Michael Laucke (; 29 January 1947 – 2 December 2021) was a Canadian
classical,
new flamenco
New flamenco (or ''nuevo flamenco'') or flamenco fusion is a musical genre that was born in Spain, starting in the 1980s. It combines flamenco guitar virtuosity and traditional flamenco music with musical fusion (with genres like jazz, blues, roc ...
and
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
guitarist and composer. Starting at the age of thirteen, Laucke gave professional snooker demonstrations and his winnings allowed him to take trips from Montreal to New York City to study the
classical guitar
The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...
with
Rolando Valdés-Blain. With a career spanning over 30 years, Laucke began performing in 1965, recording the first of 16 albums in 1969, and toured in 25countries. In 1971, he performed his first of many concerts at the
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
in Washington, D.C. His first concert in New York, where he also first met
Senator Claiborne Pell, took place in 1972.
Laucke was introduced to complex flamenco techniques by Spanish guitarist
Paco de Lucía
Francisco Sánchez Gómez (21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (;), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flame ...
when the two shared a loft and performed together for the
jet set
In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the early 1970s. In 1982 he was selected by
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students.
Segovia's contribution to the m ...
to perform for the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
network at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York City. Laucke subsequently became Segovia's pupil, and also studied with other classical guitar players, including
Julian Bream
Julian Alexander Bream (15 July 193314 August 2020) was an English classical guitarist and lutenist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public per ...
and
Alirio Díaz __NOTOC__
Alirio Díaz (12 November 19235 July 2016) was a Venezuelan classical guitarist and composer, considered one of the most prominent composer-guitarists of South America and an eminent musician. He studied with Andrés Segovia, and gave ...
. He performed mainly on classical guitar until 1990; from then until has last performance in 2015, his concerts consisted exclusively of flamenco and new flamenco works.
Laucke broadened the guitar
repertoire
A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform.
Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...
by creating over 100
transcriptions of classical and flamenco music. Several notable Canadian composers have written
atonal
Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...
works for him.
SOCAN
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...
's ''
The Music Scene'' magazine considered Laucke to be one of "five of Canada's best-known soloists".
Music critic emeritus, historian, and musician
Eric McLean
Eric McLean (25 September 191919 August 2002) was a Canadian pianist, music critic, and historian. From 1979 to 1988 he was the music critic for the ''Montreal Gazette'' in Canada, and retired as their critic emeritus. His overall career spanned ...
of the ''
Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'' avowed: "Laucke is the person who has done more for the guitar in this country than anyone else."
He received many other awards and honours throughout his career, including the ''Grand Prix du Disque-Canada'' for Best Canadian Recording. He was also a music industry businessman.
Early life
![Laucke in competition against Georges Chenier, the North American snooker champion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Laucke_in_competition_against_Georges_Chenier%2C_the_North_American_snooker_champion.jpg)
Laucke was born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, on 29 January 1947 to parents of
Russian- and
Polish-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...
heritage. After they separated when Laucke was sixmonths old, he lived with his mother, brother, uncle, and grandmother. His grandmother raised and nurtured him; she died at the age of 100.
At the age of seven, Laucke appeared in the ''Montreal Star'' newspaper having designed and built a boat from 2,000 toothpicks.
A
yo-yo
A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in ...
expert by age ten, he soon discovered that he loved performing and competing,
eventually winning a
C$60bicycle as the champion among 2,000contestants in a Montreal yo-yo competition.
He discovered an interest in playing guitar, but his brother disapproved, so he practiced at friends' homes. He also took up
snooker
Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
, and became competent enough by the age of thirteen to gain a job as a demonstrator for the
Brunswick Corporation
Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Today, Brunswick has more than 13,000 employ ...
, a snooker table manufacturer. Laucke learned billiards from
George Chenier, a fellow Montrealer and the North American snooker champion.
The two faced each again four years later at the North American snooker championships in Montreal, where Laucke won the championship.
