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El
Noi de la Mare
Miguel
Llobet (1878-1938)
El noi de la mare (Mama's child in
Catalan) struck me deeply the first time I heard it in 1986. I was attending
Segovia masterclasses at USC (Los Angeles) and the song was the opening
music of the Segovia films we watched between masterclasses. Many
of the guitarists present had never heard the piece until then and I know
that many sought the music in order to learn and play it.
The tuning in D makes the whole
instrument vibrate generously and Llobet's deep understanding of the guitar
is the vehicle that makes the music flow smoothly on the guitar.
Llobet is not fully appreciated
as the colossal figure in the guitar world as he should be. Many, including
Andres Segovia nourished from his enormous well of knowledge of the guitar.
Born in Barcelona (Barcelona is the capital of the Spanish region Catalunia
where 2 languages have official status "Spanish and Catalan")
El Noi de la mare is one of a series
of gorgeous catalan songs and perhaps one of his best works. Llobet toured
quite extensively and is often referred to as Segovia's teacher.
In the picture above, you can see
Llobet playing and Andres Segovia listening
(Segovia is the man sitting to the
right of Llobet)
Recommended recording
.mp3
(Members only)
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The Uruguayan guitarist Alvaro
Pierri is, in my opinion, the best representation of Abel Carlevaro's
technique. He is indeed one of the best players today. Amazing technique
and wonderful talent for the guitar. His interpretation of El noi de
la mare is simply excellent. |
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