Federico Mompou

Mompou was strongly influenced by French Impressionists composers. However, instead of simply following the impressionist tradition or joining new trends such as of Stravinsky or Schönberg, Mompou decided to start afresh (Recomençament) from the origin of music history. Mompou called this musical style Primitivism. Mompou's maternal family the Dencausse was a well-known Bell maker for many generations. The sound of the bell Mompou used to observe in his childhood made a huge impact on his aesthetic.

Song and Dance No.10 by Federico Mompou was originally written for piano in 1953 and later transcribed for guitar by the composer himself. Mompou chose two melodies from Canticles of Saint Mary by King Alfonso X of Castile. This essay includes audio samples and images of manuscripts.

Frederic Mompou's unique original work for guitar, Suite Compostelana was written in 1962 and dedicated to Andrés Segovia. Each movement evokes the essence of Santiago de Compostela — a historical Galician city in northwest Spain. The suite beautifully contains a variety of music styles and moods that conjure up images of rainy Galician city or traditional lively dance by imitating the sound of ‘la Gaita (bagpipes)’ and Mompou's distinctive bell-like chords.

The Generation of ’27 is a fascinating cultural movement of modern Spain and Maestro Regino Sáinz de la Maza also had an important role in it. This essay is about the Maestro Regino Sáinz de la Maza and Generation of ’27 movement from guitarists' point of view.