Julian Alexander Bream (15 July 193314 August 2020) was an English classical guitarist and

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...

nist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public perception of the classical guitar as a respectable instrument. Over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, Bream helped revive interest in the lute.

Early years

Bream was born in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

, London, England, to Henry and Violet Jessie (née Wright) Bream. At the age of two he moved with his family to Hampton in London, where he was brought up in a musical environment. His father was a commercial artist and an amateur jazz guitarist, who was unable to read music but had a finely attuned ear and could play a lot of popular music. His mother, a homemaker of Scottish descent, had a warm and loving personality, but no interest in music. His parents divorced when he was 14. His grandmother owned a pub in Battersea, and Bream spent much time there during his youth. The young Bream was impressed by the playing of

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

; he later named his dog "Django". Bream played the piano and cello as a child and Reinhardt inspired Bream to take up guitar. Bream began his lifelong association with the guitar by strumming along on his father's jazz guitar at an early age to dance music on the radio. He became frustrated with his lack of knowledge of jazz harmony, so read instruction books by

Eddie Lang Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro, October 25, 1902 – March 26, 1933) was an American musician who is credited as the father of jazz guitar. During the 1920s, he gave the guitar a prominence it previously lacked as a solo instrument, as p ...

to teach himself. His father taught him the basics. The president of the Philharmonic Society of Guitarists, Boris Perott, gave Bream further lessons, while his father became the society librarian, giving young Bream access to a large collection of rare music. On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a small gut-strung Spanish guitar by his father. He became something of a child prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and composition at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

.''The Lively Arts – Julian Bream: A Life in the Country'' (DVD) He made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham on 17 February 1947, aged 13;''Julian Bream: The Complete RCA Album Collection'' booklet in 1951, he debuted at

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

. Bream's father had reservations about his pursuing classical guitar. He claimed Bream would find it difficult to earn a living unless he played jazz or something similarly modern. His father's remarks made Bream more persistent and committed to becoming a professional classical guitarist. Bream played the guitar first, then the piano for his audition at the Royal College of Music, even though the guitar was not taught at the institution at the time. When the college accepted Bream, he was advised not to bring his guitar. Bream brought along his guitar regardless as he played for late-night performances. When the school's director discovered he was playing the guitar in one of the school's practice rooms, Bream was asked again to leave his guitar at home. Bream's response to the request was to leave the college. Leaving the RCM in 1952, Bream was called up into the army for

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

. He was originally drafted into the

Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" have existed in the army before t ...

, but managed to sign up for the Royal Artillery Band after six months. This required him to be stationed in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...

, which allowed him to moonlight regularly in London with the guitar.

Career

After three and half years in the army, he took any musical jobs that came his way, including background music for radio plays and films. Recording sessions and work for the BBC were important to Bream throughout the 1950s and the early 1960s. He played part of a recital at the

on the lute in 1952. Bream pursued a busy career playing around the world. His first European tours took place in 1954 and 1955, followed (beginning in 1958) by extensive touring in the Far East, India, Australia, the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of ...

and many other parts of the world. His first North America tour was in 1959. 1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female person ...

. In 1963, Bream performed for the

Peabody Mason Concert Benefactor The name Peabody Mason comes from Miss Fanny Peabody Mason, who until her death in 1948 was an active patron of music both in the United States and abroad. Her musical interests were piano, singing and chamber music. Concert series ...

series in Boston with the US debut of his Consort. In addition to

master class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

es, Bream was a tutor of the music summer school at Dartington.

Later career

In 1984, Bream seriously injured his right arm in a car accident. In 1991, BBC Radio and TV broadcast Bream's BBC Prom performance of Malcolm Arnold's Guitar Concerto. He also participated in a recital and concerto performances of works by

Toru Takemitsu TORU or Toru may refer to: * TORU, spacecraft system * Toru (given name), Japanese male given name * Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan * Tõru, village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, Estonia {{disambig ...

at the Japan Festival in London with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. During the 1992–93 season he performed on two occasions at the Wigmore Hall – at their Gala Re-opening Festival, and at a special concert celebrating his 60th birthday. In the same period, he toured the Far East, visiting Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and performed the premiere of

Leo Brouwer Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council. Family He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona y Casa ...

