Montseguitarsessions

Duel, by Joan Guinjoan.

It is not easy to express my feelings about so-called Contemporary Music. Oddly enough, it produces quite different feelings when played or when listened to as a member of the public. Just when I had almost finished my studies, I started going to a bar which was right at the centre of hip Barcelona, called Nick Havanna , where every week there was a contemporary music concert. We went there for the sake of being the most modern. Or perhaps, because what I wanted was to play there at any price. In any case, the result is that we heard a lot of contemporary music, to the point where I think we got to be able to know which musicians were interesting, and which were not. It’s very easy. Music, if it is good, always conquests you. In the words of Monique Deschaussés, “Music goes to the ear through sounds that impress man in the depths of their sensitivity, even reaching their nerve centres.” Clearly, I prefer to play Contemporary Music than to listen it. I enjoy it more, because before playing it, it is necessary to interiorise it. It gives a sense of freedom. It reaches my inside by a new path, which has nothing to do with logic, because one never knows what will follow. It always surprises me.

Duel. Guitar duo by Joan Guinjoan (1976)

Here you can listen to the final part of a guitar duet called “Duel”. Somehow, it represents a “clash” between two guitars. I like it a lot, I have such a good time when playing it. While it may seem that we are improvising, everything is written in the score, which is quite different from a conventional one. My partner in this performance was the outstanding guitarist María José Santos.

The composer is Joan Guinjoan, in my opinion, the foremost Spanish musician at present. We were lucky to play this piece for him, in a concert devoted to his works at the Conservatori de Barcelona. While this guitar duo was active, some three years, we played in a wide variety of places in Spain, always including Duel in the repertoire. After every concert, the most frequent comment was “a good recital, except for that really weird piece before the interval…” What do you think about?

The guitar as it was understood by Tarrega

At the end of 19th century, the guitar was a little-respected instrument. At that time, the city of Barcelona was living an important cultural momentum, which is world-reconissed by its characteristic Art-Nouveau architecture.

It was in this moment that the figure of Francisco Tàrrega ( Vila-Real 1852, Barcelona 1909) appeared, arriving in Barcelona in 1886. His first teacher was a blind street musician called “El cego de la Marina”. Tàrrega himself had problems with his vision. But it seems that his main point of reference was Mr. Arcas, a follower of the teachings that, sixty years prior, were established by Dionisio Aguado.

Soon, Tárrega began to write his own pieces, which he performed himself for a small group of friends and guitar lovers. These were intimate concerts , played in private homes, in which the success lay in the pleasure of those who listened. He died before publishing a method with the principles of his school.

Thoughout his life, Tàrrega played concerts in several music halls, but it was in the intimate sessions were his guitar “laughed and cried”, as the renowed violinist Joan Manen exclaimed.

Today, around the guitar world, public and performers prefer a quick performance rather than a sensitive one. I think that, unfortunately, for most of them, technical questions are more important than musical aspects. Perhaps this does not only occur in the guitar, but in all classical music. But I am sure that it is particularly serious with the guitar. Furthermore, I think that a woman always has a particular way to express her feelings, including when she plays her guitar.

Although the times we are living in do not seem suitable for warm and intimate music, I’m sure that there is still a place for it. For all these reasons, I prefer to play in small meetings, as Tàrrega did, at his own home. Those are suitable conditions to listen to the fine music of the guitar.