Today we mourn the passing of a towering figure in the classical guitar world. Julian Bream was an inspiring figure that captivated generations of guitarists with his masterful interpretations and kaleidoscopic sounds.
His passion for the instrument led to a great expansion of repertoire that made an indelible impact on the history of the classical guitar as a whole.
I am grateful for all he has provided to the world through his music and the continuing inspiration he provides through recordings that will be celebrated for generations to come.
Thank you for everything, Maestro.
Stories of Inspiration
I reached out to Niki and Dave to ask them to contribute a reflection on a performance by Julian that was important to each of them.
From Dave
When I first started learning classical guitar my then teacher started making casette tapes (yes, I’m that old) of the great masters: first Segovia, then Williams, and finally Julian Bream. The first time I heard Julian Bream play Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonata (one of the first pieces I heard him play) I thought there was something different and special about his playing. But for me the recording that transformed the way I heard the classical guitar was Bream performing Granados’s Tonadilla: La Maja de Goya.
Right from the beginning Bream doesn’t just play pizzicato but a searing etouffe full of color and intensity with a completely unique sound. As the main theme begins to sound we are treated with quick changes of color, from dolce tones to bright pizzicato, all mixed with vibrato, harmonics, wide dynamics, shifting articulations, and sensitive phrasing. What is most remarkable about this performance is how organic all of these quick changes sound, together giving the music a vibrancy few if any have been able to match since.
Julian’s Bream’s passing is a difficult blow for the classical guitar world, but the legacy he leaves is rich and full of color and imagination that will continue to inspire guitarists for many generations.
From Simon
There was a period of my life where I was utterly obsessed with the Aguado Rondo and Bream’s interpretation of it. I have no idea how many hours I spent working on the piece and all along I kept rewinding the CD to listen to the various nuances of Bream’s interpretation.
Trying desperately to figure out fingerings from the audio recording proved difficult but with enough listens and some trial and error I mapped out as best I could string changes, slurs, and articulations.
The piece was so exciting to me and part of that excitement was from Bream’s rendition. He had a way of playing that was “on the edge” like he wasn’t holding anything back but he was still in control. That, plus his broad palette of sounds and articulations made for a lasting inspiration that I still feel when I listen back to his performances.
I only met Bream once when I was a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was having a coffee with Michael Lewin the head of guitar in the school cafeteria. I nervously circled the room waiting for a moment that would make sense to introduce myself. As they stood up to leave I swooped in and managed to eke out something like “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done”, as he was on he was set on leaving he simply replied “Best of luck! Cheerio” and then he was off.
From Niki
It may sound predictable, but one of my first and strongest memories of Julian Bream comes from a younger Niki struggling to learn the marvelous Nocturnal by Benjamin Britten. Britten’s masterpiece, theme and variations on a song by John Dowland, was written for Julian Bream. It was the first time I approached such a monumental contemporary piece, which I then played for my Guitar Diploma at the Conservatory. It was not the first time I appreciated Julian Bream’s passionate performances, but nothing moved me so profoundly like this recording of the Nocturnal:
I listened to it several times and every time Julian Bream’s expressivity opened my eyes on the infinite nuances and possibilities of our instrument. I was impressed by the abundance of colors and different articulations of that recording, where extra noises of the strings were included with no fear. I could never get bored of it.
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Hearing that another guitar legend passed away it’s so heartbreaking. But he left us his incredible story, his knowledge and his unique and powerful performances. He will keep on inspiring us for long time.
I would like to leave you with a bonus video, shorter and lighter than the Nocturnal. A little jewel I casually found a while ago on YouTube. It enchanted me. A black and white performance of the Prelude BWV 999 by J.S.Bach. Everything in this clip is just perfect and poetic.
If you would like to leave your own sources of inspiration from Julian Bream in the comments, please feel free to do so.
A concert at the Fairfield Halls inspired my father to learn the guitar. In turn, my father inspired me. Thank you, Julian.
