00029.html
In 1950, after performing in Paris, he spent a year studying interpretation under the violinist George Enescu
George Enescu
George Enescu was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and teacher.-Biography:Enescu was born in the village of Liveni , Dorohoi County at the time, today Botoşani County. He showed musical talent from early in his childhood. A child prodigy, Enescu created his first musical...
, and the pianist Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
. He also studied informally with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
. This was followed by a long period in Italy where he profited from contact with artists of every kind.
On May 18, 1951, as he leant on the parapet of a bridge in Paris and watched the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
flow by, Yepes unexpectedly heard a voice inside him ask, "What are you doing?" He had been an unbeliever for 25 years, perfectly content that there was no God or transcendence or afterlife. But that existential question, which he understood as God's call, changed everything for him. He became a devout Catholic, which he remained for the rest of his life.
In 1952 a work (Romance
Romance (song)
"Romance Anónimo" is a piece for guitar, also known as "Estudio en Mi de Rubira" , "Spanish Romance", "Romance de España", "Romance of the Guitar", "Romanza" and "Romance d'Amour" among other names.Its origins and authorship are currently in question...
), Yepes claims to have written when he was a young boy, became the theme to the film Forbidden Games
Forbidden Games
Forbidden Games , is a 1952 French-language film directed by René Clément and based on François Boyer's novel, Jeux interdits.While not initially successful in France, the film was a hit elsewhere. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and is still one of the most popular French films...
(Jeux interdits) by René Clément. Despite the fact that Yepes confessed to being its composer, the piece (Romance
Romance (song)
"Romance Anónimo" is a piece for guitar, also known as "Estudio en Mi de Rubira" , "Spanish Romance", "Romance de España", "Romance of the Guitar", "Romanza" and "Romance d'Amour" among other names.Its origins and authorship are currently in question...
) has often been attributed to other authors; indeed published versions exist from before Yepes was even born, and the earliest known recording of the work dates from a cylinder
Phonograph cylinder
Phonograph cylinders were the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity , these cylinder shaped objects had an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which could be reproduced when the cylinder was...
from around 1900. In the credits of the film Jeux Interdits, however, Romance is credited as "Traditional: arranged - Narciso Yepes."
Yepes also performed other pieces for the Forbidden Games soundtrack. His later credits as film composer include the soundtracks to La Fille aux yeux d'or (1961) and La viuda del capitán Estrada (1991). He also starred as a musician in the 1967 film version of El amor brujo
El amor brujo
El amor brujo is a piece of music originally composed by Manuel de Falla for a chamber group, then re-scored as a symphonic suite, and eventually as a ballet...
.
In Paris he met Marysia Szumlakowska, a young Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
philosophy student. They married in 1958 and had two sons, Juan de la Cruz (deceased), Ignacio Yepes, an orchestral conductor and flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
, and one daughter, Ana Yepes, a dancer and choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
.
In 1964, Yepes performed the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic, German: , formerly Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the...
, premièring the ten-string guitar
Ten-string guitar
There are many varieties of ten-string guitar, including:* Both electric and acoustic guitars.* Instruments used principally for classical, folk and popular music.* Both coursed and uncoursed instruments.-Ten-stringed harp guitars:...
, which he invented in collaboration with the renowned guitar maker José Ramírez III
José Ramírez III
José Ramírez III was a luthier and the grandson of José Ramírez, founder of Ramírez Guitars. He was responsible for major changes both to the company and to the classical guitars it produces....
.
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
without deleterious transposition
Transposition
Transposition may refer to:Mathematics* Transposition , a permutation which exchanges two elements and keeps all others fixed* Transposition, producing the transpose of a matrix AT, which is computed by swapping columns for rows in the matrix AGames* Transposition , different moves or a different...
of the bass notes. However, the main reason for the invention of this instrument was the addition of string resonators tuned to C, A#, G#, F#, which resulted in the first guitar with truly chromatic string resonance
String resonance (music)
String resonance occurs on string instruments. Strings or parts of strings may resonate at their fundamental or overtone frequencies when other strings are sounded...
- similar to that of the piano with its sustain/pedal mechanism.
After 1964, Yepes used the ten-string guitar
Ten-string extended-range classical guitar
The ten string extended-range classical guitar, with fully chromatic, sympathetic string resonance was conceived in 1963 by Narciso Yepes, who "ordered the guitar from José Ramírez [III]"...
exclusively, touring all six inhabited continents, performing in recitals as well as with the world's leading orchestras, giving an average of 130 performances each year.
