José Tomás
Encyclopedia
José Tomás Pérez Selles (26 August 1934 – 7 August 2001), was a Spanish
classical guitarist and teacher. Considered a major influence on the evolution of classical guitar technique in the second half of the 20th century, he trained many guitarists from all over the world.
and began his musical studies with Oscar Esplá. He would later transcribe
Esplá's piano suite
, Levante, for the guitar as well as re-discover and transcribe Esplá's previously unknown work, Tempo di Sonata. The sonata, originally composed for the harp, was given its first performance in 1978 by Tomás himself. Tomás was initially a self-taught guitarist, but then continued his studies with Regino Sainz de la Maza
, Emilio Pujol
, and Alirio Diaz
. On Diaz's recommendation, he went to study with Andrés Segovia
in Siena
. After Siena he continued his training with Segovia in 1958 and 1959 at Música en Compostela
, and served as Segovia's assistant there.
In 1961 he won first prize at the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra in Orense founded by Segovia, after which he primarily dedicated himself to teaching in his native city, where he was Professor of Guitar at the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Óscar Esplá", a post which he held for two decades. From 1964 until the mid-1970s, he also took over from Segovia as director of Música en Compostela.
As a concert performer, Tomás was known for his enviable sound and interpretative skill. He was also known for his transcriptions, especially those of scores from the Renaissance
and Baroque
eras. This in turn led him to adopt an eight string guitar
, developed for him by José Ramírez III
. The two extra strings allowed him to play music originally composed for the vihuela
and lute
on a modern guitar without sacrificing any notes. However, his primary contribution was to guitar pedagogy. "Pragmatic and erudite, but at the same time humble", he received a constant stream of guitarists who visited his home in Alicante seeking his advice. Amongst the classical guitarists who studied with Tomás are Thomas Müller-Pering
, Ahmet Kanneci
, Edson Lopes
, Ignacio Rodes, Carles Trepat and Edoardo Catemario
.
The Conservatorio Profesional de Música "Guitarrista José Tomás" in Alicante is named in his honour, as is an international classical guitar competition, the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Clásica "José Tomás - Villa de Petrer".
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
classical guitarist and teacher. Considered a major influence on the evolution of classical guitar technique in the second half of the 20th century, he trained many guitarists from all over the world.
Biography
José Tomás was born in AlicanteAlicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
and began his musical studies with Oscar Esplá. He would later transcribe
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
Esplá's piano suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
, Levante, for the guitar as well as re-discover and transcribe Esplá's previously unknown work, Tempo di Sonata. The sonata, originally composed for the harp, was given its first performance in 1978 by Tomás himself. Tomás was initially a self-taught guitarist, but then continued his studies with Regino Sainz de la Maza
Regino Sainz de la Maza
Regino Sainz de la Maza y Ruiz was a Spanish classical guitarist.At age ten, he got his first guitar and started his musical studies with Santiago Landache , José Nicolás Quesada , and Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual...
, Emilio Pujol
Emilio Pujol
Emili Pujol Vilarrubí was a composer and the leading twentieth century musicologist and classical guitar teacher.- Biography :...
, and Alirio Diaz
Alirio Diaz
Alirio Díaz is a Venezuelan classical guitarist.The eighth of eleven children, Díaz was born in Caserio La Candelaria, a small village near Carora in western Venezuela. From childhood he showed a great interest in music. At age 16 he ran away from home to Carora, where he sought better schooling...
. On Diaz's recommendation, he went to study with Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
. After Siena he continued his training with Segovia in 1958 and 1959 at Música en Compostela
Música en Compostela
Música en Compostela is an annual summer course in music performance and composition held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It was founded by the Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia and the diplomat José Miguel Ruiz Morales in 1958...
, and served as Segovia's assistant there.
In 1961 he won first prize at the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra in Orense founded by Segovia, after which he primarily dedicated himself to teaching in his native city, where he was Professor of Guitar at the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Óscar Esplá", a post which he held for two decades. From 1964 until the mid-1970s, he also took over from Segovia as director of Música en Compostela.
As a concert performer, Tomás was known for his enviable sound and interpretative skill. He was also known for his transcriptions, especially those of scores from the Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
eras. This in turn led him to adopt an eight string guitar
Eight string guitar
An eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings instead of the commonly used six strings. Such guitars are not as common as the six string variety, but are used by classical, jazz, and metal guitarists to expand the range of their instrument by adding two strings.-History and variants:There...
, developed for him by José Ramírez III
José Ramírez III
José Ramírez III was a luthier and the grandson of José Ramírez, founder of Ramírez Guitars. He was responsible for major changes both to the company and to the classical guitars it produces....
. The two extra strings allowed him to play music originally composed for the vihuela
Vihuela
Vihuela is a name given to two different guitar-like string instruments: one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the other, the Mexican vihuela, from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in Mariachi bands.-History:The vihuela, as it was known...
and lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
on a modern guitar without sacrificing any notes. However, his primary contribution was to guitar pedagogy. "Pragmatic and erudite, but at the same time humble", he received a constant stream of guitarists who visited his home in Alicante seeking his advice. Amongst the classical guitarists who studied with Tomás are Thomas Müller-Pering
Thomas Müller-Pering
Thomas Müller-Pering is a classical guitarist from Germany. He studied under Prof. Tadashi Sasaki at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and performed in the master classes of John Williams, José Tomás, Oscar Ghiglia and Siegfried Behrend. In 1983 he was awarded 1st Prize in the "Concurso internacional...
, Ahmet Kanneci
Ahmet Kanneci
Ahmet Kanneci is a Turkish guitar virtuoso particularly on the Classic style. Currently, Kanneci is the chairman of the Department of Guitar, at Hacettepe University State Conservatory and actively teaching as well.-Biography:...
, Edson Lopes
Edson Lopes
Edson Lopes is a Brazilian classical guitarist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Edson Lopes studied in Brazil at the Conservatory of Musical and Dramatic Arts "Dr. Carlos de Campos" in Tatuí with Pedro Cameron, and in England at Trinity College, London. He performs throughout Brazil as a soloist...
, Ignacio Rodes, Carles Trepat and Edoardo Catemario
Edoardo Catemario
Edoardo Catemario is an Italian classical guitarist.- Biography :Edoardo Catemario was born in Naples. He studied guitar with Salvatore Canino, Antimo Pedata, José Tomás, Stefano Aruta and Maria Luisa Anido, piano and analysis with Titina De Fazio and the South American composers Leo Brouwer and...
.
The Conservatorio Profesional de Música "Guitarrista José Tomás" in Alicante is named in his honour, as is an international classical guitar competition, the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Clásica "José Tomás - Villa de Petrer".