Graham Wade

Graham Wade

grahamwadeguitar.wordpress.com

A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, and Fellow of Trinity College of Music in London, Graham Wade served as Head of Strings and professor of guitar at the City of Leeds College of Music and as Tutor in Guitar at the Universities of Leeds and York. His publications include biographies of Andrés Segovia, Joaquín Rodrigo and Gina Bachauer, studies on guitar history, and books on musical form.

He has contributed as Advisory Editor and writer to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, and was appointed General Editor for a series of music paperbacks for a major American publisher. Wade has acted as external examiner in guitar at leading institutions such as the Royal Welsh College of Music, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, the Dublin Conservatoire and the Leeds College of Music, and has adjudicated international guitar competitions and festivals in the USA, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost writers on the classical guitar, Wade has written programme notes for Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream and John Williams, as well as liner notes for major record labels including Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, ASV, Nimbus, Sony, Teldec, Chandos and Aurophon. From 1990 to 1995 he served as founder-editor of the European Guitar Teachers’ Association Journal (EGTA UK).

Wade has written articles for publications such as The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Guitar International, Classical Guitar, Soundboard, Il Fronimo, Creative Guitar International, Gitarre und Laute, Gramophone, Musical Times and many others. From the 1960s until 2002 he performed extensively throughout England and abroad, including Spain, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Kuwait and Canada. Several composers dedicated solo works and five concertos to him, all of which he premiered.

In 2002 Wade received the Schott Gold Medal for his contribution to Rodrigo studies, and in 2006 he was honoured in Madrid at a ceremony attended by the British Ambassador and Spanish scholars following the publication of his biography of Joaquín Rodrigo, the first written in English. In October of the same year, Schott London hosted the British launch of the book in the presence of the Spanish Ambassador, Cecilia Rodrigo and Julian Bream.

His biography of Gina Bachauer, published in 1999, featured prefaces by King Constantine of the Hellenes, Princess Irene of Greece and Sir Edward Heath. He has lectured internationally, including at the University of Southern California, the Córdoba Guitar Festival and numerous universities across Europe, North America and Asia. He has also taught and lectured at festivals and summer schools in Spain, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Greece and throughout the United Kingdom.

Publications

• The Legend and the Legacy (in preparation, GRM Publications, 2014)
• Traditions of the Classical Guitar (All World Classics, reprint of 1980 edition, 2012)
• Profile of Federico Mompou (Naxos e-reader, 2011)
• Profile of Joaquín Turina (Naxos e-reader, 2011)
• Profile of Manuel de Falla (Naxos e-reader, 2011)
• The Fibonacci Confessions (GRM Publications, 2010)
• Nombres Propios de la Guitarra: Julian Bream (Córdoba Lecture, 2009)
• The Art of Julian Bream (Ashley Mark, 2008)
• Portrait of Rodrigo, His Life, His Music (Naxos, 2008)
• Francisco Tárrega (Stanley Yates & Graham Wade, DVD, Mel Bay, 2008)
• Joaquín Rodrigo – A Life in Music (GRM Publications, 2006)
• A Concise Guide to Understanding Music (Mel Bay, 2003)
• Classical Guitar – A Complete History (Balafon, 2002)
• Distant Sarabandes – The Solo Guitar Music of Joaquín Rodrigo (GRM Publications, 2nd ed., 2001)
• A Concise History of the Classic Guitar (Mel Bay, 2001)
• Mother and Other Poems (GRM Publications, 2001)
• Frog and Other Poems (GRM Publications, 2001)
• War Baby and Other Poems (GRM Publications, 2000)
• Gina Bachauer – A Pianist’s Odyssey (GRM Publications, 1999)
• Guitar Teaching and Learning – Interpretation and Style (University of Reading, 1998)
• John Mills, Concert Guitarist – A Celebration (GRM Publications, 1997)
• The Guitarist’s Guide to Associated Board Examinations (1997)
• A New Look at Segovia, His Life, His Music, Vols. 1 & 2 (with Gerard Garno, Mel Bay, 1996)
• Maestro Segovia (Robson, 1986)
• The Guitarist’s Guide to J.S. Bach (Wise Owl Music, 1985)
• Joaquín Rodrigo – Concierto de Aranjuez (Mayflower Press, 1985)
• Segovia – A Celebration of his Life and Music (Allison & Busby, 1983)
• The Shape of Music (Allison & Busby, 1983)
• Your Book of the Guitar (Faber, 1980)
• Traditions of the Classical Guitar (Calder, 1980)
• Graham Wade / ICS Guitar Course Vols. I & II (1972, 1975)

Editions

• Heitor Villa-Lobos and the Guitar, Turibio Santos (translated and edited by Victoria Forde & Graham Wade, Wise Owl, 1985)
• A Concise History of the Electric Guitar, Adrian Ingram (Mel Bay, 2001)
• A Concise Guide to Musical Terms, John Robert Brown (Mel Bay, 2002)
• A Concise History of Jazz, John Robert Brown (Mel Bay, 2004)
• A Concise History of Rock, Paul Fowles (Mel Bay, 2009)
• A Concise History of 20th Century Music, Graham Hearn (2010)
• A Concise Guide to Orchestral Music (1700–present), David Fligg (2010)