's arrangement for guitar and orchestra of Albéniz's ''

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a la ...

'' at

the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert H ...

. In 1994 Bream made debuts in both Turkey and Israel to great acclaim, and the following year played for the soundtrack to the Hollywood film '' Don Juan DeMarco''. In 1997, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his debut, he performed a recital at

Cheltenham Town Hall Cheltenham Town Hall is an early-20th century assembly rooms in Cheltenham, England. Unlike most town halls, it is a public venue and not the seat of the borough council, which is housed in the nearby Municipal Offices. It is a Grade II liste ...

. A few weeks later, the BBC dedicated a television tribute ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' programme to Bream, filmed after a commemorative concert at the

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The Q ...

, London. Other engagements around that time included a gala solo performance at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool; a Kosovo Aid concert at St. John's, Smith Square, London, with the

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy of ...

; recitals at the Snape Proms,

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Aldeb ...

, and at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival; and a tour of

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

properties in summer and autumn 2000. In November 2001 he gave an anniversary recital at

, celebrating 50 years since his debut there in 1951. His final recital was at Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich, on 6 May 2002.

Style and influences

Bream's recitals were wide-ranging, including transcriptions from the 17th century, many pieces by Bach arranged for guitar, popular Spanish pieces, and contemporary music, for much of which he was the inspiration. He stated that he was influenced by the styles of Andrés Segovia and Francisco Tárrega. Bream had some "sessions" with Segovia but did not actually study with him. Segovia provided a personal endorsement and scholarship request to assist Bream in taking further formal music studies. Bream's work showed that the guitar could be capably utilized in English, French, and German music. Bream's playing can be characterised as virtuosic and highly expressive, with an eye for details, and with strong use of contrasting

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and music ...

s. He did not consistently hold his right-hand fingers at right angles to the strings, but used a less rigid hand position for tonal variety. Bream met

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

in Toronto, Canada, in 1965. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade the composer to write a composition for the lute and played a pavane by Dowland for him. The meeting between Bream and Stravinsky, including Bream's impromptu playing, was filmed by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

in making a documentary about the composer.

Recordings

Bream recorded extensively for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ar ...

and

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed European classical music, classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged ...

. These recordings won him several awards, including four Grammy Awards, two for

Best Chamber Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance was awarded from 1959 to 2011. The award was discontinued in 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories; since 2012, recordings in this category have fallen under the Best Small Ensemble Perfor ...

and two for Best Classical Performance. RCA also released ''The Ultimate Guitar Collection'', a multi-CD set commemorating his birthday in 1993. Despite his importance as a classical guitarist, however, many of his RCA recordings (including the series of 20th-century guitar music) were out of print for several years. In 2011, RCA released ''My Favorite Albums'', a 10-CD set of albums chosen by Julian Bream himself. In 2013, RCA issued ''Julian Bream: The Complete RCA Album Collection'', a 40-CD set which also includes two DVDs with ''The Lively Arts – Julian Bream: A Life in the Country'', the 1976 BBC film; and four BBC shows: ''Omnibus: Anniversary of Sir William Walton'' 982 ''The Julian Bream Consort (1961)'', ''Monitor – Film Profile of Julian Bream'' 962 and ''The Julian Bream Consort (1964)''.

Television and video

A film, ''A Life in the Country'', was first shown on BBC TV in 1976. In it, the narrator and Bream discuss his beginnings and his life as a concert guitarist. Bream also presented a series of four master-classes for guitarists on BBC TV. In 1984 he made eight film segments on location in Spain for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. The collection of segments ''¡Guitarra! A Musical Journey Through Spain'' explored historical perspectives of Spanish guitar music. The 2003 DVD video profile ''Julian Bream: My Life in Music'' contains three hours of interviews and performances. It has been declared by Graham Wade "the finest film contribution ever to the classic guitar" and it became "''Gramophone'' DVD of the year".

