Gaspar Sanz

Master of the Spanish Baroque Guitar

By Jhon Patykula
John Patykula is the Assistant Chair and head of the Guitar Program in the
Department of Music at Virginia Commonwealth University" and can be reached at
jtpatyku@vcu.edu

THE BAROQUE GUITAR BEFORE GASPAR SANZ

Beginning in the late sixteenth century and into the eighteenth
century, the appeal of the five-course Baroque guitar to the general
public was due to several factors. The lute, which had reached its
height of virtuosity through the music of geniuses like John
Dowland (1563-1626) of England and Denis Gaultier (c.1603-1672)
of France, posed many problems for the amateur and beginning
student. The complexity of the music of the lute was enough to
make a beginning student shy away from the instrument. The French
lutenists, in particular, used so much ornamentation that just to read
the music became a great challenge. Adding to the problem was the
tendency of the lutenists to use extra strings; some of John
Dowland's music, for example, was written for a seven-course lute
with three additional basses. In addition, the prohibitive cost of a
good lute with the necessary strings (which often needed replacing),
frets, and pegs drove one critic to complain that in Paris it cost as
much to own a lute as it did to keep a horse.
The Baroque guitar of Spain offered simplicity. With limited
instruction, one could at least provide a simple accompaniment to a
popular song or dance of the day through the use of the rasqueado
("strumming") technique. Thus, the lute and the noble vihuela, a
Spanish plucked instrument of the sixteenth century, were discarded
for the more popular Baroque guitar. The lack of interest in the
vihuela prompted one writer from that time to bemoan its loss
"….now the guitar is no more than a cowbell, so easy to play,
especially rasqueado, there is not a stable lad who is not a musician
on the guitar." In short, the highbrow music of the lutenists and
vihuelists gave way to the popular songs and dances of the common
man.
During the years of the rise of the Baroque guitar, Dr. Juan Amat
published his important treatise Guitarra Español de cinco ordenes
(1596) ("Spanish Guitar of five courses") which became quite
popular and appeared in reprints until 1784. This was the first guitar
method and was written in response to the impatient Spanish guitar
students, "since their music teachers become exhausted with trying
to teach them this art of guitar-playing in the three days the pupils
demand." Dr. Amat's treatise provides the beginner with the basis
instruction on how to play the Baroque guitar rasqueado style. Amat
discusses such topics as tuning, the formation and the fingering of
chords, and how to accompany popular dances in any key. The
rasqueado style is presented in great detail in this treatise, thus
satisfying the demands of the public for the simple, popular
accompaniment.
Amat, an amateur musician, wrote his little treatise at the same time
that the Florentine Camerata was stressing the need for simplicity in
music. Based on their theories of ancient Greek drama and music,
the members of the Camerata did away with polyphony in favor of
monody. The amateur musicians who made up the Camerata needed
the genius of Claudio Monteverdi (1562-1643) to bring their
theories to the ideal manifestation. Amat's method, limited in scope,
provided the foundation for the work of a genius who was to appear
years later---Gaspar Sanz, one of the first Spanish guitar virtuosi.

GASPAR SANZ (1640-1710)

Gaspar Sanz has been called "the outstanding man of the guitar in
seventeenth century Spain." In spite of this praise, surprisingly little
is known about his life. What is known about this great artist and his
travels offers insights into his development as a guitarist and
composer.
Sanz was born in 1640 to a prosperous family in Calanda in the
province of Aragòn, a region of Spain that is known for its folk
dances. He attended the University of Salamanca where he studied
theology, philosophy, and music. He graduated with a Bachelor of
Theology degree and later became a Professor of Music there. Sanz
traveled to Italy where he studied organ and theory with G. C.
Carissimi and guitar with Lelio Colista. For several years, Sanz was
organist of the Spanish Viceroy in Naples, a city whose popular
dances would later inspire some of his guitar works. Just as the
popular music of Naples aroused the creativity of the Spaniard Sanz
for his guitar compositions, the popular music of Spain and, in
particular, the sound of the guitar would inspire the Neapolitan
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) for his harpsichord sonatas some
years later.
Sanz later traveled to Rome where he became acquainted with the
music of the great Italian guitarists Foscarini, Granata, and Corbetta,
whom he called "the best of all." (It is interesting to note that,
although Sanz thought highly of the Italian guitarists and learned
from them, it is his music that is played frequently today while the
Italians' guitar music is rarely heard.) It was probably from this
period that Sanz adopted the re-entrant tuning, which was used by
most of the Italian guitarists, and the alfabeto chord system, which
originated in Italy. Besides the new techniques learned by Sanz in
Italy, the popular music of Italy would exert considerable influence
on him as a composer.
Sanz returned to Spain and was appointed instructor of guitar to Don
Juan, the natural son of King Philip IV and Maria Calderon, a noted
actress of the day. It was for Don Juan that Sanz wrote his first book,
Instrucciòn de Mùsica sobre la Guitarra Española, first published in
1674 in Saragossa. A second book entitled Libro Segundo de cifras
sobre la guitarra española was printed in Caragoza in 1675. A third
book, Libro tercero de mùsica de cifras sobre la guitarra española,
was added to the first and second books, and all three were
published together under the title of the first book in 1697. It is his
masterpiece and, at the same time, his only known contribution to
the repertory of the guitar. Yet from these inspired pages, songs and
dances of three hundred years ago remain favorites with classical
guitarists and audiences alike.

