Anonymous Romance

[MickeyD]

Greetings from Mexico.
The "anonymous romance" was arranged by Spanish classical guitarist Narciso Yepes (1927-1997) from an old Spanish song for the film score of the 1952 movie Jeux Interdit, (Forbidden Games) directed by René Clement. While his widow defends his authorship of the piece, the film credits him for "musical adaptation and interpretation" and the popular sheet music at (http://guitarra.artelinkado.com/guitarr ... ersion.jpg)
of the film score for Jeux Interdit lists the author as "anoymous."

A different version of the piece was used in an older film score, the one for the 1941 film "Blood and Sand," based on the book by Vicente Blasco Ibañez, directed by Ruben Mamoulian. This was a story about bullfighting, filmed in Mexico. The guitarist who interpreted the piece at that time was Vicente Gomez (1911-2001). The movie starred Tyrone Power.
Gómez edited his own version of the Romance en 1940, some 11-13 años before Narciso Yepes-, with the following title: "Romance de Amor, Canción Tema, Música de Vicente Gómez". You can find documentation on the different versions of the romance at the following link.
http://guitarra.artelinkado.com/guitarr ... php#mnota6.
It's clear that at least 13 years before Narciso Yepes arranged his version, the Romance was well-known as far away as Mexico as a piece in the guitar repertoire.
Francisco Herrera dates the first printed edition of the Romance at the end of 1930 and no later than January 1931.
This was the version of Daniel Fortea, a fine Spanish Classical Guitarist 1882-1953. "Romance Anónimo, de Daniel Fortea" This version is available for free at Eythorsson.com.
Another version gives authorship to Miguel Llobet (1878-1938). Curiously the copyright is dated 1968, so it´s clear that it is a posthumous transcription of an earlier recorded work by that composer.
Still others give earlier authorship. See the above link in Spanish for more info on the Romance.

[zara1900]

Well, I have read from strong sources that it is most certainly a composition by Tarrega.

I am certainly not an expert, however as I play very many of Tarrega's known works, I personally can certainly see it having been a composition of his.

It feels everything Tarrega...

regards
z

[Vesuvio]

Hi MickeyD. I'm really interested to read your notes on "Romanza", only last week, allied to something else, I asked if anyone knew who wrote it and wondered about Tarrega as it seems to have his touch to me. I think Llobet was a pupil of Tarrega, so maybe that is the connection but I am speculating of course. I think you did a great piece of research here, thank you very much. Best wishes, V.

[Rique]

What about Antonio Rovira? In Brazil, this piece has been published as "Romance de Amor", by Antonio Rovira. I've searched delcamp and only found one passing mention of his name; I've searched Wikipedia and got nothing.
Actually, I've only come to know this piece as "jeux interdits" when I moved to Europe, and bought a score with the film music, supposedly arranged by Yepes. In Brazil, almost everyone thinks it is by Rovira. Does anyone know anything about this guy Rovira??

[goni]

I have the Sheet music as "Estudio" by Rubira.
The only difference is that the arpeggios are A-I-M instead of A-M-I

G

[wchymeUS]

It is true that Narciso Yepes published an arrangement and recorded the sound track of the movie Jeux Interdits, but who wrote this music is still subject to a lot of speculations.
I've read that Sor composed it as a study named "Melodia de Sor"... probably not true as Sor always published what he wrote... however, the arpeggio was reversed and some differences with the Yepes version. Maybe it was left unfinished.

You can have a quick look at http://www.guitarra.artelinkado.com/gui ... nonimo.php (in Spanish) and you will see a bunch of names cited as possible composers or other arrangers of this piece: Vicente Gomez, Daniel Fortea, Llobet, etc.

[Hans W]

MickeyD, a very interesting post.

I find it of particular interest because a new member posted his recording of the piece about a week ago and it was "zapped" because of copyright rules. I questioned the removal of the piece and received the answer its Yates whose arrangement is always played for this anonymous piece.

What you're saying is the basic triplet retention has been around for years before Yates and the only thing he did was popularize it. Not a copyright issue I think.

Hans

[owl]

I questioned the removal of the piece and received the answer its Yates whose arrangement is always played for this anonymous piece.

No Hans... I answered your query and I said Yepes not Yates... it's the Yepes arrangement that is so well known and most commonly used

Owl

[Rique]

Wasn't Yates a poet? Surely not a musician...

[owl]

Wasn't Yates a poet? Surely not a musician...

LOL... http://www.stanleyyates.com/

Owl

[eales]

Yeats was the poet - he was an Irishman

[Rique]

Wasn't Yates a poet? Surely not a musician...

LOL... http://www.stanleyyates.com/

Owl

Ops... I had never heard of this player. Thanks for pointing him out to me! The poet was William Butler Yeats, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1923. (thanks Wikipedia!)

[Vesuvio]

Hello Rique,

It might be useful for you to know about another Yates too, Richard Yates http://www.yatesguitar.com/, but stay clear of any Yates websites with "Wine Lodge' in the name,

Best wishes, V

[Rique]

Hi Vesuvio,

Thanks for the tip! That's another Yates I didn't know about, and a site that's really worth visiting. Thanks also for the other tip, it might prove useful too, who knows...

by the way, we're getting very much off topic here -from Rovira to an Irish poet to a chain of pubs... That's a long way to go!

all the best,Rique

[Hans W]

Yeps! and Ops.
Hans