Dedications and collaborations

Many composers worked with Bream, and among those who dedicated pieces to him were Malcolm Arnold,

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012. Zachary Wo ...

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

, Peter Racine Fricker, Hans Werner Henze,

Humphrey Searle Humphrey Searle (26 August 1915 – 12 May 1982) was an English composer and writer on music. His music combines aspects of late Romanticism and modernist serialism, particularly reminiscent of his primary influences, Franz Liszt, Arnold Scho ...

, Michael Tippett,

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the canta ...

and

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Mus ...

. Britten's ''

Nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

'' is one of the most famous pieces in the classical guitar repertoire and was written with Bream specifically in mind. It is an unusual set of variations on

John Dowland John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe" ...

's "Come, Heavy Sleep" (which is played in its original form at the close of the piece). Bream also took part in many collaborations, including work with

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

on Elizabethan music for lute and voice, and three records of guitar duets with

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Personal life

Bream's first wife was Margaret, daughter of the writer

Henry Williamson Henry William Williamson (1 December 1895 – 13 August 1977) was an English writer who wrote novels concerned with wildlife, English social history and ruralism. He was awarded the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 for his book '' Tark ...

, with whom he adopted a son. After their divorce he married Isabel Sanchez in 1980. That marriage also ended in divorce. He lived for over 40 years at Semley, Wiltshire, at first dividing his time between there and

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and ...

, London, then moving permanently in 1966 to a Georgian farmhouse in Semley, living there until 2008. In 2009 he moved to a smaller house at Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire. Bream was keen on the game of cricket and was a member of the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influenc ...

. Bream died on 14 August 2020, at his home at Donhead St Andrew, at the age of 87.

Pieces written for Bream

Many compositions were written for Bream, including: * Reginald Smith Brindle: ''Nocturne for Guitar Solo'' (1946) * Lennox Berkeley: Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1 (1957) *

: '' Songs from the Chinese'' for high voice and guitar, Op. 58 (1957) * Hans Werner Henze: ''Drei Tentos'' (Kammermusik 1958) * Denis ApIvor: Variations for Guitar, Op. 29 (1958) * Tristram Cary: Sonata (1959) * Malcolm Arnold: Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 67 (1959) * Benjamin Britten: ''

Nocturnal after John Dowland ''Nocturnal After John Dowland'', Op. 70 is a classical guitar piece composed in 1963 by English composer Benjamin Britten for guitarist Julian Bream. It is considered one of the most influential works written in the twentieth century for the cla ...

'', Op. 70 (1963) *

: Impromptus (1968) * Tom Eastwood: ''Ballade-Phantasy'' (1968) * Peter Racine Fricker: ''Paseo'' (1969) * Reginald Smith Brindle: ''Variants on two themes of J. S. Bach'' (1970) * Richard Rodney Bennett: Guitar Concerto (1970) * Malcolm Arnold: ''Fantasy'', Op. 107 (1971) * Alan Rawsthorne: ''Elegy'' (1971) *

: Five Bagatelles (1972) * David Lord: ''Soliloquy'' (1973) *

: ''Five'' (1974) * Lennox Berkeley: Guitar Concerto, Op. 88 (1974) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Royal Winter Music'' (first sonata, 1976) * Giles Swayne: Suite, Op. 21 (1976) *

: ''Hill Runes'' (1981) * Michael Berkeley: ''Sonata in One Movement'' (1982) * Richard Rodney Bennett: Sonata (1983) * Michael Tippett: ''The Blue Guitar'' (1984) * Giles Swayne: ''Solo for Guitar'' (1986) *

: ''Concerto elegiaco'' (Guitar Concerto No. 3) (1986) *

: ''All in Twilight'' (1987) * Leo Brouwer: Sonata (1990) * Peter Maxwell Davies: Sonata (1990) * Toru Takemitsu: ''Muir Woods (In the Woods)'' (1996) * Harrison Birtwistle: ''Construction with Guitar Player: Beyond the White Hand'' (2013) (Commissioned by the Julian Bream Trust) * Leo Brouwer: ''Ars Combinatoria'' (Sonata No. 5) (2013) (commissioned by the Julian Bream Trust)

Awards and recognitions

* 1964: Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

* 1964: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1964 for ''Evening of Elizabethan Music'' performed by the Julian Bream Consort * 1966: Honorary Member of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

* 1967: Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra) at the Grammy Awards of 1967 for ''Baroque Guitar (Works of Bach, Sanz, Weiss, etc.)'' * 1968: Honorary Doctorate from the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institu ...