Laucke recalls: "Then I decided to leave snooker, I had done what I wanted to do... My love for the guitar was overwhelming. There was a lot more money in snooker, but snooker was just a passion, and music was my love."
Laucke's snooker winnings allowed him to finance 110trips from Montreal to New York City to study the
classical guitar
The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...
with
Franco-Spaniard Rolando Valdés-Blain.
Early career
With
Frank Angelo as his manager since 1961, Laucke performed his first guitar concert in Montreal in 1965, a program of
atonal
Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...
music with the ''
Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
The Quebec Contemporary Music Society, or Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in French (SMCQ), is a contemporary classical-music organization based in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded in 1966 by Montreal composers and musicians, includin ...
''. In 1971, following the first of his many concerts at the
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
in Washington, D.C., ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' proclaimed that Laucke had displayed "the highest form of virtuosity".
His first concert in New York took place in 1972 at the
Greenwich House Music School. Senator
Claiborne Pell
Claiborne de Borda Pell (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic ...
was in attendance and invited Laucke to perform his first concerts in Washington, DC, thus beginning a 15-year affiliation as Laucke's active supporter in the U.S.
Pell's former campaign manager, Raymond Nelson, handled logistics for many of Laucke's U.S. performances.
In 1973, Laucke starred in a documentary produced by
Radio-Québec called ''La Guitare'',
and he performed at
Montreal's Summer Olympic Games in 1976.
![Michael Laucke with teacher, classical guitarist Julian Bream](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Michael_Laucke_with_teacher%2C_classical_guitarist_Julian_Bream.jpg)
Laucke studied with several classical guitar masters: FrancoSpaniard
Rolando Valdès-Blain from 1963 to 1977,
Julian Bream
Julian Alexander Bream (15 July 193314 August 2020) was an English classical guitarist and lutenist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public per ...
in 1969 as winner of the Julian Bream Master classes,
Alirio Díaz __NOTOC__
Alirio Díaz (12 November 19235 July 2016) was a Venezuelan classical guitarist and composer, considered one of the most prominent composer-guitarists of South America and an eminent musician. He studied with Andrés Segovia, and gave ...
from 1977 to 1979 and
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students.
Segovia's contribution to the m ...
from 1982 to 1986.
Laucke was introduced to complex and advanced
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
techniques by Spanish guitarist
Paco de Lucía
Francisco Sánchez Gómez (21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (;), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flame ...
when the two shared a loft in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the early 1970s.
During this period, de Lucía and Laucke gave a concert in the Spanish Embassy, where Countess
Elsa Peretti
Elsa Peretti, OMRI OMM (1 May 1940 – 18 March 2021), was an Italian jewelry designer and philanthropist as well as a fashion model. Her jewelry and design pieces for Tiffany & Co. are included in the 20th century collection of the British Mu ...
, jewelry designer at
Tiffany's
Tiffany & Co. (colloquially known as Tiffany's) is a high-end luxury jewelry and specialty retailer, headquartered on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It sells jewelry, sterling silver, porcelain, crystal, stationery, fragrances, water bottles, watc ...
, first heard the two guitarists. She immediately invited them to one of her parties at her New York penthouse, where the two guitarists performed in private for the New York City
jet set
In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...
, including fashion designer
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
,
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
,
Halston
Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s.
His minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere or ultrasuede, were a ...
, and
Giorgio di Sant'Angelo
Giorgio di Sant' Angelo (Jorge Alberto Imperatrice), commonly known as Giorgio Sant'Angelo, (19331989) was an Italian/Argentinian fashion designer based in the United States. He was known for creating ethnic-inspired looks early in his care ...
.
The Montreal Gazette noted that these artistic gatherings were: "the closest thing to the 18th century intellectual and artistic salon to be found anywhere these days".
Laucke was frequently hired to play at the launches of Giorgio di Sant' Angelo's new fashion lines and later those of Calvin Klein.
"I was only 21 at the time, and it all seemed like a dream," Laucke recalled.
