Renata Tarragó Fábregas (23 October 1927 – 2 August 2005), a Catalan

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and vihuelist, was a teacher and performer, both as a solo artist and an accompanist. She was the first female guitarist to record

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical g ...

's ''

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a concerto for classical guitar by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the ...

'', and was the editor of the first published edition of the ''

'' score.

Life and career

Tarragó was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, on 23 October 1927, the second of two children of , who was a musician, composer and teacher, and his first wife, Renata Fábregas. She studied at the

Barcelona Conservatory Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...

, where her first teacher was her father, Graciano Tarragó (1892–1973), who had previously taught the soprano

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. ...

, had studied the guitar under

Miguel Llobet Miguel Llobet Solés (18 October 187822 February 1938) was a classical guitarist, born in Barcelona, Spain. Llobet was a renowned virtuoso who toured Europe and Americas, America extensively. He made well known arrangements of Catalan folk son ...

, and also played the violin and viola. Renata Tarragó made her first public appearance at the age of 14, and was appointed an assistant professor at the

upon the completion of her studies there in 1944. In 1951, the

awarded Tarragó the "Premio Extraordinario" for her artistic accomplishments.. Tarragó played guitar accompaniment (with credits on the labels) on numerous

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

78 and LP recordings with the soprano

, as well as a 1948

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

recording in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

's '' La Vida Breve''. In 1958, Tarragó became the first female guitarist to record

's ''

'', in a recording accompanied by the Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, conducted by

Odón Alonso Odón Alonso Ordás (28 February 1925 – 21 February 2011) was a Spanish conducting, conductor and composer, best known for his film scores. Alonso was born at La Bañeza, León, Spain. He studied in Madrid, Siena, Salzburg and Vienna. His fir ...

. She also was the first to edit the ''Aranjuez'' score for publication (1959), and

Rodrigo Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the la ...

's esteem for her was evidenced by the dedication of his ''Sonata Giocosa'' (1960) to her. Her father, Graciano Tarragó, published the first edition of

's ''Invocación y danza'' in 1962. Renata Tarragó's repertoire ranged from music written for the

vihuela The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...

and

Baroque guitar The Baroque guitar (–1750) is a string instrument with five Course (music), courses of gut strings and moveable gut frets. The first (highest pitched) course sometimes used only a single string. History The Baroque guitar replaced the lute as ...

to that of the twentieth century. Among her solo recordings are the works of

Federico Moreno Torroba Federico Moreno Torroba (3 March 189112 September 1982) was a Spanish composer, conductor, and theatrical impresario. He is especially remembered for his important contributions to the classical guitar repertoire, becoming one of the leading twe ...

Francisco Tárrega Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea (21 November 185215 December 1909) was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as '' Capricho Árabe'' and '' Recuerdos de la Alhambra''. Biography ...

Fernando Sor Fernando Sor (baptised 14 February 1778 – 10 July 1839) was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer of the Classical period (music), late Classical era and Romantic music, early Romantic era. Best known for writing solo classical guitar mu ...

Gaspar Sanz Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (April 4, 1640 ( baptized) – 1710), better known as Gaspar Sanz, was a Spanish composer, guitarist, and priest born to a wealthy family in Calanda in the comarca of Bajo Aragón, Spain. He studied music, theo ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, and

Luigi Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and '' galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major classi ...

. In 1962, she made the first recording of Torroba's ''Concierto de Castilla'', accompanied by the Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, conducted by

Jesús Arámbarri Jesús Arámbarri Gárate (13 April 1902 in Bilbao – 11 July 1960 in Madrid) was a Spanish classical music conductor and composer native to the Basque Country. Jesús Arámbarri has been classed among the cultural treasures of the region, with ...

. Unlike the majority of classical guitarists, who play notes with their fingernails, Tarragó used her fingertips. Tarragó concertized widely in Europe and abroad (including

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

), and made her U.S. debut in 1960. In 1962, she represented

at the International Congress of the Guitar in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, and received a Gold Medal for her performances. During a 1962 concert at

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, she played both the

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted: "A musically sensitive performer, the beautiful Spanish artist explored the ranges of tonal subtlety and nuance." In the 1968 film Deadfall, she appeared onscreen playing John Barry's ''Romance for Guitar and Orchestra'' in a concert scene, as well as on the soundtrack recording. The ''adagio'' from her recording of the ''

'' was used by

Rex Nettleford Ralston Milton "Rex" Nettleford OM FIJ OCC (3 February 1933 – 2 February 2010) was a Jamaican scholar, social critic, choreographer, and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the leading research university in ...

and the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica for their dance piece, "Dialogue for Three". Among the guitarists who studied with her are Jaume Abad (one of the founders of the Barcelona Guitar Quartet), Laura Almerich, Glorianne Collver-Jacobson, Ernesto Cordero, Darryl Denning and Michael Johnson. Tarragó was married to Dr. José Antonio Osorio Gullón. She collapsed while swimming in

Caldes d'Estrac Caldes d'Estrac (, also known as Caldetes ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Sant Vicenç de Montalt and Arenys de Mar. It is served by the main N-II road along the coast ...

, and died on 2 August 2005 in

Mataró Mataró () is the capital and largest town of the Maresme county in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, Maresme coast, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, north-east of Barcel ...

, at age 77.

Reviews

*"No one in the world today plays Rodrigo's lovely ''

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of the Tagus, a bit upstream of the discharge of the Jarama. , the munici ...

