Jaime Felipe José Bosch was a Catalan guitarist and song composer who established himself in Paris.
Biography
Bosch was born in Barcelona and educated at the school of the Convent de la Mercè in Barcelona, where he began his studies in piano and guitar. Before he emigrated, Bosch gave successful concerts in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia between 1849 and 1852. From 1853 he settled in Paris and from 1857 toured frequently in France, the Netherlands and Germany. Bosch was a very good friend of the painter Édouard Manet and posed for him many times, one portrait being used as illustration for one of Bosch's publications, Plainte Moresque op. 85, which is also dedicated to Manet. Besides many original compositions he wrote a Méthode de guitare and an opera, which was not performed. In Paris, Bosch was much praised at the aristocratic salons and had a large number of pupils, including the brothers Alfred and Jules Cottin. His best-known piece was to be his song collection Dix Mélodies, which was praised by Felipe Pedrell as a "true model of what a composer's inspiration may create in this genre". Bosch died in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Most of Bosch's guitar works were not published at the time they were written but in collections of Dix Pièces in 1887 and 1894, 12 Pièces faciles in 1892 and a further six easy pieces in 1894. A later edition of ten easy pieces reprints some previously published pieces together with seven pieces that had apparently not previously been published. Bosch's Méthode de guitare is very much a composer's method insofar as it contains numerous original compositions of varying length and difficulty. In the course of its 116 pages there are 16 Leçons, 31 Exercises and 39 original compositions, ranging in length from one to five pages. Most of them are dedicated to one of his pupils, who included Guy de Polignac, member of a famous French noble family. Among the more substantial works there are two movements of a Sonata dialogue, dedicated to the memory of Fernando Sor, a Jota, and Iberia, pp. 110–4.
Selected compositions
Guitar solo
Duettino op. 10
Brimborion op. 11
Étoiles et fleurs op. 12
Celia. Jota-valse op. 13
Fantaisie dramatique sur un opéra de l'auteur op. 14
Souvenir de Barcelone op. 15
Retraite espagnole op. 16
Allegro de sonate op. 17
Méditation op. 18
Ballade op. 19
Plainte Moresque op. 85
Pasa calle. Sérénade op. 86
12 Pièces faciles. Contains: 1. Habanera; 2. Valse échantillon; 3. Récit sans paroles; 4. Romance; 5. Banjo; 6. Scherzo-valse; 7. Anda salero; 8. Mélancolie; 9. Barcarolle; 10. Hymne national russe; 11. Espoir; 12. Tango danse des nègres.
Six Pièces faciles op. 89. Contains: 1. Enfantillage; 2. 1er Guagirana; 3. 2e Guagirana; 4. Les Adieux; 5. Lamento; 6. Gitanilla.
L'Amazone. Polka op. 90
Au sons des cloches op. 91
Venise op. 92
Les Echos op. 93
Cello
Dix Pièces faciles pour l'étude de la guitare. Contains the following works without dates or opus numbers: 1. Habanera; 2. Cantilena; 3. Romancero; 4. Banjo; 5. Nineria; 6. Anda salero; 7. Soledad; 8. Venecia; 9. Sueño; 10. Tango flamenco.
Guitar duo
La Catalane – score
Guitar method
Méthode de guitare. Contains the following 39 original compositions: 1re Récréation ; 2me Récréation ; 3me Récréation ; 4me Récréation ; 5e Récréation ; Petite romance; Air varié; Boleras; Rêverie; Matine; Fantaisie de salon; Scherzo ; La Gaditana; Seguidillas gitanas de Grenade; Tita ; Divertissement; Après la chasse ; Les Etincelles; Fantaisie caprice; Zapateado; Fantaisie espagnole; Feuilles et Zéphirs; Joie matinale; Alma viva; Boléro rêverie; Sonate dialogue ; Morceau brillant ; Variation; Finale ; Jota; Alla Mendelssohn; Barbéro; Valse espagnole; Rêverie ; Valse ; Colorado ; Jaleo; Petite marche funèbre; Sonate dialogue ; Iberia .
Songs for voice and guitar
Dix Mélodies . Contains: Chanson maure, Clochettes, Crépuscule d'automne, Rondeau, La Femme du chef, Aubade, À l'aimée, À Seville, Fleurs d'antan, Retraite chantée.
Charmant ruisseau, accompaniment by violin and guitar
Songs for voice and piano
Rêvez toujours. Mélodie
Tout dort. Sérénade
Sous mes blanches voiles. Barcarolle
Chamber music
Boléro, for two mandolins and guitar
Jaleo. Danse andalouse, for mandolin and guitar
Zapateado. Valse, for mandolin and guitar
Chant divin. Hymne, for cello and piano
Recordings
Música para canto y guitarra del siglo XIX. Francisco Heredia, Javier Chamizo. Fonoruz CO 505. Contains four of the 10 Mélodies: Rondeau, Aubade, À l'aimée, À Seville.
Bosch: Obres per a Veu i Guitarra. Maria Teresa Garrigosa, Miguel Javaloy. La Mà de Guido LMG 2098. Contains: 10 Mélodies pour guitare et chant, Passacaille, Brimborion op. 11, Étoiles et fleurs op. 12, Fantaisie dramatique sur un opéra de l'auteur op. 14, Retraite espagnole op. 16, Méditation op. 18, Ballade op. 19, Plainte moresque. Mélodie pour la guitare op. 85, Cello op. posth.
Souvenir de Barcelone. Miguel Javaloy. La Mà de Guido LMG 2119. Contains: Souvenir de Barcelone op. 15, Au sons des cloches op. 91, Venise op. 92.