Apart from being a consummate musician, Yepes was also a significant scholar. His research into forgotten manuscripts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries resulted in the rediscovery of numerous works for guitar or lute. He was also the first person to record the complete lute works of Bach on period instruments (14-course baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
). In addition, through his patient and intensive study of his instrument, Narciso Yepes developed a revolutionary technique and previously unsuspected resources and possibilities.
He was granted many official honours including the Gold Medal for Distinction in Arts, conferred by King Juan Carlos I; membership in the Academy of “Alfonso X el Sabio” and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Murcia
University of Murcia
The University of Murcia is the main university in Murcia, Spain. With 38,000 students, it is the largest university in the Región de Murcia.-History:...
. In 1986 he was awarded the Premio Nacional de Música
Premio Nacional de Música
The Premio Nacional de Música forms part of the annual National Awards in Spain....
of Spain, and he was elected unanimously to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando , located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery....
.
In the 1980s, Yepes formed Trio Yepes with his son Ignacio Yepes on flute and recorder and his daughter Ana dancing to her own choreography.
After 1993, Narcisco Yepes limited his public appearances due to illness. He gave his last concert on March 1, 1996, in Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
(Spain).
He died in Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
in 1997, after a long battle with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
.
Press quotes
Positive and negative reviews of Yepes' performances, as with any artist, can be found:Positive
- "Narciso Yepes gave a most delicate account of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The range of timbres he can produce, to contrast phrases and to shape them, is astonishing . . . The work is not worthy of such playing." (Paul GriffithsPaul Griffiths (writer)Paul Griffiths is a British music critic, novelist and librettist. He is particularly noted for his writings on modern classical music and for having written the libretti for two 20th century operas, Tan Dun's Marco Polo and Elliott Carter's What Next?.-Biography and career:Paul Griffiths was...
[author on new music, writer, librettist, critic] 1974, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, London, 6 Nov., p. 11) - "Mr. Yepes' playing was distinguished by its clarity of detail, particularly in the ornaments, and facility of the passage-work. He was also able to sustain contrapuntal lines by some devilish trick, and he used color, not like Segovia, for its sensual appeal, but to help underline phrases and structural details ... Yepes had poetry and power in large measure and flexibility of rhythm that was a total contradiction to the tight beat he kept. Mr. Yepes' startling performing magnetism is a natural product of his technical mastery..." (Musical America)
- "With a rare intelligence and sensibility, Narciso Yepes conveyed to his audience that powerful silencing of all the critical spirit that only really great performers can bestow." (Le SoirLe SoirLe Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
, Brussels) - "Such incomparable artistry, coupled with staggering technical virtuosity, is rare among artists today." (Records and Recordings)
- "Yepes is more than a brilliant virtuoso and more than a consummate musician ... he is a magician who needs no more than a rhythm or a chord to bring all under his power." (Aux Écoutes, Paris)
- "He is a consummate technician and a knowledgeable interpreter in a variety of guitar idioms, from the Renaissance and Baroque to the Modern ... His attributes as a well-disciplined master of the guitar are of the first rank." (The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
) - "Other fine guitarists have visited Japan, but none of them, not even Segovia, revealed such delicacy and beauty in the instrument." (Sankei Shinbun, Tokyo)
- "...We consider Yepes the most complete guitarist of our times." (El Mercurio, Santiago de Chile)
- "An admirable musician, a master of his instrument ... his interpretations are solidly built up and are not affected by the slightest trace of sentiment ... The audience showed their enthusiasm by their eager and well-deserved applause and foot-stomping. Certainly merited". (Journal de Genève, Geneva)
- "His musical personality is of the widest possible scope. It took no more than three opening pieces to establish Mr. Yepes as a vibrant, sensual, searching and highly articulate performer". (New York Herald Tribune)
Neutral/Negative
- "Compared with the more flowing style of his older contemporary, Andres Segovia [...], Mr. Yepes's style could sound oddly clipped, yet his admirers pointed out that his approach allowed counterpoint to emerge with a clarity unusual on the guitar." (THE NEW YORK TIMES; Narciso Yepes, Spanish Guitarist And an Innovative Musician, 69; Allan Kozinn; May 4, 1997)
- "Yepes is, of course, a thoroughly accomplished performer, but in this repertory he seems a bit too cool and, at times, even mechanical. Certainly his account of the famous Chaconne, if more rhythmically stable than Segovia's, has none of the rich panoply of colors that Segovia produced. Then, too, the three-note figurations that comprise the E Prelude are plucked out with a stiff rigidity lacking the nuance and legato phrasing that Julian Bream [...]" (Fanfare, 1984; Joel Flegler)
- "Yepes, for all his wonderful technique, seems quite removed from the music." (The Music journal, 1969; University of Michigan)
- "[...] [other guitarist's] exciting and perceptive performances of the lute works, which were recorded between 1981 and 1984, are light years better than the stilted, drab, and often utterly stillborn interpretations of Narciso Yepes, who does not sound by any means comfortable playing the lute." (American record guide; 1984)
- "Spanish guitarist Narciso Yepes (1927-97) was one of the oddest high-profile players active in the second half of the century. He adhered to no school and seems to have had few followers. His playing on his numerous Deutsche Grammophon recordings is almost always inexplicably quirky, with crisp, staccato articulation, square phrasing, metronomic rhythms, and interpretations that can be eerily devoid of expression." (American Record Guide; Steven Rings; 1 September 2001)
- "The Yepes interpretive hallmarks are all here: crisp articulation, square phrasing, and metronomic regularity. It always struck me as very odd that this elder statesman among Spanish guitarists could produce such mannered and stiff renditions of these Iberian favorites. It seems almost as though Yepes deliberately sought to position himself as the antidote to Segovian excesses. [...]
