ETUDE
September 1939
volume LVII
number 9
page 610

The Guitar and Modern Music

By George C. Krick

NOT LONG AGO the writer received a letter from a former pupil, now residing in a large western city, describing an interview he had with a guitar teacher, on whom he called in order to resume his studies. After telling him of his two years work with the guitar, using the “methods” of Carcassi and Foden, and supplementing them with etudes by Giuliani, Sor and Tarrega, the teacher turned, picked up a wire strung plectrum guitar, strummed a few chords with a pick, and then made the statement: “This is the modern way of playing the guitar, yours is old fashioned and out of date and most present day guitarists use this plectrum method.” Needless to say that teacher did not get a new pupil.

To this young student the plectrum guitar was not a novelty, he had heard this instrument in the hands of many clever players, but he had also heard Segovia, Oyanguren, Gomez, Foden and others play the guitar in the way it was intended to be played; and his discriminating musical sense convinced him that he was traveling on the right road.

Any one stating that the classic guitar is “old fashioned” or “out of date,” thereby admits his lack of knowledge of the history and literature of the instrument. How ridiculous it would sound if we should apply those terms to the violin, because the finest instruments were made during the time of Stradivarius, and present day violinists still play the works of Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and of other composers living several hundred years ago.

Let us for a moment go back to the early keyboard instruments, the forerunners of the modern grand piano. Here we find the harpsichord, spinet, virginal and clavichord, which have virtually disappeared from the concert platform, although the harpsichord is staging somewhat of a comeback. The present day piano is the result of changes and improvements in the former keyboard instruments, until today it is considered the perfect instrument for the artist.

While the history of the guitar dates back hundreds of years, and while there have been periods during which its popularity was on the wane, it always has reappeared on the musical scene, and through its beautiful tone quality it continues to capture the hearts of listeners and to attract the attention of thousands of talented students.

The instrument itself has retained its shape and size, and the method of stringing it with three gut and three silk wound strings. Through the careful selection of wood, and different bracings of top and back, the tone quality and carrying power have been improved by some of the prominent guitar makers, but it is still the same guitar, beloved by Schubert, Beethoven and Paganini. It has been adopted by many great artists of the past and present as the means of musical expression and of providing pleasure to those millions of amateur players of the instrument during several centuries.

Doubtful Claims

THE CLAIM that the plectrum guitar is an improvement or a modern version of the classic guitar is not based on facts; it should be called the noisy brother to that romantic, aristocratic and highly cultured member of the guitar family. It was invented to compete with the trumpet and saxophone in the dance band, where it is primarily used to strum chords as a rhythmic background for the melody instruments. It is true that the shape is the same and it has six strings tuned in a like manner However, the strings are made of steel wire and played with a heavy plectrum, in order to get quantity of tone. The difference in tone quality is so pronounced in favor of the classic guitar that there is hardly a division of opinion amongst those who have made a thorough study of both instruments.

Another claim frequently made is that the plectrum guitar is better fitted to play popular music and for that reason the younger element prefers it. It is the writer’s opinion that the main reason for the consistent popularity of the classic guitar is its versatility. When played by even a mediocre performer it will adapt itself to the playing of simple popular melodies; it will provide a satisfactory accompaniment to songs; or will take its part in the performance of chamber music. The alluring tone of its gut and silk strings blends beautifully with that of the flute, violin, violoncello or mandolin. In the hands of an artist the guitar becomes an instrument of the highest order, and its artistic possibilities are unlimited. Listening to a sonata by Ferdinand Sor, or pieces by Coste, Giuliani, Legnani, and Mertz, one is astonished at the many beautiful effects possible on this instrument seemingly limited in scope. When one hears the works by Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Chopin and Scarlatti, one begins to wonder how these things are possible on an instrument with six strings. But, looking over the literature for guitar by modern writers, we are reminded that the classic guitar is to-day more alive than ever and able to hold its own against all comers. Since the advent of Segovia, many of the present day composers have given us a number of beautiful works especially written for guitar, of which mention is made of a few of the prominent ones: Moreno F. Torroba – A Sonatine and eight other pieces, Manuel M. Ponce – Three sonatas and about twenty smaller numbers; Joan Manen – Several pieces, including Tansman Mazurka; Joaquin Turina – One Sonatina, three shorter numbers; and many more.

Since all of this music is the product of living composers and written in the modern vein, we must admit that the classic guitar and the method of playing it are not “old fashioned” but very much up to date, and it probably always will remain so.

G. Jean Aubrey, the distinguished French critic, had this to say of the guitar, after a Segovia recital: “The principal merit of the guitar is to be at the same time sonorous and not noisy, and even in a large hall its sound carries everywhere. Because of the variety of tone possible on the guitar, people can listen to it for a longer time than to almost any other instrument played alone. It is an instrument of the present, which succeeds in preserving the sonority belonging to ancient works, without, however, erecting a barrier of several centuries between the listener and the music.”