In 1977, he founded Trio3 with
Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr and Pauline Vaillancourt,
and the
D'Addario strings-manufacturing company became his sponsor.
His recording of works by
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...
,
Richard Rodney Bennett
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.Zachary Woo ...
, and
François Morel
François Morel (14 March 1926 – 14 January 2018) was a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded t ...
on the
Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International (RCI) is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Prior to 1970, RCI was known as the CBC International Service. The broadcasting service was also previously referred to as ...
label (RCI457) won the Canadian Music Council's ''
Grand Prix du Disque-Canada'' in 1979.
The album included Morel's new composition ''Me duele España,'' written for and dedicated to Laucke. The world premiere of the 21-minute piece took place at
Place des Arts
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
in Montreal, under the auspices of the ''Société de musique contemporaine du Québec''.
Later that year, with an increasing number of concerts and recordings, and a busy travel schedule, Laucke became concerned that he would not have enough hours left for practising. He invented a "practiser": a small, wooden fingerboard with six strings stretched across a bridge. The device measured and allowed him to practice quietly during travel. Laucke found that: "Those extra hours of finger exercises pay off in handsome performance dividends."
Laucke recorded his last classical album in 1981 with singer
Riki Turofsky and ''Guitar and Lute'' magazine declared it: "One of the best voice and guitar albums you will ever hear."
Although Laucke had played both classical and flamenco guitar music from an early age, he performed mainly classical guitar works until 1990.
From late 1990 until his last performance in 2015, his concerts consisted exclusively of many flamenco and new flamenco works he learned from de Lucía.
Teaching
He was a professor of guitar at
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
in Montreal in 1976, but left after two years to pursue a performing career. Ten years later, however, he released an eight-tape instructional video series, to pass along the knowledge he had learned from his teachers. This video series was reviewed by ''
Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...
'' magazine: "Laucke's enthusiasm is infectious"
and by ''Frets Magazine'': "thoughtful and thorough instruction".
Laucke also published
articles on classical guitar.
Style and influences
![Michael Laucke and his Group at Place des Arts - Montreal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Michael_Laucke_and_his_Group_at_Place_des_Arts_-_Montreal.jpg)
Laucke's classical/flamenco musical style is a blend of his classical studies with Bream, Segovia, Valdès-Blain, and his friendship with deLucía.
Although classical and flamenco guitar are two quite different musical styles, Québec's French-language newspaper ''
Le Soleil
Le Soleil ("The Sun") is the name of several newspapers:
* ''Le Soleil'' (Quebec), a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, founded in 1896
* ''Le Soleil'' (French newspaper), a defunct daily newspaper based in Paris fro ...
'' chronicled Laucke's feelings and reasoning about performing both.
His blend of the classical and flamenco styles, sometimes referred to as "new flamenco" (''nuevo flamenco''), led music critic
Eric McLean
Eric McLean (25 September 191919 August 2002) was a Canadian pianist, music critic, and historian. From 1979 to 1988 he was the music critic for the ''Montreal Gazette'' in Canada, and retired as their critic emeritus. His overall career spanned ...
of the ''Montreal Gazette'' to proclaim: "It is Laucke's interest in flamenco that makes him special: He might be called the first ''interpreter'' of flamenco music, in the sense that he borrows these traditional works by
Sabicas
Sabicas (proper name: Agustín Castellón Campos) (16 March 1912 – 14 April 1990) was a Spanish flamenco guitarist of Romani origin.
Biography
Sabicas was born in Pamplona, Spain, and began playing guitar at the age of five and made his perfor ...
,
Carlos Montoya
Carlos García Montoya (13 December 19033 March 1993) in Madrid, Spain, was a prominent flamenco guitarist and a founder of the modern-day popular flamenco style of music.
Early life
He was the nephew of renowned flamenco guitarist Ramón Monto ...
and Paco de Lucía, and employs them in his own fashion, a practice to which they agree."
Laucke summarized: "The Spanish guitar remains my first love. The flamenco guitar is my passion."