But the guitar world is richer for having had a Yepes. Such polar opposites stir things up and encourage critical reappraisals of interpretive traditions.
[...] his approach just falls flat, as in most of the other Spanish standards by Albeniz, Granados, and company. Yepes often seems determined to make this music neither exciting nor romantic.
[...] if you are interested in building your library, there are dozens of other recordings of this standard fare that you would be better off with." (American Record Guide; Steven Rings; 1 September 2003) - "Narciso Yepes is a clean-fingered (though not infallible) player with a rather academic approach" (The Gramophone; Compton Mackenzie, Christopher Stone; 1954)
- "Respectfully, I cannot place Yepes on the same level with SegoviaAndrés SegoviaAndrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
and BreamJulian BreamJulian Bream, CBE is an English classical guitarist and lutenist and is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute....
." (Angelo Gilardino, Guitar Review, Issue 115/Winter 1999) - "controversially different" (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians)
- "The Spaniard Narciso Yepes, now, is famous, as much for his occasional lapses as for his occasional excellences. Both sides of Yepes are usually on display" (American record guide, 1986)
- "Yepes can be downright unmusical in his pedantic interpretations of some pieces [...], yet stunning - musically and technically - in other pieces." (Classical Music: The Listener's Companion by Alexander J. Morin, Harold C. Schonberg; ISBN 0879306386)
- "The suite by Falckenhagen and the two Scarlatti sonata transcriptions - both clean and cool in their symmetry - seemed burdened to the point of stumbling by Mr. Yepes's rhapsodic pauses and surges. [...] In three Villa-Lobos studies, however, Mr. Yepes's generosity of phrase found sympathetic and grateful recipients [...]" (THE NEW YORK TIMES; Music Noted in Brief; Narciso Yepes Plays A Guitar Recital at Met; Bernard Holland; November 10, 1986)
- "In meiner Jugend in den Siebzigern war die „Hifi Stereophonie” das absolute Flaggschiff der gehobenen Musikrezension und eine wichtige Quelle der Information in meinem Klassik geneigten Umfeld. ... Als ich die 12 Etudes von Villa-Lobos zu spielen begann, kaufte ich von meinem schmalen Taschengeld jene Aufnahme von Narciso Yepes, die in nämlichem Blatt in allen Kriterien die Höchstbewertung erhalten hatte und als ewige Referenz bejubelt worden war. Und was hörte ich dann? Ein schon für meine damalige völlig ungebildete Wahrnehmung musikbeamtenhaft herunterbuchstabierte hölzern uninspirierte Pflichtübung ..." (Prof. Frank Bungarten; Pressto 1.2007
- Wenn es nur die Wahl des Instruments wäre, müsste man heute Narciso Yepes neben Gustav Leonhardt und Nikolaus Harnoncourt als Pionier der Alten Musik nennen, denn er hat ja das Bach’sche Lautenwerk auf einer Barocklaute aufgenommen ... eine mehr als peinliche Aufnahme bei der Archiv-Produktion (2708030) übrigens, die nie wieder neu aufgelegt worden ist, weil man sich ihrer offenbar schämte. Diese Produktion auf zwei Vinyl-Schallplatten ist auch noch gut besprochen worden, weil Yepes als Gitarrist ein bekannter Mann war und seine Meriten hatte und weil die Deutsche Grammophon mit ihrer Archiv-Produktion Garant für Qualität war. Aber sie beweist, dass die Benutzung eines historischen Instruments aus Musik noch keine Alte Musik macht. (Peter Päffgen; GITARRE & LAUTE XXX/2008/Nº 1)
Recordings (partial)
Recordings at Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft- "La Fille aux Yeux d'Or" (original film soundtrack) (Fontana, 460.805)
- "Narciso Yepes: Bacarisse/Torroba" (Concertos) (London, CCL 6001)
- "Jeux Interdits" (Original film soundtrack) (London, Kl 320)
