Juan Alais (1844-1914) Vol. 1 22 Argentine Folkloric & European Operatic pieces 50 pages $31.95 The titles are listed below the cover photo.
Juan was one of two teachers to Gustavo Sosa Escalada (Agustin Barrios's only teacher). The other was Carlos Garcia Tolsa-subject of the next book to be released in January 2000. At the age of 13 Agustin Barrios was playing Juan's pieces "La Perezosa" & "La Chinita". Domingo Prat calls Juan the first composer of the Argentine guitar. Abel Carlevaro & Julio Martinez Oyanguren have recorded pieces by this Maestro.
Juan Alais Moncada was born in Buenos Aires in 1844. He began to play guitar after first hearing his brother Guillermo play. Upon returning from a long voyage Guillermo heard Juan play better than he, and never played in Juan's presence again. At the age of 11 Juan began to play in public and was thought to without the need of a teacher. By 1870 "Juan el Ingles" as he was known, was a professor of guitar. His earliest pieces were published by Carlos Schnockel in the 1870's, and later by Francisco Nuñez. Juan wrote and published 87 pieces. In 1910 he suffered a stroke, and was paralized until he died in 1914. This edition has a new cover, it is a photo o Juan c. 1880-1890. It is the oldest photo of Juan known to me. It appeared in Segundo N. Contreras' "Disertaciones Musicales" published in 1931. There will be a third photo of Juan included in my "Annotations for the History of the Classical Guitar in Argentina 1822-2000".
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