6 Article p173

Studia Musicologica 61 (2020) 1–2, 173–174
DOI: 10.1556/6.2020.00014
BOOK REVIEW
Gloria A. Rodríguez-Lorenzo, The Clarinet in Spain: Miguel Yuste Moreno (1870–

1947). Münster: LIT Verlag, 2019. ISBN 978 3 64391 118 6; pp. 323.
Reviewed by Fernando BARRERA-RAMÍREZ
© 2020 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest
The series Veröffentlichungen der Internationalen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung
der Blasmusik (IGEB) brings 2019 to a close with the publication of The Clarinet in Spain: Miguel
Yuste Moreno (1870–1947) by Gloria A. Rodríguez-Lorenzo. This study received an award from
the IGEB, and was also recognized, in 2009 by the University of Oviedo. It shines new light on
two previously obscure aspects of Spanish musical historiography: Spanish wind music and
the lives and careers of local musicians, in this case from the late nineteenth and early twenti-
eth century. In the past, Spanish musicology has neglected these fields in favour of those with
a greater national or international impact, focusing on genres such as zarzuela or renowned
composers like Manuel de Falla or Isaac Albéniz. However, they deserve to be rediscovered and
have their value recognised, which is why this publication by the IGEB is so important. The
recent creation of a national committee dedicated to the study of musical bands and linked to
the Spanish Musicological Society (Sociedad Española de Musicología, SEdeM), as well as re-
cent publications by authors like Alberto Veintimilla Bonet and Vicente Pastor García, work in
harmony with this book to fill this surprising gap in the musical history of the country. This gap
is all the more surprising given the significant tradition of training in wind instruments which
existed all over Spain.1
1
See, for example: Alberto VEINTIMILLA BONET, El clarinetista Antonio Romero y Andía (Dissertation,
Universidad de Oviedo, 2002); Vicente Llimerá DÚS, Análisis y estudio comparado del Método de oboe de Enri-
que Marzo (Dissertation, Valencia: Universidad de Valencia, 2006); Vicente PASTOR GARCÍA, Estudio y análi-
sis sobre la acústica y organología del clarinete y su optimización (Dissertation, Valencia: Universidad Politéc-
nica de Valencia, 2005); Gloria Araceli RODRÍGUEZ LORENZO, El clarinetista, profesor y compositor Miguel
Yuste Moreno (1870–1947): estudio biográfico y analítico (Dissertation, Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, 2009);
Francisco José FERNÁNDEZ VICEDO, El clarinete en España: historia y repertorio hasta el siglo XX (Disser-
tation, Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2010); Carlos Javier Fernández COBO, La metodología europea de
clarinete anterior al método completo para clarinete de Antonio Romero: influencias y aportaciones del autor a la
misma (Dissertation, Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2010); Jorge Juan Gil ARRAZ, Recepción del
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174 Studia Musicologica 61 (2020) 1–2, 173–174
There is still significant progress to be made. As the author, Rodríguez-Lorenzo says, we still
need to deepen our understanding of wind bands as an educational and cultural institution, as
well as to analyse the significant role they played in constructing the Spanish people’s musical
landscape and identity. Unfortunately, although there are some excellent previous publications
on this subject, they have tended to focus on describing how the bands were organized, rather
than exploring other features which would lead to a better understanding of these groups and
the social and musical effects they had.
Having considered the existing literature, we move on to a description of the book. The
Clarinet in Spain: Miguel Yuste Moreno (1870–1947), by Rodríguez-Lorenzo, is composed of
two main sections. The introduction, “The clarinet in Spain before Yuste,” outlines the complex
reality surrounding Spanish clarinetists at the turn of the century. The second section, chapters
two to four, is dedicated to Yuste himself. Here the author’s deep analysis introduces the reader
to the personality of this brilliant clarinetist, composer, teacher, and band master born in Alcalá
del Valle.2 His training and the beginning of his career, where he was part of groups such as the
Orquesta de la Sociedad de Conciertos, Spain’s first professional orchestra, are described in de-
tail. His importance as a teacher is discussed, summarizing some of his greatest contributions
to Spanish clarinet playing and his work as a professional musician. The final chapter “Vibra-
ciones del alma” discusses Yuste’s relevance and the influences on his work, both national and
international.
The book is enhanced by numerous illustrations: photographs of Yuste throughout his life,
excerpts from press reports about him, and extracts from the various clarinet manuals which
influenced his career. The Clarinet in Spain: Miguel Yuste Moreno (1870–1947) is a revelatory
publication, which uncovers a previously hidden aspect of Spanish musical historiography and
reminds us of the necessity and importance of this type of study.
clarinete en la corte de Madrid durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII. Reinados de Carlos III y Carlos IV (Dis-
sertation, Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2010); Miguel Asensio SEGARRA, El saxofón en España
(Dissertation, Valencia: Universidad de Valencia, 2012); Sofía MARTÍNEZ VILLAR, El repertorio para flauta a
solo del siglo XVIII al siglo XX. Historia, análisis y proyección (Dissertation, Barcelona: Universidad Autónoma
de Barcelona, 2013); Miguel Ángel NAVARRO GIMENO, Evolución de la enseñanza del clarín y el cornetín
de pistones en Madrid en el siglo XIX (Dissertation, Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, 2014); Alfonso MOLLÁ
CASTELLS, El figle en España en el s. XIX (Dissertation, Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, 2014).
2
Although it would be usual in a brief summary simply to refer to Yuste as being from the province of Cádiz,
we wish to highlight the town he came from as a small tribute to its people, who have been one of the popula-
tions in southern Spain worst hit by COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020.
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Studia Musicologica 61 (2020) 1–2, 173–174

Gloria A. Rodríguez-Lorenzo, The Clarinet in Spain: Miguel Yuste Moreno (1870–

© 2020 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest

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