- "Narciso Yepes: Recital" (London, CCL 6002)
- "Falla/Rodrigo" (Concierto de Aranjuez) (London, CS 6046)
- "Spanish Classical Guitar Music" (London, KL 303)
- "Vivaldi/Bach/Palau" (Conciertos & Chaconne)(London, CS 6201)
- "Guitar Recital: Vol. 2" (London, KL 304)
- "Rodrigo/Ohana" (Concertos) (London, CS 6356)
- "Guitar Recital: Vol. 3" (London, KL 305)
- "The World of the Spanish Guitar Vol. 2" (London, STS 15306)
- "Simplemente" (re-release of early recordings) (MusicBrokers, MBB 5191)
- "Guitar Music Of Spain" (LP Contour cc7584)
- "Recital Amerique Latine & Espagne" (Forlane, UCD 10907)
- "Les Grands d'Espagne, Vol. 4" (Forlane, UM 3903)
- "Les Grands d'Espagne, Vol. 5" (Forlane, UM 3907)
- "Fernando Sor - 24 Etudes" (Deutsche Grammophon, 139 364)
- "Spanische Gitarrenmusik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, Vol. 1" (Deutsche Grammophon, 139 365)
- "Spanische Gitarrenmusik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, Vol. 2" (Deutsche Grammophon, 139 366)
- "Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasía para un Gentilhombre" (Deutsche Grammophon, 139 440)
- "Rendezvous mit Narciso Yepes" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2538 106)
- "Luigi Boccerini: Gitarren-Quintette" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 069 & 429 512-2)
- "J.S. Bach - S.L. Weiss" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 096)
- "Heitor Villa-Lobos" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 140 & 423 700-2)
- "Música Española" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 159)
- "Antonio Vivaldi" (Concertos) (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 211 & 429 528-2)
- "Música Catalana" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 273)
- "Guitarra Romantica" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2530 871)
- "Johann Sebastian Bach: Werke für Laute" (Works for Lute - Complete Recording on Period Instruments) (Deutsche Grammophon, 2708 030)
- "Francisco Tárrega" (Deutsche Grammophon, 410 655-2)
- "Joaquín Rodrigo" (Guitar Solos) (Deutsche Grammophon, 419 620-2)
- "Romance d'Amour" (Deutsche Grammophon, 423 699-2)
- "Canciones españolas I" (Deutsche Grammophon, 435 849-2)
- "Canciones españolas II" (Deutsche Grammophon, 435 850-2)
- "Rodrigo/Bacarisse" (Concertos) (Deutsche Grammophon, 439 5262)
- "Johann Sebastian Bach: Werke für Laute" (Works for Lute - Recording on Ten-String Guitar) (Deutsche Grammophon, 445 714-2 & 445 715-2)
- "Rodrigo/Halffter/Castelnuovo-Tedesco" (Concertos) (Deutsche Grammophon, 449 098-2)
- "Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas" (Deutsche Grammophon, 457 325-2 & 413 783-2)
- "Guitar Recital" (Deutsche Grammophon, 459 565-2)
- "Asturias: Art of the Guitar" (Deutsche Grammophon, 459 613-2)
- "Narciso Yepes" (Collectors Edition box set) (Deutsche Grammophon, 474 667-2 to 474 671-2)
- "20th Century Guitar Works" (Deutsche Grammophon)
- "Guitar Music of Five Centuries" (Deutsche Grammophon)
- "G.P. Telemann" (Duos with Godelieve Monden) (Deutsche Grammophon)
- "Guitar Duos" (with Godelieve Monden) (BMG)
- "Leonardo Balada: Symphonies" ('Persistencies') (Albany, TROY474)
Works composed for or dedicated to Narciso Yepes (partial)
- Concepción Lebrero: Remembranza de Juan de la Cruz
- Estanislao Marco: Guajira
- Tomás Marco: Concierto "Eco"
- Joaquín RodrigoJoaquín RodrigoJoaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success...
: En los trigales (1939) - Manuel Palau: Concierto levantino
- Manuel Palau: Ayer
- Manuel Palau: Sonata
- Salvador BacarisseSalvador BacarisseSalvador Bacarisse Chinoria was a Spanish composer.Bacarisse was born in Madrid and studied music at the Real Conservatorio de Música there, as a student of Manuel Fernández Alberdi and Conrado del Campo...