THE MUSIC OF SANZ

Instrucciòn de Mùsica sobre la Guitarra Española by Gaspar Sanz is
a complete instruction book covering all the aspects pertaining to the
Baroque guitar. It provides the player with a wide selection of pieces
in both punteado ("plucked") style and rasqueado ("strummed")
style. This is not a book for the simple strumming of chords-it is a
serious contribution by a well-trained virtuoso who desires to impart
his knowledge and love of music and the Baroque guitar. Sanz's
book is for those who wish to excel in this art.
The majority of the pieces are dances in the punteado style. The
stately Pavanas and Galliardas are reminiscent of sixteenth century
Spanish court music and the aristocratic vihuelists. The Españoleta,
one of Spain's most beautiful melodies, is treated in variation form, a
form that the Spanish composers excelled in; this haunting melody
inspired many Baroque guitarists to compose their own versions.
The Canarios, perhaps the most popular of all of Sanz's works, is a
musical portrait of the lively, syncopated dance from the Canary
Islands. Other dances like the Villano or "village dance" and Jacaras,
inspired by the songs of the ox-cart drivers, offer attractive musical
snapshots of Spanish life of that time. Sanz projects a strong
nationalistic trait through these selections.
While the Spanish flavor dominates, Sanz's book also presents a
"cosmopolitan" view of musical life in the Baroque era. Baile de
Mantua, La Tarantela, and Saltaren are inspired by the music of
Italy, while La Minina de Portugal, Zarabanda francesa, and Jiga
inglesa musically represent other European countries. And while the
popular elements govern the majority of the selections, an
explanation of figured bass realization for the Baroque guitar raises
the level of musical sophistication of this book over the other
tablature books of the time. Sanz even includes a brief section on the
rules of fugal writing, demonstrating their use through an actual
sketch of a fugue composed specifically for the Baroque guitar.
These important aspects suggest that Sanz was writing for a more
musically advanced segment of the Baroque guitar population and,
perhaps, was encouraging further serious study of all the aspects of
the theory of music.

BAROQUE GUITAR TUNINGS

The tuning of the Baroque guitar in the music of Gaspar Sanz is
often viewed as unique, even surprising, to modern guitarists. In the
evolution of the guitar, it is worth noting how the tuning has
changed over the centuries and why the tuning of Sanz is so novel.
Starting with the sixteenth century vihuela, its tuning has much in common with the
modern guitar. The vihuela was an instrument of six double strings, or courses, and had
intervalic tuning identical to that of the modern guitar with the exception of the third
course, which was tuned to F sharp.
Example 1. Tuning for the Vihuela

One can easily understand why the music of the vihuelists such as
Luys Milan and Luys Narvaez is so easily transcribed for the
modern guitar.
At the close of the sixteenth century, Amat's treatise for the popular Baroque guitar appears
and shows a distinct change in tuning. The Baroque guitar has only five courses with the
third course now tuned to G and bourdons (octaves) on the fourth and fifth courses. The
sixth course is eliminated.
Example 2. Tuning of Amat's Baroque Guitar
The transmission of this popular style of tuning can be seen even today with the twelve-
string guitar, which is mostly used for song accompaniment. Notice the use of the bourdons
(octaves) on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth strings.
Example 3. Tuning of the Modern Twelve-String Guitar

Some seventy-five years after Amat's first publication, the

transformation in tuning continues with the music of Sanz and other
Baroque guitarists of his day. The Baroque guitar evolves into a
treble instrument with its peculiar re-entrant tuning.
Example 4. Re-entrant Tuning used by Sanz

Note how the fourth and fifth courses are no longer the basses they
once used to be. Instead they are now in the treble range. This
curious tuning was used by the Baroque guitarists to create the
campanellas effect, which was very popular in Italy. The
campanellas ("little bells") effect was created by using as many
open strings as possible. "The notes of the scale passages are
allowed to ring on, one note melting into the next in the manner of
harps or bells," creating a "charming confusion of tones."

