José Ferrer (guitarist)

José Ferrer Esteve de Fujadas was a Spanish guitarist and composer, born in Torroella de Montgrí, near Girona, on March 13, 1835.

Ferrer 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. He dedicated a number of his pieces to his pupils, especially to the females.

Ferrer gave regular performances as a soloist and later taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. Following a second stay in Paris, he settled permanently in Barcelona in 1898, where he died on March 7, 1916.

His compositions were written mainly for solo guitar and resembled the fashionable salon music of his time, bearing titles such as "Le Charme de la nuit" ("Charm of the Night") and "La Danse des Naïades" ("Dance of the Naiads"). He also wrote a method for guitar as well as duos for guitar and flute, and songs.

References

*Prat, Domingo. "Diccionario de Guitarristas" (Buenos Aires, 1934)
*Wynberg, Simon. "Charme de la nuit: pièces choisies et éditées par Simon Wynberg", Faber Music.