 
Born on the 7th of April 1886 near spanish
town Lerida in a small village named Granadella, Emilio Pujol Vilarruby,
one of the best learners of the well-known guitarist Francisco Tarrega,
is considered as an outstanding representative of the guitar school in the
20th century. Estimating his solo concerts in Spain and abroad, musical
critics of twentieths put Pujol in one row with M. Lyobet and A. Segovia.
Pujol began his music lessons from solfeggio
studying at the age of 5 years; his teacher was leader of the village orchestra.
This lessons didn't go in vain, because afterwards he was a student of municipal
music school in Barcelona. 1897 be began to learn playing the bandurria
and was one of the students selected as musicians honoured to play in famous
musical groups - Catalonian Bandurria and guitar orchestra "Estudiantina
Universitaria" at the Paris exhibition 1900. In 1901 young fifteen
years old Pujol began to learn by Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) in conservatory
of Barcelona. Pujol's study continued to 1907, serious illness of Tarrega
disturbed the further lessons. Tarrega died on the 15th of December 1909,
when Emilio Pujol was in Madrid, where he studied in the King Conservatory
theory and composition by Agustino Campro (Learner of Dionysio Aguado).
From 1912 to 1929 Pujol gave concerts in West-Europe. During 1914-1918 because
of the First World War he was in Catalonia. At the begin of 1918 he made
his first tour through South America, started in Buenos-Aires.
From 1935 to 1940 Pujol continued to give
concerto and lectures, also he continued his researches in Spain, London
and Paris. 1941 he returns to Spain and lives there till 1946, preparing
issue of compositions for Narvaes vihuela, third issue in "Monumentos
de la Musica Espanola", published by Instituto Espanol de Musicologia.
Then came Mudarra (1949) and Valderrabano (1963) issue. Till the end of
his life Pujol worked at the largest of music books for vihuela, - Orphenica
Lyra of Migele Fuenliana (the issue of 1554 is kept). He considered this
book as summit of vihuela school and estimated Fuenliana as final representative
of short history of this instrumental period in spanish music.
1946, Pujol opens the guitar class in Lissabon
Music Conservatory, lessons continued here till 1969, it's possible, that
it is the first time of guitar including into the course of academian institution.
From summer 1965 Pujol organizes his international course of guitar, lute
and vihuela in Lerida (Spanish).
Barcelona was the last shelter of this famous
guitarist, pedagogue and historian. He died on the 15th of November 1980. |
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