Regarded as a founder of modern Spanish guitar playing, with more than 78 compositions to his name he created what is perhaps the world’s most frequently played tune. Meet Francisco Tárrega of Spain’s “golden age of guitar”. Born in 1852, his music stands among the most played worldwide in the 21st century you have most likely heard at least a few chords from one of Tárrega’s most famous pieces.
He has been called the father of the classical guitar and founder of the modern guitar technique. Francisco Tárrega (or Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea) was born in 1852 and died in 1909, just 57 years old. He was an excellent guitarist, but also a concert pianist and composer. During his relatively short life, he composed 78 works, among the most famous are Recuerdos de la Alhambra which can be translated as something like Memories of the Alhambra. The Alhambra is, as most people will know, a stately palace and fortress built by Moorish rulers in Granada in southern Spain in the 14th century.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra is considered one of the masterpieces of classical guitar. Not everyone will have the talent to play it – this is music for advanced guitarists who master advanced techniques. Here is a link to a Youtube-video where Andres Segovia plays Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Enjoy!
Tárrega wrote the piece while in Granada, and it makes use of a demanding technique called tremolo. With this technique, a note is played in quick succession by the ring-, the middle- and the index finger thus providing the illusion of a single long note being played. At the same time, the thumb plays accompaniment so that one can easily believe that the piece is played by a duo and not a single guitarist.
Francisco Tárrega’s father discovered his son’s musical talent early on. He is said to have been a skilled flamenco guitarist himself. But in the middle of the 19th century, the guitar had far from the status the piano enjoyed, even though the guitar as an instrument actually originated in Spain. His father therefore insisted that Francisco would learn to play both instruments.
By the way, there were several reasons why Tárrega senior thought music could be a useful livelihood for his son. As a child, Francisco had damaged his eyesight in an accident. The father must have been a powerful man, because he moved the whole family to another town where it was possible for the son to get a formal music education. Even as a blind man, one could earn a living as a musician in Spain. In fact, both Francisco Tárrega’s first music teachers were blind.
Francisco Tárrega came to play an important role in raising the status of the guitar – making it an instrument “worthy” of the best concert halls in the world’s most important music cities. He himself often performed abroad, especially in Paris and London, and he worked closely with the leading instrument makers of his time.
Tárrega adapted music by many famous classical composers from piano to guitar, including pieces by Chopin, Bach and Mozart. He mastered both instruments. Perhaps these adaptations helped make the guitar a more reputable instrument and Tárrega and his music were loved by audiences around the world. As they are to this day. Among these pieces is his Gran Vals. You can, for example, listen to it here: Gran Vals.
From Spain to the rest of the world: 1.8 billion times per day
If you took the time to listen to the little youtube clip above, you might have felt a little “theme” hidden inside the beautiful piece of music. You’re absolutely right, it’s the Finnish telecom company Nokia’s famous ringtone.
In 1993, the management of cellphone maker Nokia sat down to create a kind of “sound brand.” They had attached themselves to Tárregas Gran Vals and selected a few beats from the composition. The following year, their very first mobile phone came loaded with the “Nokia ring tone”. It was a resounding success. The company received free advertising every time one of their phones rang – and they did so everywhere and at all times, it seemed. You would hear the “Nokia tune” in the background at press conferences wherever in the world they were held, in news broadcasts, in meetings – in all kinds of contexts, at any and all times.
In 2009, statisticians calculated that Tárrega’s music could be heard around 1.8 billion times per day – that would be in excess of 20,000 times per second. Since then, it has admittedly slowed down, but Nokia’s ringtone still has its followers and has achieved cult-like status.
With us, Nokia’s ringtone has always produced images of Spain no matter where in the world we are. A fun reminder of this wonderful country and all the beautiful music its composers and musicians have given us.
Featured image: Francisco Tárrega wrote classical pieces for both guitar and piano. You have almost certainly heard some of his compositions. (Source: Youtube)
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