: Concertino in A-minor - Salvador Bacarisse: Suite
- Salvador Bacarisse: Ballade
- Maurice OhanaMaurice OhanaMaurice Ohana was an Anglo-French composer of Sephardic Jewish origin.Ohana was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He was a British citizen until 1976, as his father had been born in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. He originally studied architecture, but abandoned this in favour of a...
: Tiento (1955) - Maurice Ohana: Concerto "Trois Graphiques" (1950-7)
- Maurice Ohana: Si le jou paraît... (1963)
- Cristobal Halffter: Codex 1 (1963)
- Leo BrouwerLeo BrouwerJuan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida is a Cuban composer, conductor and guitarist. He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona Casado.-Biography:...
: Tarantos - alcides lanza: modulos I (1965)
- Leonardo BaladaLeonardo BaladaLeonardo Balada , is a Catalan American composer, now teaching and composing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Life:...
: Guitar Concerto No. 1 (1965) - Antonio Ruiz-PipóAntonio Ruiz-PipòAntonio Ruiz-Pipò was a composer born in Granada, Spain, in 1934, and died in Paris, France in 1997.-External links:...
: Cinqo Movimientos (1965) - Antonio Ruiz-Pipó: Canciones y Danzas (1961)
- Leonardo BaladaLeonardo BaladaLeonardo Balada , is a Catalan American composer, now teaching and composing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Life:...
: Analogías (1967) - Antonio Ruiz-Pipó: "Tablas" Concerto (1968-69/72)
- Vicente AsencioVicente AsencioVicente Asencio y Ruano was a Spanish composer. He is perhaps best known for his works for guitar of which guitarists Andrés Segovia and Narciso Yepes were notable exponents. His most well known works for this instrument are Elegía a Manuel de Falla , Sonatina , Colletici Íntim , and Dipso...
: Collectici íntim (1970) - Vicente Asencio: Suite de Homenajes
- Bruno MadernaBruno MadernaBruno Maderna was an Italian conductor and composer. For the last ten years of his life he lived in Germany and eventually became a citizen of that country.-Biography:...
: Y después (1971) - Leonardo Balada: "Persistencias" Sinfonía-concertante (1972)
- Jorge Labrouve: Enigma op. 9 (1974)
- Jorge Labrouve: Juex op. 12 (Concertino) (1975)
- Luigi Donorà: Rito (1975)
- Francisco Casanovas: La gata i el belitre
- Miguel Ángel Cherubito: Suite popolar Argentina
- José Peris: Elegía
- Xavier MontsalvatgeXavier MontsalvatgeXavier Montsalvatge i Bassols was a Spanish Catalan composer and music critic. He was one of the most influential music figures in Catalan music during the latter half of the 20th century.-Life:...
: Metamorfosis de Concierto (1980) - Xavier Montsalvatge: Fantasía para guitarra y arpa (1983)
- Federico MompouFederico MompouFrederic Mompou i Dencausse was a Catalan Spanish composer and pianist. He is best known for his solo piano music and his songs.-Life:...
: Canço i dansa no. 13Cançons i DansesCançons i Danses is the title of a collection of 15 pieces by Federico Mompou, written between 1918 and 1972. All were written for the piano, except No. 13 for guitar and No...
External links
- International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation
- Official Homepage www.narcisoyepes.org
- Biography (Conservatorio de Música "Narciso Yepes" Lorca (Murcia) España)
- [ Biography] by Robert Cummings (Allmusic)
- Information (Región de Murcia Digital)
- Biography (Guitarreando)
- Biography (A.MA.MUS. es una Asociación de Maestros de Música)
- Information (Esperanto)
- Narciso Yepes receiving Doctores Honoris Causa at Universidad de Murcia (audio)
- Entrevista Con Narciso Yepes (includes audio interview) by Manuel Segura; Murcia, February 1988
- αφιέρωμα για τα 80 χρόνια από τη γέννηση του Narciso Yepes (Tar)
- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJfF0XegAw Narciso Yepes explains his authorship of the Romance
- www.tenstringguitar.info Site about the modern Yepes 10-string guitar as envisioned by Narciso Yepes (edited by Viktor van Niekerk)
Photos
Articles
- Narciso Yepes en el recuerdo by Antonio Díaz Bautista (laverdad.es)
- Narciso Yepes y su legado olvidado (laverdad.es)
Recordings
- Recordings at Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft
- Some photos of LP covers (Oviatt Library Digital Collections)
- Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez by Narciso Yepes