Composer: Enrique Granados
Model: GG588
Arranged by: Masahiro Masuda, except 'No.2 Oriental' arranged by Shingo Fujii
47 pages
Publisher: Gendai Guitar
Enrique Granados
Spanish pianist and composer, Enrique Granados was born on 1867 in Lleida, Catalonia. In his boyhood, he started studying piano in Barcelona. At the same time, he was interested in composition. Especially, Felip Pedrell, who is a Spanish Nationalist school, had been a huge influence on Granados. In 1887, he went to Paris for taking a lesson with Charles-Wilfred Beriot. At the same time, Granados had a close friendship with Issac Albeniz. After returning Barcelona, Granados’s first very important composition, "Danzas Espanolas" was published and performed by himself. Since then, he had great success as not only composer but pianist, professor and conductor. Needless to say, Granados’s composition exude a Spanish fragrance, also they are marked brilliant, brightly, romantic and sophisticated.Most famouse and remarkable Granados’s work must be "Goescas" which composed as a piano suite in 1911. After arranging for Opera version, that was premiered at New York in 1916 and caused a sensation. However, when Granados went back to Spain from US, he pass away on Strait of Dover because of attacking by German U-boat on March 24th in 1916.
About the composition
"Danzas Espanolas" is a collection of twelve pieces for piano solo. The work is divided into four books of three dances each. On hearing this work, the 19th century French composer Jules Massenet hailed Granados as "the Spanish Grieg"- we can say that these pieces made the young Granados famous. The dates of composition are not clear, but we know Granados had begun writing these pieces by the age of 20, and the first public performance took place at Teatre Liric in Barcelona in 1890. Each of the dances has the character of various Spanish dances, but it is thought that they are totally original compositions, rather than borrowing the melodies and rhythms from Spanish folk music. Additionally, the subtitles under which we know the dances today were mostly added by the publisher after the work was completed it is said that only the subtitles of no.4 (Villanesca) and no.7 (Valenciana) were approved by the composer.
About the arrangement
During the arrangement process, I asked myself two questions: "What if Granados originally wrote this collection of dances for the guitar?" and "What if they were transcribed by Granados himself?" In keeping with the composer’s original intentions, I have retained the character of the original. At the same time, I took much care in not simply transferring the notes from the piano to the guitar, or compromising the musical content to make it easy to play on the guitar. I have also been careful that the notation "accurately represents the work" while also being "easy to read." As a result, there are notational differences between the guitar and piano scores. Please refer to the piano original and compare the two scores. By accurately understanding the composer’s original demands from the piano score, and then performing from this transcription, I believe it will be possible to perform the work as though it is a "work originally for guitar." As I have spent almost five years arranging and recording the work, there are differences between the recording and the printed arrangement. Please understand these differences as alterations for an "even better arrangement." It is my hope that these arrangements will be played by many guitarists as an important part of their repertoire.
Masahiro Masuda
Born in Nagasaki, Japan, he started playing guitar in his early childhood under the guidance of his parents. After studying economics at Nagasaki University, he was invited by Sharon Isbin to study at the Juilliard School with several scholarships. He has also received instruction from Shin-ichi Fukuda, Shingo Fujii, Oscar Ghiglia, Manuel Barrueco and David Russell.In 1989, Mr. Masuda was a prizewinner at the 20th Classical Guitar Competition (Tokyo, Japan), receiving the Special Juror Prize from the late composer Akira Ifukube, who was the head of the board of jurors. The next year, he became the Youngest First Prize Winner at the 21st Classical Guitar Competition. He has obtained many other prizes, such as Finalist at the Tokyo International Guitar Competition in 1992 and Barnett Foundation International Guitar Competition in 2003 (Chicago, U.S.)He had his first solo recital in his hometown, Nagasaki, Japan at age 12. He performs extensively not only as a soloist, but also as a chamber musician and with orchestra, performing as a guest artist and teaching at many gala concerts and music festivals.In 2001, he performed Concierto de Aranjuez with the Juilliard Symphony conducted by James DePreist in memory of Joaquin Rodrigo's 100th birthday at the Lincoln Center, New York. In 2009, he was invited to perform at “B→C (B to C：Bach to Comtemporary), a recital series organized by Tokyo Opera City featuring young performers, playing a solo recital. He also participated in "Disney On Classic"'s Japan tour, performing at 30 venues around the country. In 2012, he performed a concert tour in Spain after receiving an invitation from the world renowned guitar make J.L. Romanillos, especially receiving much acclaim for his recital at Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid. Recently, he held the event "A concert of music and art : Where Music and Painting Meet" with art historian Yusuke Kawase. His work is enthusiastic and diverse, such as projects offering novel ways of enjoying and finding new value in classical music concerts.His performances, covering a wide repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music, constantly receive acclaim. He has released over 20 CDs (as of September 2016). Many of his CDs have been specially selected by the monthly publication Record Geijutsu, and have also been featured by the media such as Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun and Fujin Kouron. He currently has more plans for further solo and chamber music recordings.He has also received much praise for his concerto performances and chamber music performances with other instruments, and is also involved with outreach work for spreading classical music. He continues to work energetically as one of Japan’s leading guitarists.
Shingo Fujii
Born in 1954. As a guitarist, he has performed recitals and taught masterclasses in and out of Japan in festivals (U.S., China, South Korea, Germany, Hungary, Iceland) and symposiums, as well as directing ensembles as a conductor. He has composed "Concierto de Los Angeles" (2006) for the American guitarist W. Kanengiser, "Horizontal Concerto" (2009) for Masahiro Masuda and "SHIKI" (2011), a concerto with guitar ensemble for LAGQ. CD releases include "Works of Leo Brouwer," "Music of Shingo Fujii for Guitar." DVD releases include ‘William Kanengiser and His Friends’. He has held posts as part-time lecturer at Osaka College of Music and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, and visiting lecturer at Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
