Bream, Julian (1933-2020), was a British guitarist and lutanist whose fine musicianship rapidly made him a popular performer in Europe and the United States. He arranged many keyboard works for lute and for guitar and transcribed much lute music of the 1500’s, 1600’s, and 1700’s into staff notation. He also encouraged the composition of contemporary guitar music.
Bream was born on July 15, 1933, in London and studied the piano and cello there at the Royal College of Music. He made his London debut performance in 1950. Bream appeared in leading music festivals throughout the world. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1964, for his services to music. He became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1985. Bream died on Aug. 14, 2020.