THE ALFABETO SYSTEM

An interesting characteristic of Baroque guitar tablature, particularly in the music of Gaspar
Sanz, is the use of the alfabeto (or abecedario) chord system, which was a type of shorthand
notation used with the rasqueado style of playing. This system, which was devised by the
Italian guitarists, used capital letters to indicate the common chords. These letters, however,
had nothing to do with the particular harmony of the chords. For example, the letter "C"
indicated the D Major chord, while the letter "A" indicated the G Major chord.
Example 5. Excerpt of the Italian Alfabeto System
Example 6. Transcription of the above exerpt

In Amat's treatise, the chord system is presented in two ways.

Besides the alfabeto system, he uses numbers to indicate the various
chords. When using this number system, the letters "n" and "o" are
used to designate the major and minor chords respectively. This
suggests that the alfabeto system of the Italians was still new to the
Spanish guitarists and had not become the standard notation.
Sanz presents the alfabeto system in the same clear Italian style as
the above example. Absent are Amat's numbers. Both Amat and
Sanz provide engravings which show the correct placement of the
fingers on the guitar to form each chord. However, in Amat's treatise
there are no musical selections for use of these chords. Sanz, on the
other hand, provides several pieces for the guitarists, utilizing songs
of the day such as Españoleta and Canarios in the popular
rasqueado style. Several of the songs are also presented in punteado
("plucked") style, thus requiring the guitarist to play in both styles.
This is a sophisticated and creative approach to guitar playing made
enjoyable through the use of the popular songs and dances.

THE MUSIC OF GASPAR SANZ IN THE TWENTIETH

CENTURY
The music of the Spanish Baroque guitarists and the sixteenth
century vihuelists attracted the attention of the Spanish musicologist
Felipe Pedrell (1841-1922). Pedrell, a proponent of the Spanish
nationalistic movement, influenced composers like Isaac Albeniz
(1860-1909), Enrique Granados (1867-1916), and Manuel de Falla
(1876-1946) to write works inspired by the folk music and the great
musical heritage of Spain.
For the guitar, the work of Emilio Pujol (1886-1980) is especially
noteworthy. His numerous editions of the old masters, like Sanz,
transcribed for the modern guitar, have been popular for decades.
Pujol, who was regarded as an authority on vihuela and Baroque
guitar music, followed the principles for transcribing music
established in 1909 by the International Congress on Musicology in
Vienna. Through his scholarly and artistic work, the music of Sanz
has become a staple of the modern classical guitar repertory.
The music of Sanz inspired the great Spanish composer Joaquìn
Rodrigo (1901-1999) to create a unique work for the repertory of the
classical guitar. Rodrigo's Fantasìa para un Gentilhombre, composed
in 1954 for the Spanish virtuoso Andrès Segovia (1893-1987), is one
of the most popular and colorful works for guitar and orchestra. The
composer stated:
"I thought that the only thing worthy of Segovia would be to place
him together with another great guitarist and composer, born in the
XVII century, a gentleman in the court of Philip IV, Gaspar Sanz. I
consulted Segovia himself, who approved the plan, but not without
first warning me of the difficulties of its realization, saying that I
would have to work with themes which were very short. Right away,
Victoria, my wife, selected for me from the book of Gaspar Sanz a
short number of themes which we judged appropriate to form a sort
of suite-fantasia and which we very soon decided to call Fantasìa
para un Gentilhombre, playing thus on the names of these two
nobles of the guitar: Gaspar Sanz and Andrès Segovia, in his turn
Gentleman of the Guitar of our days.
"All of the thematic material, except for certain brief episodes in the
last movement, is derived, as is no small part of the harmonic
texture, from the work of Gaspar Sanz, who was employed by Philip
IV of Spain, and more especially by his son, John of Austria.
"Musical taste had greatly changed in the years that passed between
the reigns of Philip II and Philip IV. Unlike poetry, music had too
faithfully followed the pull of the people, and had been extensively
popularized. To the noble grace of pavanes and galliards there
succeeded the lighter style of marzipanos, villanos, españoletas,
canarios, and so on, which were more appropriate to the hurly- burly
of the popular theatre than the palace balls. The dances which
Gaspar Sanz wrote on these and other tunes…… faithfully reflect
these tastes and manners, and are, for the most part, short, simple
and light."

Through the creative energies of Rodrigo, the music of Sanz was

reborn and clothed in modern harmonies. The Fantasìa para un
Gentilhombre is one of those rare works which has helped to secure
the place of the classical guitar in the concerto repertory of most
orchestras.