Thank you to our teachers
I had the privilege of seeing the Maestro perform in concert when a senior in college at The University of Vermont in 1972. He performed the first half of the concert on guitar; the second half on the lute. I had only started taking CG lessons the previous semester, but my teacher was kind enough to invite me to the reception at the President’s quarters after the concert where he introduced me to Mr. Bream and I got to shake his hand – yes, THAT right hand! As I recall, I was too star struck to do anything but smile and nod. I still remember my excitement when I purchased his Villa Lobos LP – the original with that fantastic jungle cover. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. That album, which I still possess, made me an instant and lifelong fan of both Bream and Villa Lobos. For me, Bream’s music will always represent the very best of what our beloved instrument is capable of. Thank you Maestro, for sharing your gifts so generously with the world!
Mark,
I too had the privilege of meeting Mr Bream, it was a moment I I will never forget as well. I was in London (Ontario) @ a concert, and had brief chat and hand shake…which is hard to do in these Covid times! A guitar hero is gone, but never forgotten.
When teaching a student Walton’s Bagatelle No 2 I could never get enough of hearing Bream play it on YouTube and Walton telling Bream “Yes, but you got it better” Thank you Mr Bream
Julian Bream changed the course of the classical guitar globally. He was a rare genius who beat enormous odds to give his gift to the world. May he rest in peace. He will be missed by many.
It is sad to see such a person pass away. His style was remarkably.
I take this opportunity here to thank Simon for been so giving with his advise in his videos and more recently a podcast.
I am playing less than two years and people like Simon are unselfish individuals that share their knowledge to new students of all ability as we all get different things from music.
This needs to be said I think. It proved that not all of the world is selfish. It is a wonderful community.
Very sad to hear this titan of music has left us. I do hoped to meet him one day…. a fantasy yes but his musical legacy lives on. He was a great musician and a character by all accounts.
My experience was similar to Simon’s: when I heard Bream play Granados’s La Maja de Goya I was completely bowled over—I had no idea a classical guitar could be payed with such power. I excitedly took the CD to work to share with a colleague who played guitar as well, mainly electric. He reciprocated by giving me a CD of the Flaming Lips—-needless to say, Bream is better!
A lovely (and telling) anecdote from his obituary in today’s Guardian (a British daily):
“His masterclasses were instructive and fun. On the first day one year he tried to correct a student, playing the passage on his own guitar, saying: “Go on, more like that. See what I mean?” At which the student replied: “It’s all very well for you. You’ve got a good box to play on. Mine’s a soap box.” Julian conceded the point, so went round the whole circle of students, playing on each of their instruments and making almost as lovely a sound on the first lad’s guitar as he had on his own custom-built instrument.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/aug/14/julian-bream-obituary
By the way, his Villa-Lobos 1978 masterclasses are on YT and are an eye-opener on musical interpretation, even for those way below the Preludes’ level (or not playing the guitar at all). I remember watching those on UK television in 1980s and being mesmerised. A phenomenal and inspiring performer, such a loss.
Hearing the news of Julian Bream’s passing was indeed sad. He and John Williams were the first recordings I purchased when my interest in the guitar began. I loved watching his masterclasses held at his estate in England. He always had comments about the student’s playing which would help them play the piece better, often a touch of humor, but never without inspiration. You could tell that the guitar, lute and everything associated with their genre, were of utmost importance, and he wanted players to treat these with respect. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.
I was in college at the U of M taking guitar lessons and being completely inspired by anything Renaissance. I loved the f# tuning. I listened to Julian Bream’s recording of My Lord Willoby’s Welcome Home over and over. RIP sir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI3K-Ir_MWU
In the early 1950’s, Bream attended London’s Royal College of Music studying piano and cello, since guitar was not taught as instrument. After being discovered practising his guitar in the basement rehearsal rooms, Bream recalls the Director’s request “that it would be better for all our sakes if I didn’t bring the guitar into the building again.” This anecdote, from Bream’s biography “A Life on the Road”, shows us just how Bream and other pioneers of his generation advanced the classical guitar over the last 70 years. What a legend. Forever grateful for his pluck.
I was privileged to hear Bream many times in London, including his return concert after his car crash in the 80s. After an evening of high wire risk taking and bravado, his second encore, a quiet, unornamented version of the Bach B minor Sarabande was so intense and heartfelt that you could hear a pin drop.
Time to re read, for the hundredth time, A Life on the Road.
Bream is the reason I study classical guitar. Two albums I heard in college affected me but for some reason I never took the time to study until now. But those albums, 20th Century Guitar (with the pieces by Walton, Britten and Martin) and Julian Bream and his Friends changed how I view music. I think we have some young virtuoso players who could aspire to Julian Bream’s style, never dry and intellectual, always emotional and exciting. But I don’t think it will be easy to replace someone of his accomplishment, like Segovia, he changed guitar forever.
