ETUDE
May 1942
volume LX
number 5
page 351-352

Guitar Recordings and Flamenco

By George C. Krick

WE HAVE OFTEN WONDERED if all guitar students are sufficiently wide awake to take advantage of the many recordings of guitar music now available. A number of recent inquiries regarding this subject leads us to believe that guitarists are more and more beginning to realize that in their efforts to master their chosen instrument the study of recordings by recognized artists should play a most important part, as this helps them materially to perfect their technic and develop the ability to present the better type of guitar music in a musicianly manner. To get the full benefit, a record should be played slowly at first in order to listen to the quality of tone produced. Note carefully the phrasing and expression, clearness of tone in rapid scale passages and sonority in full chord progressions. It this is done patiently and persistently, a student will soon notice great improvement in his own performance. It is an indisputable fact that the guitar reproduces beautifully and the growth in the number of guitar recordings in the past few years is quite remarkable. Among the Victor Red Seal records we find these made by Andres Segovia; “Fandanguillo and Preludio” by Torroba; Tremolo Study and Etude in A major by Tarrega; “Theme Varie” Mozart-Sor; Canzonetta by Mendelssohn-Tarrega; Vivo and Energico by Castelnuovo-Tedesco; Mazurka and Valse by Ponce, Fandanguillo by Turina; Gavotte, Prelude, Fugue and Courante by Bach. All of these were recorded by that incomparable artist, Segovia. Julio Martinez Oyanguren has recently signed a contract with the Victor Company and so far has recorded the Grande Overture Op. 61 by Giuliani and his own “Flamenco Suite.”

In the Columbia catalog we note more than two dozen recordings by Oyanguren, and these include compositions of great variety. Among them, the “Grand Sonata” by Ferdinand Sor deserves special mention, as this is one of the greatest compositions for guitar, and the recording shows Oyanguren at his best. Other interesting items by the same artist are Capricho Arabe and several preludes by Tarrega; Elegie by Massenet; Serenade by Schubert; Gavotte by Rameau; “Sonata in A major” by Cimarosa; Waltz in A major Op. 15 by Brahms; Allegro and Rondo by Aguado; and a number of shorter pieces by Spanish composers.

The Decca catalog offers Oyanguren recordings in Album A-118 Standard Guitar Selections and Albums A 174 – A 186, both containing Latin American Folk music.

Virtuoso Recordings

Of special interest are seven double face records to be found in the Decca classical section. Miguel Llobet is here represented with a Bach, Sarabande; Canciones Mexicanos by Ponce, Estudio and Andantino by Sor, Etude brilliante by Coste and “Three Guitar Duets” played by Miguel Llobet and Maria Luisa Anido. There are also listed several recordings by the Viennese guitar virtuoso, Luise Walker; Schubert’s Serenade and a Minuet by Weber, also Minuet and Allegretto from Boccherini’s “Quintet No. 3” by Luise Walker with String Quartet. Another record in this list is by the guitarist, Miguel Borul, Danza Gitana and “Variaciones por Granadinas,” also one containing Mazurka and El Vito by Regino Sainz de la Maza.

The “Spanish Guitar Center,” of New York City, offers ten double face records by Guillermo Gomez and six by Francisco Salinas, most of which consist of compositions by Spanish and South American writers. One of the most interesting personalities in the guitar world is Vicente Gomez. As composer and performer of the music in the motion picture “Blood and Sand” he has become famous throughout the English speaking countries and since he is still in his late twenties a most successful career seems assured to this unique artist. His remarkable technic and sound musicianship enable him to present in recital the best of the classical guitar literature and in addition he has become known as the outstanding performer of “flamenco.” During the present season Gomez has joined the celebrated dance team, Veloz and Yolanda, and the group has been booked for a concert tour with appearances in the leading cities of the United States and Canada. Aside from the classical and flamenco selections Gomez also performs dance compositions of his own creation for the dance numbers. The recordings which he has made for the Decca Company display his wonderful skill, and they should be in the record library of every guitar enthusiast. The three albums A-17, A-60, and A-117 are devoted to his own compositions and music from other Spanish composers. Album A-265 contains selections from “Blood and Sand,” played by the Gomez Quintet with vocal choruses.

Carlos Montoya is another flamenco artist and his recordings are to be found in Album A-197.

“Flamenco”

“You cannot play guitar à la flamenco unless you have it and feel it inside,” said Vicente Gomez to the writer during a recent conversation. It dates back as far as the sixteenth century and ever since has been the means of expressing the folk music with its complicated and exciting rhythms of Andalusia and other southern provinces of Spain. To hear one of the modern flamenco players and see him in action, he seems to have a dozen fingers on his right hand. The strumming of full chords with the thumb downward and upward with first or second finger, the use of all the fingers with a back-hand stroke, drumming on the strings near the bridge, varied by the most rapid scale passages, gives one the impression of a full orchestra.

No Written System

Very little music of this type is written down, and players have developed their technic only by listening to others. So the tradition has been carried on from one generation to another. In Sevilla, which might be called the home of flamenco, one hears the sevillianas, tarantas, tientos, alegrias, burlerias, peteneras, fandanguillos and also the tangos and guajiras played à la flamenco. These are the dances and songs played by the gypsies and humble folks as well as by the greater artists. During the last century Patino and Poco el de Lucena were recognized as the outstanding flamenco exponents. Among the modern artists, Vicente Gomez, Carlos Montoya, Mathilde Cuerras and Nino Sabicas deserve special mention.

Even now it is impossible to find a published “Method” or other technical exercises showing the right hand system used by flamenco players; one artist claims that because of its many intricate strokes and various complicated rhythms, flamenco cannot be reduced to musical notation, and can only be learned by listening and being shown in person. However, several of the published solos by Vicente Gomez contain some flamenco passages with explanatory text, and the recordings already mentioned give one a clue to this fascinating style of playing. Perhaps the day will come when one of the talented players will find a way to make it possible for students to acquire at least a fundamental knowledge of this interesting phase of guitar technic.