Antonio Lauro (August 3, 1917 – April 18, 1986) was a Venezuelan musician, considered to be one of the foremost South American composers for the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

in the 20th century.

Biography

Antonio Lauro was born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela. His father Antonio Lauro Ventura, an Italian immigrant, was a barber who could sing and play the guitar so he taught his son what he could, but died when Antonio was still a child. After the family moved to Caracas, Lauro pursued formal musical study (piano, composition) at the ''Academia de Música y Declamación'', where the composer

Vicente Emilio Sojo Vicente Emilio Sojo (December 8, 1887 – August 11, 1974) was a Venezuelan musicologist, educator and composer, born in Guatire, Miranda (state), Miranda. Biography Vicente Emilio Sojo was born to a musical family. Most notable was the fact t ...

(1887–1974) was one of his teachers. A 1932 concert performed in Caracas by

Agustín Barrios Agustín Pío Barrios (also known as Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga—Agustin spelled backward—Mangoré; May 5, 1885 – August 7, 1944) was a Paraguayan virtuoso classical guitarist and composer, largely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

, the Paraguayan guitarist and composer, so much impressed the young Lauro (already an accomplished folk guitarist) that he was persuaded to abandon piano and violin in favor of the guitar. From 1933, Lauro studied with Raúl Borges (1888–1967), and was introduced to the

classical guitar repertoire :''This article is a history of the classical guitar repertoire. For a longer list of compositions and composers who wrote for the classical guitar see List of composers for the classical guitar and List of compositions for guitar.'' To a greater ...

. In the next decade, Borges' pupils would also include Rodrigo Riera, José Rafael Cisneros, and Alirio Díaz. These colleagues, especially Díaz, were later responsible for unveiling Lauro's works to an international audience, introducing these unheard works to, among others,

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 ...

Leo Brouwer Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council. Family He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona y Casado. ...

and John Williams. Like many South Americans of his generation, Lauro was a fervent cultural nationalist, determined to rescue and celebrate his nation's musical heritage. As a member of the ''Trio Cantores del Trópico'' in 1935–1943 (Lauro sang bass and played both guitar and ''

cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

''), he toured nearby countries to introduce them to

Venezuelan music Several styles of the traditional music of Venezuela, such as salsa and merengue, are common to its Caribbean neighbors. Perhaps the most typical Venezuelan music is joropo, a rural form which originated in the llanos, or plains. Genres Jorop ...

. Lauro was particularly attracted to the myriad colonial parlour ''valses venezolanos'' ( Venezuelan waltzes) created in the previous century by accomplished national composers such as Ramón Delgado Palacios (1867–1902). Unfailingly melodic and characterized by a distinctive syncopation (created by a

hemiola In music, hemiola (also hemiolia) is the ratio 3:2. The equivalent Latin term is sesquialtera. In rhythm, ''hemiola'' refers to three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats. In pitch, ''hemiola'' refers to the interval of ...

in which two measures of 3/4 become a single measure of 3/2), such music was precisely the sort of folkloric raw material which Smetana, Bartók or Granados had elevated to the category of national art in Europe. A concert whose programme consisted entirely of such ''valses venezolanos'' ( Venezuelan waltzes) by the distinguished Venezuelan pianist Evencio Castellanos (1914–1984) convinced Lauro that the guitar, too, should have comparable pieces in its repertory. Among his first efforts in this genre were the pieces later known as Tatiana, Andreína, and Natalia, composed sometime between 1938 and 1940; their instant popularity inspired still others. In addition to his guitar pieces, Lauro composed dozens of works for orchestra, choir, piano and voice; many of which remain unpublished. He occasionally experimented with modern compositional techniques, but most of his guitar music remains essentially on the ''Calle Real'' or "main street," an expression used by musicians of Lauro's generation to refer to a straight and direct route, without distracting harmonic detours. In 1948, the military ''junta'' of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez imprisoned Lauro for his principled belief in democracy. Lauro later shrugged off the experience, telling his friends that prison was a normal part of life for the Venezuelan man of his generation. He had continued composing even in prison, and after his release immediately returned to performing with a pioneering professional classical guitar trio, the freshly formed Trio Raúl Borges. In the following decades Lauro's compositions were published, recorded and performed throughout the world, and his contributions to his nation's musical life were recognized and acknowledged. Lauro was appointed professor of guitar at several distinguished schools including the '' Juan José Landaeta Conservatory'', and was named president of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra where he played the horn. In spite of his modest insistence that he was a composer rather than a performer, he was persuaded by his friends to embark upon a solo concert tour, which began in Venezuela and culminated in a triumphant 1980 performance at London's

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 leadi ...

. Shortly before his death at Caracas in 1986, he was presented with the ''Premio Nacional de Música'', his country's highest artistic award.

Popular works

* ''Seis por derecho: Joropo'' * ''María Carolina'' * ''El Marabino'' * ''Natalia'' * ''Suite Venezolana'' * ''Angostura'' * ''Maria Luisa'' * ''Nelly'' * ''4 Valses venezolanos'' * '' Mañanita Caraqueña'' * ''El Negrito'' * ''Triptico''

Legacy

The works of Antonio Lauro have long been very popular with guitarists worldwide, yet there have been few recordings devoted exclusively to him. However, several recordings by Adam Holzman,

John Williams (guitarist) John Christopher Williams (born 24 April 1941) is an Australian virtuosic classical guitarist renowned for his ensemble playing as well as his interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire. In 1973, he shared a Grammy ...

and David Russell have been issued. John Williams is quoted as having referred to Antonio Lauro as being the "

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

of the guitar". Another recording worth mentioning, "A Tribute to Antonio Lauro" by Thomas Cronin (guitarist), recorded initially for Irish National Radio on the RTE label, gained great appeal with Venezuelans worldwide. Additionally, Lauro's masterpieces have been the core of studies, workshops and Masters in universities all around the World.

Recordings by Lauro

*''Antonio Lauro y sus mejores intérpretes'' (Nelly Carvajal Producciones) *''Lauro interpreta a Lauro'' (Nelly Carvajal Producciones)

Bibliography

* Frank, Elliot Paul: The Venezuelan Waltzes of Antonio Lauro – Thesis/dissertation/manuscript (1994). OCLC: 35822159 * Alejandro Bruzual: ''Antonio Lauro'' – Publisher: FUNDARTE, Caracas (1998) OCLC: 43905994 * Alejandro Bruzual: ''Antonio Lauro, Un Músico Total: Su Época, Su Vida y Su Obra – Ensayo Biografico'' – Publ. CVG Siderúrgica del Orinoco, Caracas (1995). OCLC: 43468475 *Daniel Oliver Smith: ''Notes on graduate guitar recital 5/91'' – Thesis/dissertation/manuscript (1991). OCLC: 25978521 * Alirio Díaz; Vicente Emilio Sojo; Antonio Lauro; Benito Canónico; Agustín Barrios: ''Solos de guitarra'' – Publ. Grabaciones Espiral, Caracas ndatedOCLC: 48358423 * Rick Laezman: ''100 Hispanic Americans who changed American history'' – Publ. World Almanac Library, Milwaukee, WI (2005) OCLC: 57142327 * Cesar Alegre: ''Extraordinary Hispanic Americans'' – Publ. Children's Press, New York (2006) OCLC: 62330607

References

External links

Photos

Caroni Music – publisher of scores and CDs of South American music
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20051023104538/http://www.mipunto.com/venezuelavirtual/000/000/004/022.html Biography in Spanish* * * *