I too was inspired by Julian Bream. I attended a concert he gave at a small college in Iowa in 1970 or 71. He played the lute and the guitar, and afterwards my teacher at the time took a few of us with him backstage to meet Mr. Bream. I remember his graciousness with his starstruck and tongue-tied admirers. He was my favorite guitarist before that concert, but his live performance solidified that admiration. I still listen to him more than any other classical guitarist. I am deeply sorry he has left us, but his music and his inspiration endure. Thank you, Julian Bream.
In 1970 i travelled to London to work and brought a Julian Bream album with me!
I hitchiked around Europe and North Africa after the job and I think I shipped the album back! I still have it! Thanks to all of you for posting your memories and inspirations. Eliza
Bream playing the rondo in a minor by aguado and the 5th bagattele by William Walton.mind blowing how can the guitar reach such heights
Because of Mr. Bream, I fell in love with classical guitar. His interpretations and nuances of songs were mind-blowing.
Yes, the Aguado Rondo as played by Bream is also one of my obsessions. A unique performance, full of life and humor. I got obsessed with the Nocturnal and the Quatre Pieces by Martin as a college student. My love for classical guitar is due to listening to Julian Bream.
Santiago de Chile, 1965.
We were driving with a friend in his car chatting while listening to music on the radio. As we drove through a tunnel, we subconsciously expected the radio broadcast to disappear until we got to the other side of the tunnel. But this time, and much to our surprise, the music did not stop. So we we all listened more carefully. It was Julian Bream playing “GRANADA” on an 8-track cartridge stereo system that our friend had brought from England and had just installed in his car.
We were all speechless. We had never heard such an amazing guitar piece so beautifully played and with such an impressive stereo sound quality (4 speakers in the car). I had heard a few Segovia recordings, but the stereo sound and the power of Julian Bream’s guitar was totally spectacular.
That’s how Bream opened my ears to the world of the classical guitar. I bought every Julian Bream record I could afford and worn them all out on my old beat-up record player. I never imagined in those days that 6 years later I was going to have the privilege to see him perform on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Julian Bream was definitely my first guitar hero
Many thanks for these reflections and links. After Segovia, Julian Bream was the name I associated with CG as a youth. (I’m even older than Dave.)
Mark
Heard J.B. perform once on lute (a gifted lutenist too!) at the unique placial outdoor venue, Das Odeon, in Munich in 1963. Prior to the performance J.B had clearly been welcomed to and enjoyed a selection of fine German beers or wines – maybe both. This was obvious as he had to be escorted on by the gentleman who introduced him. We in the adudience looked on apprenesively and at one another. After a long and agonizing tuning, J.B., demonstrating that nothing was to swerve him from the magic of the music and his mastery. Pieces by Dowling, Purcell, Bach, the Scarlatti, Carcassi, Albinoni and Gabrielli danced under his fingers and remain memorable to this day – 57 years later to the undersigned… R.I.P. – Julian Bream – you gift from and to the spheres.
It’s hard to express how much respect, affection, and appreciation I feel for Julian Bream.
I first heard his mastery of the classical guitar in the early 1970’s when I purchased his 33 LP entitled “Julian Bream Plays Villa Lobos”. I have listened to that album countless times over the years. I still have it and I still listen to it today. That album, and his interpretations of Villa Lobos inspired me to learn classical guitar, and for that I will be forever grateful.
Thankfully, we still have Julian’s music to listen to, to inspire us, and to remind us of how special this instrument and it’s music is.
Rest in peace my friend.
Thank you for all the comments and stories above. Julian Bream was an amazing musician and had such a great influence on our beloved instrument, classical guitar. He left us a great legacy for which so many players and listeners will be forever thankful.
I was fortunate last year to visit Wardour Chapel in Wiltshire. Bream used it many times through the 70s and 80s to create his magnificent recordings. He performed there often as well. I’ve been very pleased to be among those supporting the financial upkeep of that beautiful place and found doing so a sort of way to give back.
http://www.wardourchapel.co.uk/
Some concert footage shot there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rzzKztnenQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5y5sLuDPe8