Yepes, Narciso (Garca)(b Lorca, 14 Nov 1927; d Lorca, 3 May 1997). Spanish guitarist. At the age of 13 he began studying at the Valencia Conservatory under the composer and pianist Vicente Asencio, who although not a guitarist prompted him to develop his technique. Ataulfo Argenta, director of the Spanish National Orchestra, encouraged him to move to Madrid, where he made his dbut in 1947 playing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, a work of which he later made a highly acclaimed recording. Yepes toured Europe with Argenta soon afterwards and spent a season (1950) studying interpretation with Gieseking and Enescu in Paris. Further tours followed and between 1960 and 1970 he visited eastern and western Europe, North and South America and East Asia. His compositions and arrangements include scores for the films Jeux interdits (1952) and La fille aux yeux d'or (1961). His research on neglected music of the 17th and 18th centuries has resulted in many transcriptions for the guitar. Composers who dedicated works to him include Leo Brouwer, Bruno Maderna, Maurice Ohana and Rodrigo. His prolific recordings include all Bach's lute music (which he also recorded on guitar) and many contemporary works, among them concertos by Rodrigo and Ernesto Halffter. After 1963 Yepes performed on a ten-string guitar for which he claimed an enhanced resonance, the ability to play more accurate transcriptions and a greater attraction for composers because of its extended range.By the 1950s Yepes had an international reputation second only to Segovia. His approach to technique and interpretation was often controversially different from Segovia and other leading recitalists. He continued to develop his own characteristic (and extensive) repertory, forging ahead into many hitherto uncharted areas of guitar culture, at the same time maintaining a wide-ranging interest in Baroque music. His early advocacy of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez can now be seen as a significant landmark in mid-20th-century guitar history. His overall contribution to the expansion of the repertory and the establishment of the guitar as a recital instrument has been immense.BIBLIOGRAPHYJ.M. Gironella: Todos somos fugitivos (Barcelona, 1974) P. Sensier: Narciso Yepes and the Ten-String Guitar, Guitar, iii/9 (1975), 27 G. Wade: Traditions of the Classical Guitar (London, 1980) I. Mairants: Narciso Yepes: A Reappraisal, Classical Guitar, ii/1 (19834), 434 M. Summerfield: The Classical Guitar: its Evolution, Players and Personalities since 1800 (Newcastle upon Tyne, 1991) C. Cooper: Narciso Garca Yepes (19271997), Classical Guitar, xiv/10 (19967), 28 PETER SENSIER/GRAHAM WADE