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In Memory of Adele Kramer
1900-1989

 Madame Adele Kramer taught me from 1971-1975. She was recommended by a friend who had heard from a friend, of a very good guitar tutor in North London, who organised guitar concerts for her pupils. Having been disappointed by a number of tutors, I decided to make further enquiries. I phoned and booked a lesson and the rest is my little history.

I found her a remarkable woman, who was extremely dedicated to teaching the classical guitar to those students who were prepared for their lessons. Woe betides those who had not. I can still remember the Carcassi Caprices and Melodic studies that had to be learnt by heart for the following week.

Each lesson was divided into scales, studies, pieces and sometimes, just scales, if they were not up to standard. Madame was so strict that, for a Guildhall grade, I had to play the six caprices, all the scales, arpeggios and three studies (all by heart) to enter the grade. It was only later (with my own candidates) that I realised I could have chosen one caprice a few scales and one study.

Madame Kramer’s left hand technique was remarkable and I am still thankful for her ability to diagnose the notation and explain the reasoning for her fingering. However, there were times I would disagree (my fingers were not as nimble as hers) therefore I would practice my way at home, and play her way during the lesson. My subterfuge was exposed when she demanded that I play the piece at her next concert. I performed the piece, without mistakes, and she noticed I had changed the fingering and reprimanded me at the next lesson. I pleaded guilty but stated that I always valued her technical advice even when I was not able to follow it. Madame laughed, and we continued the lesson.

I was still with Madame Kramer in her 75th year and during one of the private concerts she was presented a solid silver plate. She was so pleased with the present that she gave each student a cassette copy of a vinyl recording of her playing. All her other recordings were lost in the war and this was the only one that had survived.

In memory of her dedication to the classical guitar and to those who knew her, and who might never have heard her play, I have created this page.

For those of you who have been a pupil or who have known Madame K and would like to add to this page, just Email me your experiences, photo’s etc.. I will place them on.

Vincent Coley
Kent Music School
(Left click to listen-Right click to Save Target As)
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Francisco Tarrega
The Carnival of Venice Variations on a theme by Paganini Trans' F. Tarrega (7.651 mb) 120kps		 OK
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Francisco Tarrega
Estudio Brillante (after Alard) (2.021 mb) 120kps		 OK
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Fernando Sor
Andante maestro in A opus 11 No.6 (1.064 mb) 120kps		 OK
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Eine Kedanke
? Graffer * (2.899 mb) 120kps		 OK
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Francisco Tarrega
Gran Jota (1st part) arranged by A. Kramer . (3.177 mb) 120kps		 OK
Adele Kramer
Classical Guitar		 Francisco Tarrega
Gran Jota (2nd part) arranged by A. Kramer (3.134 mb) 120kps		 OK
*(Thank you David C-C for naming this melody)
Some tributes from former colleagues and students
(Extracted from the Classical Guitar September 1989 Vol.8, No.1)
 Permission applied for


Adele Kramer inspired her pupils with almost overwhelming energy to get it right. Every lesson began like an Olympian training session with every kind of scale slow and warn, fast and furious, bold with triumphant laughter. Then she positively carried you through studies and pieces - the imagination had to work at home. Non-triers got no sympathy (nor laughter). Those who ever heard her ferocious fortissimo in attack became a little nervous but worked for their lives.

After hearing a tirade once at the pupil before me I asked who was the pretty girl in Austrian national costume hanging on the wall. “That is my sister.” She said. “And does she play the guitar too?” I asked sweetly. “No!” She yelled in her most guttural English. “She has not got ze gutts!”

She believed in fingering rules which were applied in minutest detail, no matter how apparently complicated, to realize the music. Looking at her mighty numbers and exclamations covering every line of music could make one dizzy at first. But you knew she was serious about finding the best way.

Her thirty years of teaching in England have produced already two generations of players and teachers who can pass on some of her enormously generous spirit perhaps with voce piu sotto

Patrick Bashford
Royal College of Music

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Phases in art and music run their course just as night follows day. Within these movements there are those who catch the imagination and find popular acclaims leaving the invisible idealist to other devices 'whose contribution may, in the fullness of time transcend the popular view, leaving a lasting and valuable contribution through their chosen ideals.

In the 1950s, by which time Segovia had proved the guitar in the world's concert halls the then young Julian Bream, and John Williams startled the music establishment and showed that others could do likewise.

