Antonio Francisco Serra He is a guitarist, concert artist, and teacher of classical and flamenco guitar. He was born in Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona, in 1921. He died in Barcelona in 2002. He was a highly recognized guitar teacher in Barcelona during the last third of the XNUMXth century. Serra teaches and pedagogically to musicians and concert artists, as well as to teachers and educators. Among them, we highlight the guitarists flamencos Andres Batista y Manuel Granados or the classical guitarist and teacher Juan Mario Cuéllar.
Maestro Serra began studying the guitar with his father at approximately 7 years of age. During his formative years, he trained with Miquel Llobet, Emilio Pujol y francis alfonsoHe completed his training at the Liceu Conservatory and the Barcelona Municipal School of Music. In 1934, he made his debut at the Sala Mozart with his first concert. The following year, he gave a recital at the Palau de la Música. However, due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, his artistic appearances were more sporadic. And the figure of Antonio Francisco Serra, although more closely identified with the classical guitar, never stopped collaborating with the flamencoAlthough his first professional appearances were within the family circle of Catalan gypsies, influenced by his father, who taught him to play in these environments.
Highlights include his first recital at the Sala Mozart, the vihuela concert offered with Magda Espinet during the forties and recitals on the music of Francisco Tarrega of the 1953s and XNUMXs at the Sala Tracacho in Barcelona. However, what he learned with his father, which brought him closer to the flamenco guitar, served to foster his admiration for the instrument. His classical-flamenco training was evident within his family, although it is assumed that in XNUMX his performance at the tribute to Gypsy Prince It would be through flamenco pieces.
"In the maestro Antonio Francisco Serra, both in his concert guitar and in his musical pedagogy, the union of the more academic and artistic classical guitar and the wilder and more popular flamenco guitar converge. However, for various reasons, he does not receive the recognition he deserves, especially within the guitar world." flamenco»
It was in the 1950s that Antonio Francisco Serra moved to Paris. From there, he gained international prominence. This fact is supported by a recording released in XNUMX, in which he performed classical works. His international fame led him, in addition to being a regular on the classical circuits of Paris, to undertake international tours throughout Europe, North Africa, and Japan. These tours, which he combined with classical and flamenco guitar, led to him being assigned a position as a teacher at the Luxembourg Conservatory, at its headquarters in Paris.
Regarding flamenco guitar, Serra trained with his father, and also listened closely to the discography. He has no known contact with other guitarists. flamencos neither from Barcelona nor from other geographical points. His contribution to flamenco guitar is more in line with solo concert guitar than with accompaniment to the cante or to the dance. His main contact is his nephew Andrés Batista, whose teachings provided him with a foundation and a guitar discipline that led him to become one of the most notable figures of flamenco guitar in the 20th century.
For Andrés Batista, it is Maestro Serra who introduces him to the knowledge of harmony and composition, complements important aspects of music theory and also advises him to listen to records flamencos for their training in accompanying the cante. Discs like those of Ramon Montoya a Antonio Chacón, Miguel Borrull (son) to Jose Cepero and Manuel Vallejo; Nino Ricardo a Juan Varea y Canalejas of Puerto RealMelchor de Marchena to The Girl with the Combs, Manolo Caracol y Antonio Mairena. And he advises you to learn the rhythm, the falsetas, the melodies, the different accompaniments and to analyze the different aspects according to who you are. cante or touch it.
This fact is surprising given that Antonio Francisco Serra's flamenco guitar career leans toward the concert guitar, especially given his relationship with his nephew Andrés Batista, through their tours and recordings. The recorded duets between Serra and Batista offer something different. to others. The duo formed by uncle and nephew performs their repertoire between the classical and the flamenco. Unlike, for example, the duo You know y Escudero, that his repertoire was flamencoThe Serra Batista duo has been well received on the various stages they tour. In addition to their recording work Plucking Flamenco, from 1963, musically developing themes with garrotín, farruca, alegrías and a zapateado.
It is worth noting that in the late sixties, on a tour of Japan in 1968, they performed a repertoire divided into a classical first part that includes a final duet, contrasting with a second part where the final duet takes place through the touches of the farruca and the garrotín. During their stay in Japan, they produced a work with popular Japanese songs called Poetic Feeling of Japan for flamenco guitar (Poetic sentiment of Japan with flamenco guitar). This album is composed of twelve musical pieces, eight of which are versions adapted for two guitars of popular classics from Japanese folklore. On the 1963 album, Plucking Flamenco, recreates classic touches like Sabicas' alegrías on two guitars Andalusian Countryside, Andrés Batista's farruca Lament of Lagunilla, the garrotín also by Andrés Batista Aires Calés or the tap dancing of Esteban de Sanlúcar Profile FlamencoThis last zapateado would be included years later on the album Poetic Feeling of Japan for flamenco guitar.
"Antonio Francisco Serra deserves the recognition of the Catalan guitar world, as his legacy is established as one of the roots of flamenco concert guitar, primarily in Catalonia. His work, based on the progression of learning and the standardization of flamenco guitar writing, is recognized."
Serra's professional career, and in relation to flamenco guitar, also stands out for his teaching work along with his educational publications. Apart from retired artists like Andrés Batista, who bequeathed part of his teachings to the guitarist, Xavier CountOther notable students of Serra are Manuel Granados, on flamenco guitar, and Joan Planas Pahissa, in classical guitar. He taught in the 1970s and, after returning to Barcelona, published four guitar methods. He left behind a written legacy, including one work focused on classical guitar and three educational works focused on flamenco guitar. These methods have two main ideas: first, that the teaching-learning process be progressive and ongoing, and second, that the musical writing of flamenco techniques be formalized.
Speaking of methods, we see in 1979 the publication of the first flamenco guitar. Initiation to your touches in music and figures. In 1984, he published a classical guitar method that did not follow his progressive doctrine, as it was geared toward the advanced technical student. However, in 1992, two methods with his gradual concept of learning were published. Introduction to Flamenco Guitar: Introductory Technique Exercises y Flamenco Guitar: Methodology and TechniqueHis publications are endorsed by great masters of flamenco guitar, as both Mario Escudero and Sabicas wrote some comments as an introduction to his 1979 work. And he says: “They absolutely fill the gap that we had until now regarding the musical writing of 'Rasgueo' flamenco', as well as the way of treating some variations... The accuracy and precision with which the meaning of 'strumming' is explained, allows it to be interpreted correctly, surpassing everything that has been written on this subject."
In both the concert guitar and musical pedagogy of maestro Antonio Francisco Serra, the union of the more academic and artistic classical guitar and the wilder and more popular flamenco guitar converge. However, for various reasons, he doesn't receive the recognition he deserves, especially within the guitar world. flamencoSerra is one of the first guitarists to publish a flamenco guitar method based on technical progression along with exhaustive musical writing close to flamenco techniques. However, the lack of familiarity among many guitar enthusiasts with the written methods for learning flamenco guitar meant that the maestro Serra went almost unnoticed by the general public. We would like to thank his direct students Manuel Granados and Andrés Batista for continuing to spread and transmit the legacy of the maestro Serra to his students and the new generations.Antonio Francisco Serra is recognized throughout the Catalan guitar world, as his legacy is established as one of the roots of flamenco concert guitar, primarily in Catalonia. He is recognized for his work based on the progression of learning and a standardization of flamenco guitar writing.