According to ''
The Music Scene'' magazine published by
Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...
(SOCAN),
he is one of "five of Canada's best-known soloists" and the Canadian federal and provincial governments gave him "full recognition as the person who has done more for the guitar in this country than anyone else".
Paco de Lucía
![Michael Laucke With His Great Friend Paco De Lucia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Michael_Laucke_With_His_Great_Friend_Paco_De_Lucia.jpg)
In the 1970s, Laucke moved to New York City to further his career. He was asked by Valdès-Blain if he would mind sharing his one-room apartment with flamenco guitarist Paco deLucía.
Laucke taught deLucía music by Bach and
Villa-Lobos. In return, deLucía showed Laucke some of the secrets of his art of flamenco, an oral tradition handed down through generations, "their secrets and knowledge jealously guarded".
Although Laucke had played flamenco for his own pleasure since he was a child, he had never felt comfortable playing it in public. De Lucía's influence helped change this: "This meeting changed my life," Laucke declared, "he taught me flamenco works which were not written anywhere and to which no other guitarist had access. So for me to be taught all these techniques by a guitarist of Paco's caliber was an incredible stroke of luck". (English translation)
In an interview with the ''Montreal Gazette'', Laucke stated: "
eLucíawas the greatest natural talent I have ever come across." At the time, Laucke was impressed by a piece called ''
Entre dos aguas'' (''Between Two Seas'') that de Lucía was creating, which became arguably his best-known composition.
Since deLucía did not read music, Laucke offered to teach him but he refused. When the question arose as to whether Laucke would ever play deLucía's compositions in public, he advised Laucke, "you must do it in your own style".
He teamed up again with de Lucía to give a series of concerts combining the two repertoires.
Many newspapers talked about this association.
The Canadian Spanish magazine ''El Popular'' stated: "Laucke is convinced that flamenco possesses enormous seductive powers. 'The harmonies and the rhythm leave no one indifferent', says Laucke."
The meeting with de Lucía led Laucke to perform two incompatible guitar styles. In 1991, he recorded compositions deLucía taught him on the album ''Spanish Guitar Stories.''
DeLucía expressed his approval, saying the album was: "very beautiful, all of it, from ato z, even my pieces!"
''Flamenco Road'' album
On 12 September 2001, Laucke released a CD called ''
Flamenco Road'', consisting mainly of his own compositions in the new flamenco style, which he also arranged. In an interview for ''
Voir
''Voir'' was a francophone alternative weekly newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, published by Communications Voir. ''Voir'' was founded by Pierre Paquet in November 1986. The first issue of the newspaper was published on 27 November 1986. Later on t ...
'' magazine, Laucke stated: "It is also very influenced by my classical background. So it's a smoother flamenco." An example of this style from the album can be heard in Laucke's treatment of the well-known classical guitar transcription "
Leyenda", which is given a flamenco rendition using several percussion instruments (claves, maracas, special castanets mounted on wood blocks, chimes, and a large gong), bass, and flute.
Ten works were recorded at five different studios in Montreal, each chosen for its unique acoustics. The instrumentation for the recording's title piece, "Flamenco Road", required the use of 24 tracks. It comprises a combination of four types of guitars—flamenco, Spanish, classical, and electric—and all natural acoustic guitars are played the Spanish way, using all the fingers of the right hand without a
pick. The rhythm section includes
bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
, four
conga
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...
s, and a rock drum set blended with other percussion instruments such as
claves
Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony o ...
,
maraca
A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were r ...
s, and
castanets
Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a similar ...
. It further incorporates three dancers performing typical "palmas" (hand-clapping) in synchronization, as well as three trumpets, three pianos, and a "country-style" violinist.
The enhanced CD includes two videos: one with interactive live concert footage filmed during Laucke's tenth season at Montreal's Place des Arts, and the other with the video clip of "Flamenco Road". The latter reached number one on video charts across Canada for five consecutive weeks.
