José Antonio Rojas Beoto - Classical guitar sheet music

José Antonio (Ñico) ROJAS BEOTO (1921)

José Antonio Rojas Beoto e-mail : José Antonio ROJAS

Name: José Antonio (Ñico) Rojas Beoto
Profession: Hydraulic engineer

Ñico Rojas was born on the 3 rd August 1921, in the city of Havana . By the age of 13 his parents had inculcated in him a love for classical and popular music and encouraged him to study the guitar. Ñico taught himself up to the age of 18 when he began his studies in the University of Havana to become a Civil Engineer.

Outside of those studies in 1942 he got to know and to become a founder member of the group of composers of the "Feeling" movement. He went on to compose the boleros: "My Yesterday", "Now I know that I love" and "You know", which were recorded by the singers Pepe Reyes, Orlando Vallejo and Miguelito Valdés. He counts himself fortunate to be able to claim the distinction of convincing that group of founding composers that they should be musicians and nothing else. Today from their number are the outstanding proponents of Cuban culture such as José Antonio Méndez, Ski Aida Diestro, Niño Rivera, Felipe Durzaides, Gilberto Aldanáz. Ñico also convinced the other 13 founders of the "Feeling" movement that they should listen to music of the great classical composers to advance their movement and to inform their compositions.

Having graduated as a Civil Engineer, he worked and lived in the city of Matanzas, combining the classic music of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Ravel, with the popular music of Antonio Arcaño, Arsenio Rodríguez, Miguel Matamoros and Nat King Cole, the rumbas of Matanzas, Saldiguera and Viiulilla and the rural music that he listened while he was constructing highways and aqueducts. Around 1950 a new style of composing instrumental music for guitar developed combining classical and popular music and based on the various Cuban rhythms. According to several Cuban musicologists Ñico Rojas is the originator of this instrumental style for guitar incorporating Cuban rhythms. His compositions are dedicated for the most part to his family, dear friends, and to people and places that he admires.

In Matanzas the four children of his marriage to Eva Montes were born. According to Ñico the loyalty and love of his wife and their children together with the friendship of the matanceros and the beauty of that city, inspired him to compose his 52 instrumental works, of which 24 were performed and recorded on two LPs by EGREM, in 1964 and 1977 respectively. The first of these was a great success at "Expo Montreal" in 1967.

He has composed 20 boleros and songs with texts and original music, which have been recorded by singers like Elena Burke, Argelia, Omara Portuondo, Ester Borja, Vilma Valle, Lino Borges, Carlos Díaz, Nancy Alvares, Pablo Milanes, Luis Garcia, Raúl de Mesa , Gilberto Aldanáz, Instrumental Quintet of Modern Music, Tito Bridges, Frank Emilio, the Rigual brothers trio, the Thesis trio, the Propuesta trio, and by José Antonio Méndez.

EGREM has published his first book of seven instrumental pieces for guitar and has plans to publish all of Ñico's compositions. He has recently composed a suite "Homage to 'Feeling'", consisting of 24 new instrumental pieces: Preludios, Cancion, Mambo, Cha Cha Chá, Batanga, Tumbao, Bolero, Guajira, etc all inspired by "Feeling". His instrumental piece "Tony and Jesusito" was performed at the Montreal Festival in 1997.

His works for guitar are used as study material in several of the Cuban conservatories.

Ñico Rojas has given numerous concerts and recitals in theaters and museums, and on television and radio.

In 1994 he won the annual UNEAC prize and also the BUTTERFLY prize for his musical achievement as a composer. He has also been awarded the THE NATIONAL CULTURAL AWARD and others other national awards such as the RAÚL GÓMEZ GARCÍA y ARMANDO MESTRE.

In January 1998 he was invited to the LINCOLN CENTER in New York where he gave two concerts as singer/guitarist, performing three of his boleros.

In August 1999 with the distinguished pianist Frank Emilio he recorded a CD of sixteen of his songs.

INSTRUMENTALES DEL CATALOGO DE JOSE ANTONIO ( ÑICO ) ROJAS

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José Antonio (Ñico) ROJAS BEOTO (1921)