* 1968:

Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...

* 1972: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) at the Grammy Awards of 1972 for

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieve ...

(conductor), Julian Bream & the

for ''

Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the ...

: Concerto for Guitar'' * 1973: Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance at the

Grammy Awards of 1973 The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was the first Grammy ceremony not to be held in either New York City or Los Angeles (the 64th Grammys, staged in Las Vegas ...

for Julian Bream &

for ''Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados)'' * 1974:

* 1976: Villa-Lobos Gold Medal (presented by the composer's widow) * 1981: Fellowship of the

* 1983: Fellowship of the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music educatio ...

* 1984: Honorary Doctorate from the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

* 1985: Commander of the Order of the British Empire * 1988: Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society * 1996: Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist's Award * 1999: Doctor of Philosophy from London Guildhall University * 2009: Honorary Doctorate from the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's underg ...

* 2013: Gramophone Classical Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement

Discography

LPs

Recordings by Bream include: * ''The Art Of Julian Bream'' (November 1960), RCA Victor LSC-2448 * ''Guitar Concertos'' (January 1961), RCA Victor LSC-2487 * ''The Golden Age of English Lute Music'' (September 1961), RCA Victor LDS-2560 * ''An Evening Of Elizabethan Music'' (1963), RCA Victor LDS-2656 (reissued March 1971 as LSC-3195) * ''Julian Bream: Rodrigo, Vivaldi Concertos, Britten Dances from "Gloriana"'' (1964), RCA Victor LSC-2730 * ''20th Century Guitar'', RCA Victor LSC-2964 * 70s'', RCA ARL1-0049 * ''Dedication'', RCA ARL1-5034 * ''Julian Bream Plays Dowland'', CLP 1726 * ''A Bach Recital for the Guitar'', Westminster CLP 1929 * ''Baroque Guitar'' (1966), RCA * ''The Classical Guitar'' (3 – LP set), Westminster WMS −1029 * ''Collection of the Greatest Performances of Julian Bream, Vol. II, Westminster * ''Concertos for Lute and Orchestra'', RCA ARL1-1180 * ''Dances of Dowland'', RCA LSC-2987 * ''Elizabethan Lute Songs'', RCA LSC-3131 * ''Elizabethan Music by The Julian Bream Consort'', RCA LSC-3195 * ''The Golden Age of English Lute Music'', RCA LSC-3196 RCA LD-2560 * ''J.S. Bach Lute Suites Nos. 1 and 2'' (1966), RCA LSC-2896 * ''Julian & John'', 1972 RCA LSC-3257 * ''Julian & John/2'', 1974 RCA ARL1-0456 * ''Julian Bream's Greatest Hits'', Westminster * ''Julian Bream's Greatest Hits Volume Two'', Westminster 9008-8185 * ''Lute Music of John Dowland'', RCA ARL1-1491 * ''John Dowland: 14 Lute Pieces'', Westminster W-9079 * ''Music for Voice and Guitar'' with

, RCA LSC-2718 * ''Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar'', RCA * ''Rodrigo: Concerto De Aranjuez, Berkeley Guitar Concerto (1975), RCA * ''Sonatas for Lute and Harpsichord—Bach, Vivaldi'' with George Malcolm, RCA LSC-3100 * ''Villa-Lobos, Twelve Etudes for Guitar, Suite populaire bresillienne'' (1978), RCA * ''Julian Bream, The Art of the Spanish Guitar'' (1970) RCA SRS 3002 * ''The Woods So Wild'', RCA LSC-3331 * ''¡Guitarra!: The Guitar in Spain'' (1985), RCA (contains material not on the CD)