Contributions to the guitar repertoire
Transcriptions
SOCAN lists 112 classical works transcribed for the guitar by Laucke, illustrating the extent to which he broadened the guitar's repertoire in music of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, classical,
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
, and
romantic eras, as well as in flamenco.
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
and
Canadian Libraries Canadian Libraries is a digital collection of ebooks and texts at the Internet Archive. This collection contains over 400,000 items sponsored by Canadian Library Partners:
* Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
* Archdiocese of Toronto
* Ashbury Colleg ...
list 43 music recordings, music scores of transcriptions for guitar and Canadian guitar articles written by Laucke.
Waterloo Music Company published and distributed 24 of Laucke's guitar transcriptions of works by
J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suite ...
,
Luis de Narváez
Luis de Narváez ( fl. 1526–1549) was a Spanish composer and vihuelist. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Narváez is known today for '' Los seys libros del Delphín'', a collection of polyphonic music for the vihuela which includes the ear ...
,
Eric Satie
Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...
,
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the ...
and others.
''Trois Gymnopédies'' by Eric Satie
While living in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
, New York, in the early 1970s, Laucke became interested in the French music of Eric Satie, "the world's first hippie".
At that time, only simplified arrangements of ''
Trois Gymnopédies'' (Three ''Gymnopédies'')
existed for the guitar, so Laucke set out to transcribe Satie's three works from the piano score. Determined to fit all of the notes from the original piano version using the guitar's six strings, over the course of three weeks he calculated the number of times open strings would occur per note.
In 1979, Laucke signed with the Waterloo Music Publishing Company, which that year published the sheet music of his transcription of ''Trois Gymnopédies'', the first of many of his transcriptions to be published by Waterloo and arguably the only version for guitar to include all of the notes of the original piano composition. In 1985, the company created ''The Michael Laucke Series'' of guitar arrangements and transcriptions.
In the introductory notes to his sheet music for ''Trois Gymnopédies'', Laucke comments: "The characteristic harmonies of much of the music of Erik Satie belong to the
impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
period and, though originally written for the piano, are extremely well-suited to the natural idiomatic expression of the guitar. This has led me to make these transcriptions which will enrich the repertoire of the guitar while remaining faithful to Satie's intentions."
After giving many concert performances of these works, Laucke recorded them on his CD entitled ''Flamenco Road'' which held the number one position on video charts across Canada for sixweeks.
The liner notes read: "My arrangements of '' Three Gymnopédies'' comprise ALL the notes of the original piano versions: a most complex process since all the piano sounds must fit comfortably, or uncomfortably, onto the six strings of the guitar." He continues to say: "The present recording is done as it is in concert, on one classical guitar, without overdubbing. My tempo is a little quicker than when the pieces are played on the piano, due to the shorter resonance time of notes played on the Spanish guitar. Now and then, I use a 'vibrato' and slides, which, of course, can't be done on the piano but which add warmth of expression to this undeniably charming, exotic and mystic music."
Original works
Laucke had at least 25 original, Canadian atonal works written for him, among them the ''Flamenco Concierto'' for guitar and full symphonic orchestra b
Michel-Georges Brégent ''Me duele España'' by François Morel,
''Exploration'' by
Jean Papineau-Couture
Jean Papineau-Couture, (November 12, 1916August 11, 2000) was a Canadians, Canadian composer and academic.
Born in Montreal, Papineau-Couture is the grandson of conductor and composer Guillaume Couture (musician), Guillaume Couture. As a child ...
and ''Pour guitare,''
Claude Vivier
Claude Vivier ( ; baptised as Claude Roger; 14 April 19487 March 1983) was a Canadian contemporary composer, pianist, poet and ethnomusicologist of Québécois origin. After studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne, Vivier became an i ...
's only work for the guitar.
Laucke performed all 25 works in major halls, on
CBC radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
and on his record albums; all of them were commissioned by, and dedicated to, Laucke.