The guitar in Britain still had not a base within the accepted music establishment, the arrival of Adele Kramer, from war-torn Europe and her subsequent appointment to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, created a new beginning for the guitar. Looking now at all the music colleges and universities offering degree courses in the study of the guitar a moment's thought must be given to the dedication of Adele Kramer who showed what the possibilities were for the future of the instrument in British educational institutions.

As one of the first guitar students at the Guildhall School of Music was then interested to learn that Adele Kramer was a pupil of Miguel Llobet and as such in direct line of technical theory from Francisco Tarrega. As the years progressed I was to bear witness to a style of playing that has now, been superseded by 'nail and nylon ' - not that a return to fingertips and catgut, was taught or ever contemplated but there was nevertheless a certain charm emanating from the root of this older style which gave rise to the phrase the little orchestra - a saying no longer heard in guitar circles these days.

Lessons had their fiery moments we would argue intensely about a single note in a particular position with a particular fingering. I must confess to seldom winning the argument? Meeting socially at her home I remember vividly a discussion on technique, a somewhat philosophical concept relating to ways of working arising frown Tarrega's technical exercises. Adele Kramer brought to my notice that 99 per cent of the guitarists in the world of her generation were either pupils of Tarrega or pupils of pupils of Tarrega. She drew attention to Tarrega's desire in middle life to revitalize his own music and technique, which had a widespread and sometimes extraordinary effect even to the extent that his Capricho Arabe became popular enough to be arranged for military band and orchestra. The crux of the discussion was that the technique of a player can only become total in development if the complete technique in its basic form is continually revised on an ongoing basis. In other words a player may never rise above the need to begin at the 'first position' exercise and continue in developmental sequence no matter to what heights he may ultimately rise. The technical fluency Adele Kramer had which as students we all took for granted was on reflection exceptional but knowing no other we failed to fully appreciate that the exceptional was being demonstrated.

During the 80 years from the death of Francisco Tarrega in 1909 to the death of Adele Kramer in 1989, the guitar has found a lasting place in music. It now remains incumbent upon the present generation of players to see that the next 80 years are equally fruitful, which for a pioneer such as Adele Kramer, is surely a satisfactory lifetime's reward.

Harold Dench

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I studied the guitar with Madame Kramer at the Guildhall in the mid-50s. At this time interest in the guitar was not as widespread as it is today; consequently there were few qualified teachers of caliber. As far as I know Madame Kramer was the only teacher who had a solid musical background. She was also a solo performer of considerable merit in her younger days, before the War.

She had a clearly worked out system for teaching technique. Even though some of her ideas are no longer fashionable, I think many of them are still valid today.

Pieces were studied in depth from the perspective of fingering. Interpretation phrasing and such matters as general musicianship were rarely if ever discussed Her students were given hardly any autonomy the normal procedure during lessons was for her to play along with the student. As a result a false sense of security was engendered which became badly unstuck during public performance. Her pupils' concerts demonstrated this shortcoming very clearly. I don't think I ever remember anyone playing really well at these rattler dreary occasions. Even the star pupil's performance reserved for the end of the concert was distinguished only by its length and technical difficulty; never its musicality. The prize at the end was however worth waiting for: we were all offered a damned good meal at the Doris Restaurant after the concert.

In spite of these shortcomings Madame Kramer's pupils' concerts did have a sense of occasion. The gathering was as much a social event as a musical one and many friendships were formed. We all regarded ourselves as pioneers, and this sense of breaking new ground on a rarely played instrument meant that we were less critical of the musical results than we might otherwise have been.

Madame Kramer was the best person available at the time and she made a valuable contribution in establishing the guitar as a serious instrument. I still adopt many of her technical ideas, which are as valid today as they were formerly.

Oliver Hunt
London College of Music

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I spent six years studying with Madame Adele Kramer. I started at the age of ten and I'll never forget arriving for one of my first lessons to find Madame Kramer vacuum-cleaning an obese shorthaired cat! I had never seen a cat of such immense proportions. Looking back I am not sure if this was eccentric behavior or Madame's way of putting a child at ease....

Adele Kramer always taught with a passion that was both inspiring and awesome. I remember feeling such a sense of trepidation when I hadn't practiced my scales or the week's set piece enough. Her anger could be fierce and would leave my eyes smarting. On the other hand, she was always ready to give praise where it was due and there were some rare occasions when I basked in her approval. My only regret is that I never really heard her perform.

Dana Grant

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