Classical Guitar History & Literature

1. Classical Guitar History & Literature SOAR Dr. Douglas Rubio

2. Session No. 1 • The Renaissance • The Baroque, Part 1

3. The Vihuela(da mano) • 1536-1576 • Guitar-shaped • Flat back • Straight neck

4. The Lute • Pear-shaped • Curved back • Tilted tuning peg box

5. Luis de MilánFantasía XVI • 1536 • Improvisatory

6. Luis de NarváezFantasía XIII • 1538 • Much more imitative counterpoint than early fantasías

7. Luis de NarváezGuárdamelasvacas • 1538 • The very first published set of variations • Uses the romanesca bass line

8. John Dowland 1563-1626

9. John DowlandThe Earl of Essex’s Galliard • Lively dance in ¾ • Form: A A’ B B’ C C’ • Uses “divisions” in the repeated sections

10. John DowlandCan She Excuse • Lute song

11. John DowlandGoe from My Window • Based on a ballad tune • Variation form • A A1 A2 A3 etc.

12. The Baroque Guitar Flourished 1670 to 1700

17. Robert de ViséeSuite in A Major: Allemande • Slow dance in 4 • Remnants of the strummed style of playing • Binary form (AABB)

18. Robert de ViséeSuite in A Major: Courante • Faster dance in 3 (and sometimes 2)

19. Robert de ViséeSuite in A Major: Sarabande • Slow dance in 3 • Emphasizes the second beat

20. The “Lute” Music of Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

21. J.S. BachLute Suite No. 1 in E Minor:Prelude • Quasi French overture style • Begins with “passaggio” melody lines • Chordal section with dotted rhythms • Imitative fugal section

22. Session No. 2 • The Baroque, Part 2 • The Classical Period

23. J.S. BachLute Suite No. 4 in E Major:Prelude • Originally for unaccompanied violin • This theme was also used in a cantata

24. J.S. BachLute Suite No. 3:Gavotte; Gavotte en rondeau • Upbeat dance in 2 • The first gavotte is followed by another gavotte with more flowing melodic lines, followed by a return of the first gavotte. • Bach’s own arrangement of his Cello Suite No. 5 • Bach adds chords and bass notes that the cello—a primarily single-line instrument—can’t play.

25. J.S. BachPrelude, Fugue, & Allegro:II. Fugue • Starts with a section that has a series of imitative entries of melody lines (called the “subject”) • These are followed by sections with no complete subject entries at all. • Very unusual da capo fugue • ABA form

26. J.S. BachPrelude, Fugue, & Allegro:III. Allegro • Binary form (AABB) • Fast “motor” rhythms

27. The Guitar in the Classical Period c. 1780-1830

28. Changes to the instrument • Single strings instead of courses • Added a 6th string • No more re-entrant tuning • Bigger body • Still smaller than a modern guitar

29. Fernando Sor (1778-1839)Introduction and Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 9 • Typical slow introduction • A theme from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, presented in binary form (AABB) • A series of variations on that theme • One is typically contrasting, in this case slow and in a minor key • Ending coda

30. Fernando SorSonata in C Major, Op. 15 bis • In sonata form • Exposition (statement of themes) • Development • Takes material from the themes and plays with it • Harmonically unstable; many key changes • Recapitulation • Restatement of the original themes in the home key

31. Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)Grand Overture, Op. 61 • In sonata form • Slow introduction • Exposition • Themes presented in A major, and then E major • Development • C major, D minor, E major • Includes new material • Recapitulation

32. Session No. 3 • Spain • Latin America

33. Spanish Guitar Music in the Late-19th and 20th Centuries Antonio Torres guitar from 1890 With Torres, the size and shape of the classical guitar becomes standardized for most of the 20th century and beyond.

34. Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)Capricho Árabe • Starts with a slow, improvisatory introduction featuring scales that sound quite middle-eastern. • Then the “singer” comes in with a beautiful melody in minor accompanied by the guitar. • As is typical in Spanish music, there is a contrasting section in the middle, in this case in a major key.

35. Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)Sevilla • Originally a piano piece • Typical ABA form • First section is the “dance” part of Spanish folk music • Contrasting copla middle section full of pathos and cante jondo • Return of the dance

36. Federico Moreno Tórroba (1891-1982)Sonatina: I. Allegretto • Known for his zarzuelas • Wrote a lot of guitar music for Andrés Segovia • Mostly miniatures • Conservative in his musical vocabulary

37. Joaquín Turina(1882-1949)Soleares • Wrote for Andrés Segovia • More influenced by flamenco guitar playing than the other composers who wrote for Segovia • A soleares is a type of flamenco piece, but the tempo and strict rhythmic pattern don’t fit Turina’s piece.

38. Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio • NOT written for Andrés Segovia • The opening theme (with guitar and English horn) has been used by many other musicians, including Miles Davis and Chick Corea. • Also prominently used in television commercials for the Chrysler Cordoba, with its “soft Corinthian leather” • Written after his wife’s miscarriage • Musically takes us from profound sadness, to anger, to acceptance

39. Latin American Guitar Music in the 20th Century • Heitor Villa-Lobos • Agustín Barrios • Léo Brouwer

40. Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)Etude No. 11 in E Minor • One of 12 etudes written in the 1920s • Slow introduction • Fast section sliding only two fingers up and down the 4th and 5th strings • “Tremolo” section moving octaves against open strings • Return of the “two-fingered” section • Return of the slow introduction

41. Heitor Villa-LobosPrelude No. 1 in E Minor • One of five preludes written in 1940 • Subtitled “Homage to the Brazilian Country Dweller” • Begins with singing melody in the cello range • A fast, dance-like middle section • A section made up of one big major chord “planed” around to different positions • Return of the “cello” melody

42. Agustín Barrios (1885-1944) “Chief Nitsuga Mangoré, the Paganini of the guitar from the jungles of Paraguay”

43. Agustín Barrios Concert guitarist

44. Agustín Barrios (1885-1944)Cueca • One of his pieces inspired by Latin American folklore • A Chilean folk dance • One section is played with only tamboura in the right hand

45. Agustín BarriosLa catedral • Inspired by 19th-century European music and by the music of J.S. Bach • Allegedly inspired by a religious experience of walking into a Catholic cathedral • Three movements • I. Preludio • II. Andante religioso • III. Allegro solemne

46. Léo Brouwer (b. 1939)Drume negrita • Translated as “Sleep little black girl” • Known also as Afro-Cuban Lullabye • An arrangement of a Cuban popular song • A very free arrangement with added material, altered melodies, and reharmonized chords • From his early period when he was most inspired by Latin American popular and folks music

47. Léo BrouwerThe Eternal Spiral (1971) • Written after attending an avant-garde music festival in Poland • Section 1: Dense “tone clusters” arpeggiated very quickly in “cells” that last for an indeterminate length of time • Section 2: More tone clusters punctuated by individual notes; ends with indeterminate pitch notated with squiggles • Section 3: Tapping on the fingerboard with both hands • Section 4: Improvising on three notes with occasional other notes interspersed • Section 5: Fast arpeggios, ending with fast tone clusters again as in the opening

48. Léo BrouwerThe Black Decameron (1981): II. The Flight of the Lovers through the Valley of the Echoes • Based on African folk-tales by German ethnologist Leo Frobenius • Starts with a four-note figure (“the call”) heard throughout • Three arpeggiated chords represent “the prophecy” • The first gallop of the lovers • “The call” again • The lovers call each other in imitation • Through the valley of the echoes • Final arpeggiated chords

49. The 20th Century elsewhere in Europe and America

50. Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)Nocturnal (after John Dowland), Op. 70 (1963) • Written for British guitarist Julian Bream • Based on John Dowland’s lute song, “Come Heavy Sleep” • Not a theme and variations, but a variations and theme • One of several Britten works from this period that deals with sleep