Julian Bream On Segovia

Julian bream maestro of guitar and lute dies at 87 it could be argued that he even more than andrés segovia established the guitar s credibility as a serious solo instrument.

Julian bream on segovia. Even andrés segovia another great spaniard struggled to draw an audience outside london and when julian bream was awarded a. After receiving his first gut string guitar from his father on his 11 th birthday bream quickly became a child prodigy. But i would argue in fact that as important as segovia s groundwork was the strides taken on the guitar s behalf by julian bream were as great and in some ways more significant than segovia s. Benjamin britten s noctural bream s initial interest in guitar came about not through the classics but the gypsy jazz of django reinhardt.

Julian was to set his own path and instruct himself in much the same way that segovia did when he was learning the guitar during his youth. Where segovia brought an essentially late romantic sensibility to his playing bream an englishman born in 1933 who in his early years played jazz and studied the piano and cello was a decidedly more modern interpreter. Julian bream s love affair with the classical guitar began after he heard a recording of andrés segovia. I became enticed by the whole style of colour initially encouraged by his first record label to record dowland bream came to develop a love for the lute founding the julian bream consort and building bonds with singers including peter pears.

In retrospect not having a close association with segovia likely benefited bream because he was able to develop his on voice despite playing the same instrument and sharing a similar repertoire.