Capricio Arabe Francisco Tarrega
Jul 21st, 2007 by skanson.com
This composition by Francisco Tarrega is a staple of the classical guitar repertoire. Along with his other master works Recuerdos De La Alhambra and the adaptation of the Chopin classic Reverie, Capricio Arabé showcases all the wonderful colors and techniques that make the nylon string classical guitar so inviting.
“Caprocio arabe (The Arabian Song) is a truly epic selection. Written as a “programmatic” piece, it tells the story of a camel ride across the dessert. I certainly can hear the camel lumbering long I its slow but even gate.” - Darren Curtis Skanson
Other Tarrega compositions: La Grima, Adelita, Recuerdos De La Alhambra, and A Quiet Moment With My Guitar.
Born in Villarreal, Spain, Francisco Tarrega fell into an irrigation channel when he was
young, which rendered him nearly blind. Partially due to this accident, the family moved to Castellon and enrolled him in music classes. He entered the Madrid Conservatory in 1874, under the sponsorship of a wealthy merchant named Antonio Canesa, where he studied composition under Emilio Arrieta. By the end of the 1870s, he was teaching the guitar and giving regular concerts. A virtuoso on his instrument, he was known as the “Sarasate of the guitar”.
He later settled in Barcelona, and died there in 1909.