![Laucke during the CBC Documentary on the Great Wall Of China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Laucke_during_the_CBC_Documentary_on_the_Great_Wall_Of_China.jpg)
In 1984, critics began to take note of the growth of new Canadian guitar works energized by Laucke. In ''
La Presse'', a Canadian newspaper, music critic Claude Gingras found in Laucke "an interpreter who could not be more convincing".
Canadian composer Claude Vivier expressed his appreciation to Laucke. In his letters, Vivier states that he had: "hardly ever met a musician as committed and dedicated, of such great quality and, above all, of such great completeness and intense capacity for work".
World tours
Laucke's career spans over 50years, with concert and television appearances in 25countries,
including England (
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...
),
the United States (
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
,
and the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
),
as well as China, on the
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
.
Other countries where Laucke performed include Bulgaria, Hungary, Hong Kong, Spain, Israel, India, Japan, Morocco, Pakistan, and Russia.
In Canada, he gave annual concerts at Montreal's Place des Arts from 1986.
Following a concert in 1990 in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
's ''
Grand Théâtre de Québec
The Grand Théâtre de Québec is a performing arts complex in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was conceived to commemorate the Canadian Centennial of 1967 and the Quebec Conference, 1864, one of the key meetings leading to the Canadian Confedera ...
'', the French-language newspaper ''Le Soleil'' wrote a review entitled "Michael Laucke makes one fall in love with the guitar", stating: "More than a virtuoso, charismatic Michael Laucke is pure talent! For him playing is instinctive, just like breathing ...irresistible Michael Laucke."
Critics have often written about Laucke's stage presence. A Chicago music critic described how: "His relaxed manner, beaming smile and gracious speaking voice won the hearts of the audience before he even played a note."
He performed many concerts in Washington, DC, under the auspices of U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell,
including several at the National Gallery of Art. ''The Washington Post'' proclaimed that Laucke is: "one of the finest guitarists to have played in Washington in a long time."
On another occasion, Laucke gave the premiere of Bregent's "Version of Sapho," written for him, an atonal work which received a less favorable critique. ''The Washington Post'' stated: "Since the mind can only respond to some sort of form, its essential formlessness precludes discussion. A triad out of the blue signaled the end, which the large audience recognized and applauded."
Personal life and death
![Michael Laucke With Elton John, working for AIDS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Michael_Laucke_With_Elton_John%2C_working_for_AIDS.jpg)
In 1994, Laucke became a director of the
Mac AIDS Fund
M∙A∙C AIDS Fund (M·A·F) is a public charity established in 1994 to support people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. It donates funds to communities and organizations that offer services to people with HIV/AIDS and help to prevent the disease ...
(M·A·F) established by his friend Frank Angelo, the co-founder of
MAC Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics, stylized as M·A·C, is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto, Canada in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company is headquartered in New York City after becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies i ...
.
After a fourteen-year tenure, he became honorary charter member of the board of directors and no longer participated in its activities.
According to Laucke, MAF's directors helped coordinate the film ''Pandemic: Facing AIDS'' by
Rory Kennedy
Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy (born December 12, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker who is the eleventh and youngest child of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. Kennedy has made documentary films that center on social is ...
, and MAF became a secondary sponsor while the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
became title sponsor.
In 2012, Laucke was nominated for the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, he was again nominated for the same award.
Laucke died on 2 December 2021 in Montreal, aged 74. No cause of death was given.
