José Ferrer (guitarist)


José Ferrer Esteve de Fujadas was a Spanish guitarist and composer.

Life

Ferrer was born in Torroella de Montgrí, Girona, and studied guitar with his father, a guitarist and collector of sheet music, before continuing his studies with José Brocá. In 1882, he left Spain for Paris in order to teach at the Institut Rudy and at the Académie Internationale de Musique, also becoming the official guitarist of the Comédie Française, and remained in Paris for 16 years.
Ferrer gave regular performances as a soloist. He taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona from 1898 to 1901. Following a period of moving between Barcelona and Paris, he settled permanently in Barcelona in 1905, where he died.

Music

Most of Ferrer's compositions were written for guitar but, being a deeply religious man, he also wrote some sacred music. His works for guitar solo and duo resemble the fashionable salon music of his time, bearing titles such as Le Charme de la nuit and La Danse des Naïades. One of his most popular pieces was his opus 1, Recuerdos de Montgri. He dedicated a number of pieces to his pupils, especially to the females. About half the number of his c.100 compositions were published during his lifetime, mainly by Vidal of Barcelona, Dupont and Pisa of Paris and latterly by Union Musical Española of Madrid.
He also wrote an unpublished method for guitar as well as duos for guitar and flute, and songs. His method "shows his great knowledge and understanding of the guitar's history and technique".

Compositions

Sorted, within the sections, after opus-number. Dates are for first publication, not necessarily for composition, taken from the online catalogues of the Biblioteca Nacional de España and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Guitar
- Perhaps his most popular piece today is Tango No.3 which is from this collection.
Piano
Duos
Songs