Raúl Borges
| Raúl Borges | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 4 1882 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Died | November 24 1967 (aged 85) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Genre(s) | Classical music, Venezuelan popular music |
| Occupation(s) | musician, guitarist, composer, teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Raúl Borges Requena (February 4, 1882 - November 24, 1967) was a renowned Venezuelan pedagogue, guitarist and composer, mentor of several generations of Venezuelan guitarists.
Biography
As a child, Borges began to study music under the guidance of Salvador N. Llamozas and Eduardo Richter. At his 20s he seriously undertook a self-taught study of the guitar, following the Complete Guitar Method of Ferdinando Carulli, as well as the New Method for Guitar or Lyre, published in Caracas towards (1835).
In 1932 the famous Paraguayan guitarist and composer Agustín Barrios Mangoré stayed over for several months in Borges’ house in Caracas. The occasion was auspicious for a rich interchange of experiences and consequently Borges gained knowledge about the new execution techniques of the instrument. So, although his own technique as a guitarist originally was quite old-fashioned (based mainly in the Carulli School), from Barrios he learned and mastered new principles and techniques, which subsequently he taught his students.
From 1910 he dedicated himself exclusively to teaching classic guitar, quickly obtaining extraordinary results. His first outstanding disciple was Maria Corma Moreno, who in 1914 offered a recital in the Municipal Theater of Caracas. He also created a play called stupid people that was a big hit in the 20th century
On September of 1932 Borges established and directed the guitar chapter of the School of Music and Declamation (which today is the Jose Angel Lamas School of Music), one of the first guitar schools created in Latin America. His teachings took him to be recognized as the father of the Venezuelan guitar movement in the 20th century.
He was a fundamental influence in the upbringing of important masters of the guitar such as Alirio Diaz, Rodrigo Riera and Antonio Lauro. Other outstanding students were Manuel Enrique Perez Diaz, Flaminia Montenegro, Froila Pacanins, Jose Rafael Cisneros, Fredy Reyna, Antonio Ochoa and Rómulo Lazarde. He taught the guitar until his retirement in 1959.
In the 1920s Raul Borges assumed diplomatic functions, as secretary of the Venezuelan Delegation in Paris, and upon his return to Caracas he created a music store. As a composer, he dedicated himself exclusively to writing for the guitar, along the romantic waltz style that reigned in Venezuela at the end of the 19th century.
According to his own admission, he wrote many of his compositions to teach his students some peculiar effects of the guitar, as well as Venezuelan rhythms. Several of these creations are mandatory stepping-stones in current guitar education programs in Venezuela and other countries.
Borges made many transcriptions for two, three and four guitars. Several of his works were first published in the book "Compositions for the Guitar", edited by the Ministry of Education of Venezuela in 1952.
Works
Guitar
- Canción Antigua (Old song), ed. Unión Musical Española
- Canción de cuna (Cradle Song), ded. to Mrs. Froila Pacanins, ed. Ministry of Education of Venezuela, in Compositions for the guitar, 1952
- El Criollito, walrz, 1935
- Fuente morisca (Moorish Founrain), fantasy, ed. Unión Musical Española
- Marisol, vals, waltz, Unión Musical Española
- Melodía (Melody), ed. Ministry of Education of Venezuela, in Compositions for the guitar, 1952
- Preludio (Prelude), ed. Unión Musical Española
- Sueño de Opio (Opium Dream), fantasy, ed. Unión Musical Española;
- Valse (Waltz, on French motifs), ed Unión Musical Española;
- Valse Venezolano (Venezuelan Waltz), ed. Ministry of Education of Venezuela, 1952,
- Vengo a Verte (I Come to See You), waltz
Homages
- Antonio Lauro was part of the Trio Raul Borges.
- The XIII Alirio Díaz International Guitar Competition was dedicated in homage to Maestro Raul Borges in the 70th Anniversary of the Venezuelan Guitar School.
References
- Felipe Sangiorgi in Enciclopedia de la Música en Venezuela, ed. Fundación Bigott (ISBN 9806428021 , Caracas, Venezuela, 1998)
- Archives of the Jose Angel Lamas School of Music, Caracas
- Newspaper articles
External links
- Caroni Music - publisher of scores and CDs of South American music
- (Spanish) Raul Borges. Compositions for guitar: Vol 5 / Fundacion Vicente Emilio Sojo
- (Spanish) La Guitarra en Venezuela
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