'' better than

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 perc ...

, but even he doesn't play it as well as Renata Tarrago did on a now-deleted Columbia disc." (''San Francisco Magazine'', vol. 18, 1976) *" heis a guitarist who tempers extreme technical skill with poetic sensitivity." (''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...

'', 26 August 1962, p. 88) *"The lovely and gifted Renata Tarrago plays Tarrega's music as one to the manner born." (''Records in review'', 1960) *"No se trate de ningún reparo de monta dada la relevante calidad del disco que el soberano '

' – sin discusión possible, la obra musical Española más hermosa de la postguerra – alcanza máxima y gran expresión por mano de la Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, el director

y la guitarrista Renata Tarragó.
(Fernando Quiñones, "Música: tres importantes piezas españolas," ''Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos'', no. 106, October 1958, p. 101)
*"En la señorita Renata Tarragó convergen grandes cualidades: exquisita sensibilidad y excelente formación musical, adquirida desde su infancia. Ambas le permiten abordar y enfrentarse con repertorio varlado, de diversas expresiones, como en el de este concierto.

*"En su reciente jira por la acogedora

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, los éxitos más apoteóticos jalonaron las actuaciones de Renata y Graciano Tarragó; éxitos que fueron aquilatados justamente por toda la crítica austríaca. Con ocasión de un concierto celebrado en el más fastuoso de los palacios de Viena, el más exigente de los críticos de esta ciudad prodigó a nuestros magníficos artistas unos elogios excepcionales, calificando a la gentil intérprete de «reina sin corona del Palacio Schoenbrunn».... El programa ... estuvo a cargo de Renata Tarragó que, con una claridad de estilo y una emoción de sentida y seria interpretación fidelísima, nos ofreció unas versiones intensas, ricas en contrastados colores acústicos, de las citadas composiciones. Su técnica magistral, su delicadeza y suavidad en la pulsación, el sonido limpio, diáfano, perlado de su guitarra y el tótal dominio de matices junto a su exquisite sensibilidad, contribuyeron a que su actuación fuera premiada con entusiastas ovaciones. Pocas veces nos es dable atender an intérpretes tan calificados como Renata Tarragó.
(''El Mundo Deportivo'', 29 January 1956, p. 2)

Recordings

*With Victoria de los Ángeles: **''El testament d'amelia; Catalonia, traditional'' (The Gramophone Co., n.d.) **''Tengo que subir; Asturias, traditional'' (The Gramophone Co., n.d.) **''Playera; Andalusia, traditional'' (The Gramophone Co., n.d.) **''Seventeen traditional songs of Spain'' (His Master's Voice, 1950s) **''El cant des ocells; Catalonia; Din dan boleran'' (His Master's Voice, 1950s) **''Canción de trilla; Parado de Valldemosa: bolero-Mallorca; Nik baditud; Andregaya: Vascongadas'' (His Master's Voice, 1951) **''Ahí tienes mi corazón fandango castellano-León; La ví llorando: Castilla la Vieja-Santander; Ya se van los pastores: Castilla la Vieja-Soria'' (His Master's Voice, 1951) **''Si quieres saber coplas granadinas, Andalucía; Playera: Andalucía'' (His Master's Voice, 1951) **''El rossinyol; El testament d'Amelia; Cataluña'' (His Master's Voice, 1951) **''Campanas de Belén Jaeneras que yo canto: Andalucía; A dormir ahora mesmo: canción de cuna: Murcia'' (His Master's Voice, 1951) **''Adiós meu homino Miña nay por me casare: Galicia, tradicional; Tengo que subir: Asturias, tradicional'' (His Master's Voice, 1952) **''Chants folkloriques espagnols'' (1952) **''Spanish songs'' (RCA Victor, 1954) **''Canciones populares españolas'' (His Master's Voice, 1958) **''Canciones populares españolas Selección n. 1'' (Odeón, 1960) **''Canciones populares españolas Selección n. 2'' (Odeón, 1960) **''17 chants folkloriques espagnols'' (His Master's Voice, 1960s) *With Graciano Tarragó: **''Dos guitarras españolas'' (Hispavox, 1958) *Solo: **''Música española para guitarra: Autores antiguos, Obras de Fernando Sor'' (Hispavox, 1958) **''Homenaje a Tárrega'' (Hispavox, 1958) **''Concierto de Aranjuez para guitarra y orquesta'' (Hispavox, 1958; Columbia, 1959) **''Guitarra española suite'' (Columbia, 1959) **''Concierto de Castilla'' (Columbia, 1962) **''Zarabanda y double guitarra'' (Hispavox, 1963) **''Quintet, no. 1, in D major, op. 37, for guitar and string quartet, and Quintet no. 3, in E minor, op. 50, no. 3, for guitar and string quartet'' (Musical Heritage Society, 1964) **''Música del Renacimiento español'' (Vergara, 1965) **''Deadfall: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (20th Century Fox Records, 1968)

References

External links

* Biographical: *

*
''Biografia de Renata Tarragó Fàbregas: Guitarrista, professora de música''
*
''Gracià Tarragó''
* Videos: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarrago, Renata 1927 births 2005 deaths 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century Spanish musicians Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu alumni Academic staff of the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu Musicians from Barcelona Spanish classical guitarists Spanish women guitarists Women classical guitarists 20th-century guitarists 20th-century women guitarists 20th-century Spanish women Vihuela players