Yepes, Narciso
Yepes, Narciso
Yepes, Narciso, noted Spanish guitarist and lu-tenist; b. Lorca, Nov. 14, 1927. He took up the guitar at the age of 6. At 12, he entered the Valencia Cons. He was 15 when he became a student of the pianist Vicente Ascencio. In 1947 he made his formal debut as a soloist in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Argenta and the Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid. In 1950 he went to Paris for further training with Enesco and Gieseking. He subsequently pursued an international career as a virtuoso. From 1964 he played a 10-string guitar of his own design. Yepes’s repertoire is remarkably expansive, extending from the 15th century to the present day. He has won particular distinction for his performances of the lute music of Bach on both lute and guitar. Among composers who have written works for him are Bacarisse, Balada, Ernesto Halffter, Moreno-Torroba, Ohana, and Françaix. He also has written film music and prepared transcriptions for the guitar.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire