Julián Arcas (25 October 1832 – 16 February 1882) was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer, who influenced Francisco Tárrega and Antonio de Torres. He was "one of the most important figures in Spanish music in the 19th century".

Biography

Arcas was born in María, Almería, and died in Antequera, Malaga. From 1860 until 1872, he performed all over Europe. The young Francisco Tárrega listened to him in 1863 in Castellón and played for him after the performance, on the request of Tárrega's father. Arcas then invited Tárrega to study with him in Barcelona. Between 1864 and 1870, Arcas performed all over Spain, in some of these appearances partnering with a pianist called Patanas, after which he retired to Almería, establishing a business in Calle Granada.

Julián Arcas

Arcas wrote fifty-two original works and transcribed thirty further pieces for the guitar, including waltzes, variations, preludes and dances. Thirty were published in Barcelona by Vidal y Roger and fifty in Madrid by Unión Musical Española.

Julián Arcas

Through the work of the guitar maker Antonio de Torres Jurado, Arcas influenced the development of the classical guitar, particularly with regard to the design of the soundboard.

Julián Arcas

Bibliography

Eusebio Rioja: Julián Arcas o los albores de la guitarra flamenca (Sevilla: Bienal de Arte Flamenco, 1990), . Javier Suárez-Pajares: "Julián Arcas: Figura clave de la Guitarra Española", in: Actas del XV Congreso de la Sociedad Internacional de Musicología: Culturas musicales del Mediterraneo y sus ramificaciónes, vol. 4, (Madrid, 1992). Eusebio Rioja: "Julián Arcas Lacal (1832–1882), concertista internacional, compositor y maestro de guitarra", in: Revista velezana no. 12 (1993), p. 43–54. Melchor Rodríguez (ed.): Julián Arcas. Obras Completas para Guitarra / Guitar Works (Madrid: Soneto, 1993), . Javier Suárez-Pajares, Eusebio Rioja Vázquez: El guitarrista almeriense Julián Arcas (1832–1882): una biografía documental (Almería: Instituto de Estudios Almerienses, 2003), .

Selected recordings

Julián Arcas: Complete Guitar Music, performed by Gabriele Zanetti; 4-CD-set (Brilliant Classics 95639, 2020).

References

External links

New scores of Julián Arcas

1832 births

1882 deaths

19th-century classical composers

19th-century Spanish male musicians

Composers for the classical guitar

Spanish classical composers

Spanish classical guitarists

Spanish male classical composers

Spanish male guitarists

Spanish Romantic composers

19th-century guitarists