British classical guitarist and lute player Julian Bream, who earned four GRAMMY Awards and 20 nominations during his illustrious career, has died at his home in Wiltshire. He was 87 years old.
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Born in 1933 in the Battersea district of South West London, England, Bream, a self-taught musician, became a child prodigy in the late 1940s after learning to play the lute by playing along with dance radio bands. His talent and passion took him to studying piano and composition at the Royal College of music at just 15 years old.
The virtuoso earned his first career GRAMMY Award at the 3rd GRAMMY Awards for 1960 when he won Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist Or Duo for his album 'The Art Of Julian Bream.'
Bream revived the lute from historical obscurity in the 1960s when he formed the Julian Bream Consort. He received the high honor of being made an Order of the British Empire in 1964 and a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1985. His repertoire included works by composers including Benjamin Britten, Sir William Walton, Sir Michael Tippett and many more.
A tribute statement from James Brown Management lauded Bream, reading, "Julian had a distinguished and internationally renowned performing career, working with some of the 20th century’s most important musicians and composers," while prestigious London venue Wigmore Hall called Bream "one of the greatest guitarists of all time...Julian gave his first performance at Wigmore Hall in 1951. He will be greatly missed. RIP."
In 2002, Bream gave his final recital and retired at the age of 70 years old. A decade later, at age 80, he told The Guardian, “The thing I feel a little annoyed about is that I know I’m a better musician than I was at 70, but I can’t prove it.”
Bream established the Julian Bream Trust in 2008 to provide financial help for the less well-off, young and gifted music students, and to continue the work of commissioning new compositions for the guitar.
"I devoted my life to music for a reason," he said, "and the reason wasn't because I wanted to get on or make money, but to try to fulfil myself and also to give people pleasure. That's been my credo."
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