Introduction

Francisco Tarrega lived from 1852 to 1909 in various regions around Spain. His music is arguably the most beloved and familiar to classical guitarists and aficionados of the classical guitar genre. His music has survived and indeed thrived for more than a century after his passing in 1909 at the age of 57. Although he lived his entire life in Spain with his wife and children he also gave concerts across Europe and England. It may come as a surprise that Tarrega was also a very able keyboard player, with this skill proving an invaluable asset when transcribing the piano works of his contemporary Isaac Albeniz, and other notable composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, and Mendelssohn.  

Musical Style

The pieces presented in this course represent quite a wide cross-section of Tarrega’s compositions. They range in difficulty from advanced beginner through to graduate level, whilst also showcasing Tarrega’s fondness for etudes, preludes, waltzes, and caprices amongst others. It may come as a surprise that Tarrega was also a very able keyboard player, with this skill proving an invaluable asset when transcribing the piano works of his contemporary Isaac Albeniz, and other notable composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. Tarrega composed more than 80 original compositions along with some 120 transcriptions from other instruments and opera.

Notable Pieces

A couple of the pieces are extremely well-known by the general public, however their names are not. Gran Vals was used by the Nokia brand as a ringtone in their mobile phone range from 2002 to 2010. There are hundred of comments on my YouTube video of Gran Vals that mention the Nokia slogan that was used at the time “Connecting People.” I laugh every time I read a comment that has that. It’s also impressive that a piece of music composed so long ago in a relatively obscure genre of music was selected. His other notable piece is the seminal work Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra). This piece was written after Tarrega took up residence in Granada, Spain in 1899, and was dedicated to Concepción Gómez de Jacoby – his patron. It has featured in movie soundtracks and tv commercials; been arranged for voice and numerous other instruments; and it was also the theme for the 2018 K-Drama Memories of the Alhambra (which I watched with my Korean wife not long after it was released on Netflix).

Pieces in this Collection

Adelita

Capricho Árabe

Estudio No. 1 in E Minor

Gran Vals ‘The Nokia Ringtone’

Lagrima

Isabel Vals

Marieta ‘Mazurka’

Mazuka en Sol

Prelude No. 1 in D Minor

Preludio No. 11

Recuerdos de la Alhambra

I wish you all the very best with each and every piece!

Josh

Course Instructor

Joshua Rogers Author

A teacher and lover of all things guitar!