Miguel Yuste

Orphaned at the age of eight, he was transferred to Madrid where he entered the Asilo de San Bernardino; there he began his musical studies under the tutelage of clarinetist José Chacón and continued them at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Declamation, which he entered in 1883. He attended solfeggio, harmony and clarinet classes taught by Antonio Llanos, Clemente Santamarina and Manuel González respectively, obtaining first prize unanimously in the last two in 1889. When he was only fifteen years old he joined the Band of the Royal Corps of Alabarderos, to which he belonged at least until 1910, serving at the same time for ten years as assistant director of the same and participating in almost all the competitive examinations that were held in that group. Around this time he was admitted by competitive examination to the Band of the Opera de los Jardines del Buen Retiro, with which he collaborated until 1887. He was a member of the Sociedad de Conciertos de Madrid from 1890 as clarinet soloist until its dissolution in 1903; on December 1, 1899 a Royal Order named him second clarinet of the Royal Chapel, a position he held until January 15, 1910, when he became first clarinet until his retirement in 1943. 

Founding member of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (together with Hierro, Francés, Camero and González) and soloist of the same since its creation for almost nine years, he also took an active part in the Banda Municipal de Madrid since its foundation (May 14, 1909) as clarinet soloist and assistant conductor until 1931, when he left his position at his own request; He was a member of the various competitive examinations, in which his own compositions -such as the Solo de concurso for bassoon and piano, opus 34 or the Solo de concurso, for clarinet and piano, opus 39- were part of the obligatory repertoire of these examinations. 

At the Royal Conservatory of Music and Declamation he substituted for the clarinet class taught by his teacher Manuel González from 1901 until 1909, when he occupied his position as interim professor (Royal Order of 5.I.1909); the following year and after passing the relevant competition, a Royal Order of August 2, 1910 appointed him full professor; his teaching duties lasted until his retirement in 1940. He trained several generations of clarinettists who occupied the best positions as soloists in the different ensembles of the time, among whom the virtuoso Julián Menéndez stands out.

His compositional activity is focused, above all, on pedagogy: he wrote, in addition to the many works designed to be performed in competitive examinations by different instruments (clarinet, trumpet, saxophone or euphonium), two methods among which the one entitled Solfeos concertantes, opus 51, published twice due to its great acceptance, stands out.

As a performer, he was the first clarinetist to introduce to the Madrid public works from the European chamber music repertoire, such as the Quintet for clarinet and strings in B m, opus 115, by Johannes Brahms, the Septimino for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, violoncello and double bass, opus 20, by Beethoven, or the Sonata in F minor for clarinet and piano, opus 120, number 1, by J. Brahms, performed in collaboration with the pianist José Tragó, in collaboration with the pianist José Tragó. Brahms, performed in collaboration with the pianist José Tragó.