Merry Christmas! Bolero (Julián Arcas)

Bolero
by Julián Arcas (1832 - 1882)


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"

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.

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.

Boléro is a slow form of Spanish dance with roots in Spain and Cuba. Arcas’s Bolero is arguably one his most popular works for guitar. Bolero is relatively short, but full of challenging scale phrases requiring meticulous articulation.

 
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