CONCLUSION
Throughout the history of the guitar, four important Spanish masters
have emerged who, through their artistry and work, have propelled
the guitar's existence and popularity to the present day. The earliest
maestro was Gaspar Sanz, who was followed much later by
Fernando Sor (1780-1839), Francisco Tàrrega (1852-1909), and, in
modern times, Andrès Segovia. Segovia's legacy also included
inspiring important composers to write works for the classical guitar,
as well as teaching the next generation of performers. One such
disciple of Segovia was the Mexican guitarist Jesùs Silva (1914-
1996) who was world-renowned as a performer and, perhaps more
importantly, as a teacher. Silva often included works by Sanz in his
recitals. Silva's thoughts about Sanz form a fitting tribute to this
great historical figure in the history of the guitar:
"It was a fortunate happening that the great Spanish guitarist and
composer Gaspar Sanz -from Aragòn-was employed by Philip IV of
Spain and became guitar teacher of Philip's son, Prince John of
Austria. This was after Sanz came back from Italy, where he studied
under the famous Roman organist G.C. Carissimi and other great
Italian musicians and guitarists.
"It is possible that Gaspar Sanz, when being the musician of Philip
IV, was inspired to write his Instrucciòn Musical Sobre la Guitarra
Españolain which he dedicated to his illustrious disciple. The work
contains important theories and, especially, a good collection of
dances of Sanz's time.
"As it is well known, the Spanish composer Joaquìn Rodrigo used
some of those dances in his tasìa Para un Gentilhombre (Fantasy for
a Gentleman) dedicated to Andrès Segovia, the Gentleman, who
played it very beautifully. Rodrigo himself said: 'The Fantasy retains
the spirit of the 17th Century Spanish atmosphere evoked by the
themes of the Spanish Baroque guitarist Gaspar Sanz."
"Sanz was a magnificent composer. He knew well the art and
science of composition. His music is beautiful, and in it one can feel
the nobility of his spirit.
"Surely Rodrigo knew that Sanz was another "Gentilhombre."
Perhaps Sanz's ecclesiastical studies at the University of Salamanca,
where he he also studied Music, contributed to the nobility of his
spirit and his music."

SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE

Books
Amat, Juan Carlos. Guitarra Española. Gerona: Joseph Bro, circa 1761. Facsimile reprint,
Monaco: Editions Chanterelle S.A., 1980, 56pp.
Bukovzer, Manfred F. Music of the Baroque. New York and London: W.W. Norton and
Co., 1947. 489pp.
Chase, Gilbert. The Music of Spain. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1959 (second
edition). 383pp.
Hamilton, Mary Neal. Music in Eighteenth Century Spain. Urbanna: The University of
Illinois at Urbanna, 1937. 283pp.
Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2nd edition., Willi Apel, editor. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1972. 935pp.
Larousse Encyclopedia of Music, The. Geoffrey Hindley, editor. New York: Crescent
Books, 1987. 576pp.
Livermore, Anne. A Short History of Spanish Music. New York: Vienna House, 1972.
262pp.
Turnbull, Harvey. The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present Day. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1974. 168pp.
Tyler, James. The Early Guitar. London: Oxford University Press, 1980. 176pp.
Wade, Graham. Traditions of the Classical Guitar. London: John Calder, 1980. 270pp.

Articles
Jenson, Richard and Rowe, Don. "Baroque Guitar for the Modern Performer," in Guitar
Review. Vladimir Bobri, editor. Vol. 49 (Fall 1981), pp. 22-25.

Jacket Notes
Jacket notes from Ponce: Concierto del Sur. Rodrigo: Fantasìa Para Un Gentilhombre.
Andrès Segovia, guitar. (Decca Records DL 10027).

Music
Calvi, Carlo. Intavolatura Di Chitarra E Chitarriglia. Bologna: Giacomo Monti, 1646.
Facsimile reprint, Firenze: Studio Per Edizione Scelte, 1980. 33pp.
Noad, Frederick. The Baroque Guitar. New York, London, and Sydney: Amsco
Publications, 1974. 127pp.
Pujol, Emilio. Hispanae Citharae Ars Viva. Mainz, London, New York and Tokyo: Schott,
1956. 16pp.
Sanz, Gaspar. Instrucciòn De Mùsica Sobre La Guitarra Española. Zaragoza: Los
Herederos de Diego Dormer, 1697. Reprint facsimile, Geneva: Minkoff Reprint, 1976.
Sanz, Gaspar. Collection. Transcribed by Alexander Bellow. New York: Franco Columbo,
Inc., 1967. 10pp.

Other
Silva, Jesùs. Personal letter to John Patykula. 1990.
@ 2001 Sherry-Brener Ltd. All Rights Reserved.