Media
Audio
Video
Selected works
CD
* ''
Flamenco Road'' (2001)
* ''Michael Laucke & Fiesta Flamenco: Live'' (1996)
* ''Spanish Guitar'' (1993)
*
Momentum' – IMAX Film (the music) (1992)
* ''Spanish Guitar Stories'' (1991)
* ''Light Classics'' (1990)
LP
* ''Take A Short Cut'' (1989)
* ''Canadian Guitar Music'' (1987)
* ''Music For Jacques Cartier'' (1986)
* ''Canadian Guitar Quartet: Live From'' (1985)
* ''Com-Possession'' (1985)
* ''Divergences'' (1984)
* ''Jade Eyes'' (1980)
* ''Michael Laucke,'' ''Guitarist:
Grand Prix du Disque-Canada,'' (1979)
* ''Trio 3'' (1979)
* ''Transcription'' (1969)
Filmography
*
Momentum' (IMAX film) (1992)
* ''I Won't Dance'' (1991)
* ''How to Play Solo Classical Guitar'' (1985)
* ''Michael Laucke'': Guitar recital,
CBC (1983)
* ''Segovia: Metropolitan museum: a master class,
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
'' (1982)
* ''Form & Fire: Michael Laucke'' (1981)
* ''Musique instrumentale: La guitare'' (1973)
Atonal works written for Laucke
The following works have been performed by Laucke in Carnegie Hall (performing Jean Papineau-Couture), Wigmore Hall (Michel-Georges Brégent),
and
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
(Michel Gonneville).
In Canada, the
SMCQ
The Quebec Contemporary Music Society, or Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in French (SMCQ), is a contemporary classical-music organization based in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded in 1966 by Montreal composers and musicians, includin ...
honoured Laucke's contribution by featuring him in a two-hour-long concert.
* ''Départ'' by
François Morel
François Morel (14 March 1926 – 14 January 2018) was a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded t ...
(1970)
* ''Iikkii'' by François Morel (1970)
* ''Pour Guitare'' by Claude Vivier (1976)
* ''Le Cercle gnostique by
Walter Boudreau
Walter Boudreau, (born 1947 in Sorel) is a Canadian composer, saxophonist and conductor. In 1969, he founded the group L'Infonie with Raoul Duguay, which dissolved in 1973. Since 1988, he has been the artistic director of the Société d ...
'' (1976)
* ''Me duele españa'' by François Morel (1979)
* ''Contrastare no 1'' by David Eagle (1980)
* ''La Fille du Pecheur'' by Alan Crossman (1981)
* ''Calme en soi'' by Bruno Deschênes (1981)
* ''Quatre études, Anachorétisme, Quatre mouvements'' by Claude Lassonde (1982)
* ''Image et Sonoritéé, Silène pur Satyre, La Règne'' by Claude Lassonde (1982)
* ''Com-possession'' by
John Rea (1983)
* ''...ascends at full moon by''
John Burke
* ''Exploration'' by
Jean Papineau-Couture
Jean Papineau-Couture, (November 12, 1916August 11, 2000) was a Canadians, Canadian composer and academic.
Born in Montreal, Papineau-Couture is the grandson of conductor and composer Guillaume Couture (musician), Guillaume Couture. As a child ...
(1983)
* ''Le Sommeil, le Regard, le Choix'' by
Michel Gonneville
Michel Gonneville (born 31 July 1950) is a Canadian composer.
Career
He completed his Bachelor of Music at the Conservatoire Vincent-d'Indy in Sherbrooke in 1972, where he won the premier prix in analysis and composition. He completed a Doctor o ...
(1983)
* ''Three Amerindian Songs, Prelude'' by Wolfgang Bottenberg (1983)
* ''Sapho'' by Michel-Georges Brégent (1983)
* ''Divergence'' by François Morel (1983)
* ''Pas de deux'' by Denis Dion (1983)
* ''Cobwebs in my Spanish castle'' by Leon Zukert (1983)
* ''Chamber Concierto for guitar'' by
Donald Steven
Donald Steven (born 26 May 1945) is a Canadian-American composer, music educator, and academic administrator. An associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, he won a BMI Student Composer Award in 1970, the Canadian Federation of Univer ...
