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| Julian Bream (left) accompanies Peter Pears on the lute. The two performed in concert and recorded together. |
"The British guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream has died peacefully at his home in rural Wiltshire. He was 87. From unassuming suburban London beginnings in which he learned jazz guitar with the help of his father, Bream rose to become one of the very finest modern exponents of the classical instrument. His talents attracted composers of the stature of Britten, Walton, Tippett, and Hans Werner Henze. Bream’s ardour for the playing of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt started early and never died, but he decided in an instant that classical guitar would be his future on hearing a recording of the great Andrés Segovia in the later 1940s. After studies at the Royal College of Music (majoring in fact on piano) Bream swiftly gained recognition on his
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| Baroque Jam: Bream and Pears rehearsing |
chosen instrument. From early days, concert appearances were supplemented by BBC appearances and then by commercial recordings. Somehow he managed to integrate guitar-playing into his National Service, not least via army dance band appearances. Bream’s discovery of the lute and its repertoire in the early 1950s resulted in a lifelong devotion to the instrument, explored not just in solo repertoire but, for example, in his duo partnership with the tenor Peter Pears and via his own Julian Bream Consort. Among other significant collaborations were those with harpsichordist George Malcolm and fellow guitarist John Williams, both preserved for posterity on disc." Guitarist Julian Bream and tenor Peter Pears recorded several albums together including tracks with composer Benjamin Britten on piano. During his career, the world-famous instrumentalist also worked with The Golden Age Singers and soprano Victoria de los Angeles. His collaborations extended to other artists including three albums of duets with John Williams. Influenced by the stylings of Andrés Segovia and Francisco Tárrega, Bream went on to win four Grammy Awards recording for RCA, Decca, and EMI. "Bream was born in Battersea, London, England, but at the age of two moved with his family to Hampton in London, where he was brought up in a musical environment.Bream described his parents as both 'conventional suburban,' but in another way 'very unusual.' His father was a commercial artist, with an 'extraordinary talent for drawing'
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| Both artists worked often on Dowland and Bach |
and a 'natural musician' according to Bream. Bream would lie under the piano in 'ecstasy' when his father played. His mother, of Scottish descent, was a very beautiful woman who was often, according to Bream, 'not always there' mentally and did not like music, but was a warm-hearted person. His grandmother owned a pub in Battersea, and Bream spent much time there during his youth. His father played jazz guitar and the young Bream was impressed by the playing of Django Reinhardt, he would later call his dog 'Django.' Bream began his lifelong association with the guitar by strumming along on his father's jazz guitar at an early age to dance music on the radio. He became frustrated with his lack of knowledge of jazz harmony,so read instruction books by Eddie Lang to teach himself. His father taught him the basics. The president of the Philharmonic Society of Guitarists, Dr Boris Perott, gave Bream further lessons, while his father became the society librarian, giving young Bream access to a large collection of rare music. On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a small gut-strung Spanish guitar by his father. He became something of a child prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and composition at the Royal College of Music. Aged 13, he made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham on 17 February 1947; in 1951, he debuted at Wigmore Hall. Leaving the RCM in 1952, Bream was called up into the army for national service. He was originally drafted into the Pay Corps, but managed to sign up for the Royal Artillery Band after six months. This required him to be stationed in Woolrich,
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| Duet: Pears and Bream reviewing a score |
which allowed him to moonlight regularly in London with the guitar. After two years in the army, he took any musical jobs that came his way, including background music for radio plays and films. Commercial film, recording sessions and work for the BBC were important to Bream throughout the 1950s and the early 1960s. He played part of a recital at the Wigmore Hall on the lute in 1952, and later did much to bring music written for the instrument to light. 1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the Elizabethan era. Bream pursued a busy career playing around the world. His first European tours took place in 1954 and 1955, followed (beginning in 1958) by extensive touring in the Far East, India, Australia, the Pacific Islands and many other parts of the world. Bream performed for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston, first solo, in 1959, and later with the US debut of his Consort. In addition to master classes given in North America, Bream conducted an international summer school in Wiltshire,England." See album covers of Julian Bream with Peter Pears and The Golden Age Singers after the jump.