CDs

* ''Fret Works'' (1990), MCA * ''Guitarra: The Guitar in Spain'' (1990), RCA * ''Joaquin Rodrigo: Concerto Elegiaco/Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre'' (1990), RCA * ''Julian Bream plays Bach'' (1990), RCA * ''Julian Bream Plays Granados & Albéniz (Music of Spain, Volume Five)'' (1990), RCA * ''Music of Spain, Vol. 7'' (1990), RCA * ''Two Loves'' with Peggy Ashcroft (1990), RCA * ''Baroque Guitar'' (1991), RCA * ''La Guitarra Romantica'' (1991), RCA * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Villa-Lobos: Preludes'' (1991), RCA * ''Romantic Guitar'' (1991), RCA * ''Baroque Guitar'' (1993), RCA * ''A Celebration of Andrés Segovia—Bream'' (1993), RCA * ''Highlights from the Julian Bream Edition'' (1993), RCA * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre No1-5'' (1993), RCA * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Takemitsu: To the Edge of Dream'' with

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principa ...

and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1993), Capitol * ''Together/Julian Bream & John Williams'' (1993), RCA * ''Together Again/ Julian Bream & John Williams'' (1993), RCA * ''Villa-Lobos: Guitar Concerto; Preludes; Etudes'' with

and the

(1993), BMG International * ''Bach Guitar Recital'' (1994), EMI Classics * ''Bach: Lute Suites, Trio Sonatas'' (1994), RCA * ''Guitar Concertos'' (1994), RCA * ''Julian Bream Consort, Vol. 6'' (1994), RCA * ''Music of Spain'' (1994), RCA * ''Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar'' (1994), RCA * ''Romantic Guitar'' (1994), RCA * ''Sonata'' (1995), Angel * ''20th Century Guitar I'' (1996), RCA * ''The Golden Age of English Lute Music'' (1996), RCA * ''Music for Voice & Guitar'' (1996), RCA * ''Music of Spain: Milán, Narváez'' (1996), RCA * ''Popular Classics for the Spanish Guitar'' (1997), RCA * ''Julian Bream Edition, Volume 1: The Golden Age of English Lute Music'' (28 CDs) (1998), RCA * ''The Romantic Hours'' (1998), RCA * ''Spain—Sor, Vol. 24'' (1998), BMG Classics * ''Guitar Concertos'' (1999), RCA * ''Guitar Music by Albeniz, Vivaldi, Rodrigo & Grandos'' (2 CDs) (1999), RCA Classics/BMG * ''Woods So Wild'' (1999), RCA * ''Nocturnal: Martin, Britten, Brouwer, Lutoslavski'' (2000), EMI * ''The Ultimate Guitar Collection'' (2 CDs) (2000), RCA * ''Duos de Guitares'' with

(2001), RCA * ''Spanish Guitar Music'' (remastered) (2001), Deutsche Grammophon * ''Spanish Guitar Recital'' (2001), RCA * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre; Tres piezas espanolas; invocacion y danza'' (remastered) (2004), RCA * ''Spanish Guitar Recital'' (2004), * ''Guitar Recital: Bach, Sor, Turina, Tippet, Schubert'' (2005), Testament * ''Music of Spain'' (2005), RCA * ''Elizabethan Lute Songs'', Decca * ''Julian Bream & Friends'', Musical Heritage Society * ''Lute Music from the Royal Courts of Europe'', BMG Classics * ''Music of Spain: The Classical Heritage'', RCA * ''My Favorite Albums'', RCA/Sony Classical

References

Sources

* * * Photographs by

Daniel Meadows Daniel Meadows (born 1952) is an English photographer turned maker of digital stories, and a teacher of photography turned teacher of participatory media. Life and career as photographer Meadows was born in Great Washbourne, Gloucestershire, " ...

, includes discography (pp. 204–16)