(1986)
* ''Concierto Flamenco'' by Michel-Georges Brégent (1991)
Articles
Laucke has published articles in music journals about the growth in popularity of the guitar in Canada including:
* "The Guitar in Canada" (five pages)''Soundboard Magazine'', California
* "Growth of the Guitar in Canada", by Michael Laucke (six pages)''Guitar and Lute'' magazine, Hawaii
* "Michael Laucke Writes About the Canadian Guitar"''Waterloo Music Journal'', Canada
Timeline
* 1976, he performed at Montreal's Olympic Games
* 1979, Laucke won the ''Grand Prix du Disque-Canada'' for Best Canadian Recording
* 1981, Laucke was invited to perform a
Command performance for
His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
the Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
Edward Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer (born December 21, 1935) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation.
Schreyer was born and educated in Manitoba, and was first electe ...
the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
and his wife, as winner of the
Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music The Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music is a Canadian contemporary classical music award given to composers in recognition of quality new works of chamber music. Granted annually since 1978 (with the exception of 1984 and 1990 when no prize was ...
* March 1982, Laucke's album ''Jade Eyes'', for CBS records, was reviewed by ''Guitar and Lute'' magazine (Hawaii) as the best international classical guitar album of the year
* 1982, he was selected by Segovia to perform a 25-minute work by
Manuel Ponce
Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar (8 December 1882 – 24 April 1948) was a Mexican composer active in the 20th century. His work as a composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert scene with a mostly forgotten traditio ...
which was filmed by the PBS network at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York, after which he became Segovia's pupil.
* 1985, 8 to 12 Februaryfive days of interviews and career profile, two hours each day, on CBC Radio's
Morningside with
Peter Gzowski
Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known colloquially as "Mr. Canada", or "Captain Canada",Mary Gazze Canadian Press via The ''Toronto Star'', August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27. was a Canadian broadcaster, write ...
* 1986, on the 450th anniversary of
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...
's first voyage of discovery to Canada,
Canadian Heritage
The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (french: Patrimoine canadien), is the Ministry (government department), department of the Cabinet of Canada, Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to init ...
requested that Laucke record a commemorative album. Laucke recorded music that Cartier would have heard on his voyage to the new world
* 1986, several musical publications mention Laucke's contribution to the guitar and its new repertoire. SOCAN, the Canadian copyright organization, stated in ''The Music Scene'' magazine, that they considered Laucke to be one of "five of Canada's best-known soloists"
* 1986, he created an instructional video series which was critically reviewed by ''Guitar Player'' magazine
and ''Frets Magazine''.
* May 1988, two years later, Canada's music Critic Emeritus Eric McLean wrote in the ''Montreal Gazette'' that Laucke was then recognized as: "the person who has done more for the guitar in this country than anyone else"
* 1991, Laucke performed the world premiere of the ''Flamenco Concierto'' with the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...
. Written for him by Michel-Georges Brégent, reviewers called it "''Brilliant''".
* 1992, Laucke performed in a Super
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
film called ''Momentum'', for the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
; it was shown in the Canadian pavilion during the
Universal Exposition of Seville (Expo '92)a
world's fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
.
The most popular pavilions for the visitors were those of Spain and Canada. Co-directed by
Colin Low, it is the first film in 48 frames per second IMAX HD.
* 12 September 2001, Laucke's CD ''Flamenco Road'' reached number one on video charts across Canada for five consecutive weeks
See also
*
Baron Byng High School Notable Alumni
*
List of classical guitarists
This is a list of classical guitarists.
Baroque (17th and 18th centuries)
19th century
20th century
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAPUbFDFJfxY2qijBIG2Og?view_as=subscriberModern
See also
* List of flamenco guitarists
References
...
*
List of Concordia University Notable faculty
*
List of flamenco guitarists
*
Sam Tata (Canadian Photographer)
References
External links
IMAX film ''Momentum''Intermede Music*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laucke, Michael
1947 births
2021 deaths
Articles containing video clips
Biography with signature
Canadian classical guitarists
Canadian male guitarists
Contemporary classical music performers
Flamenco guitarists
Grand Prix du Disque winners
Media containing Gymnopedies
Musicians from Montreal
New flamenco
Justin Time Records artists
Jewish Canadian musicians
Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent
Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent