History of the Romantic Guitar

William Shakespeare once famously said; "If music be the food of love, -play on!"

Romantic Guitar playing has indeed played on, and also moved on significantly from what it used to be, with modern love songs being the anticipated choice of the guitar player and audience alike. 

How ironic this is, that should today's guitarist play anything from the actual 'romantic era,' s/he would be considered by the listeners to be a 'classical' or 'traditional' guitarist, rather than 'romantic'.  - A notion that would probably not go down well with the founding artists from former generations!

Today, Romantic Guitar can be typically demonstrated by a guitarist at a wedding reception or in a restaurant, playing hits by Westlife and Lionel Richie.  However, the 'Early Romantic Guitar Period', encompasses a style and a time period of playing guitar that was quite different in its application, even if the basic concept was the same!

This 'Early Romantic Guitar' era began at the adoption of the 6-string single-course guitar around 1785 and ended around the time of Tarrega, roughly 1870.

Since the term "classical guitar" is so widely used for so many time periods, the term "Early Romantic" guitar is coming into vogue to describe this era, which is actually Late Classical and Early Romantic.

The late Classical and Early Romantic era was the guitar's "Golden Age".  Composers such as Sor and Giuliani were prominent, and hordes of guitarists took up the guitar, which enjoyed immense popularity especially in Paris and Vienna.

This era was a transitional era between the "Classical" period and the "Romantic" period. One can see the increasing Romanticism in guitar music evolve over time, even in the music of a single composer, for example Fernando Sor's early versus later works.

"Classical Guitar" would most accurately describe the early part, but "Classical Guitar" has many inescapable connotations, having become a generic term which separates the written compositional approach from "Pop" music, encompassing everything from Renaissance to Modern guitar.

"Romantic" is not entirely accurate either, given the Classical elements of early 19th century composers. The term "Early Romantic Guitar" is therefore coming into use by many experts and professionals in this style, to describe this time period, even if it is not entirely accurate.

On a technical note (excuse the pun!), the instruments of the day were much smaller, lighter, and easier to play. The tone was largely treble-dominated, with good balance across bass, mid and treble, more crisp and piercing, with a rapid response attack compared to today's large bass-heavy, mellow sustain guitars.

Aguado v. Sor

The technique of 'Aguado' is nearly identical to today's classical guitar technique, while Sor's technique seems to be borrowed more from the lute. Aguado from the Baroque Guitar tradition, and Sor from the Lute tradition.

The strummed baroque guitar requires the right hand to be free, while the lute required the pinkie to be anchored to the top. Nearly every technique today, namely i-m-a alternation, straight wrist playing, rasguado, rest stroke, nails or not, can be found dating back several centuries even before the 6-string guitar. Such techniques varied considerably by performer, country, time period, and style.

The lesson for today's performers who try to emulate "period" performance technique, is that "period" technique varied so much, that practically any technique in existence today has some historical basis, and it is best not to be militant about it. Technique is a tool to achieve a particular musical effect, not an end unto itself.

Baroque Lutenist Adam Falckenhagen.  'Pinkie with soundboard.'

Dionisio Aguado
With Tripodison

The earliest 19th century guitarists used lute and baroque guitar technique. After all, the early guitar was simply a baroque guitar with an extra 6th string and single courses. Lute and baroque guitar players who play gut-strung romantic guitar today, using lute or baroque guitar technique, may come closest to approximating the original technique. One habit adopted from the lute was that of resting the pinkie on the soundboard.

Most early 19th century guitars show considerable wear on the top where the finger rested. Many instruments have an oval-shaped finger rest on the top. Sor played lute-like, with no nails, and he forbids the use of the a (third anular) finger of the right hand for the melody, using only p,i,m.

The a finger is used only for chords. The strings on the early flush-fingerboard guitars were extremely low to the top which faciliated the lute style of playing. Modern classical guitarists who play early 19th century guitars with flush fingerboards often find they must be careful not to scratch the top of the guitar with their nails because the strings are so low to the table. Later guitars with a raised fingerboard elevated this distance and thus the technique changed.

The "nails" and "no nails" debate often surfaces in classical guitar circles. It is well-known that Aguado used nails while Sor did not, for example.

This debate also goes further back in time, several centuries, in various treatises, paintings and written accounts which show differences of opinion by performer, time period, and geography. The baroque guitarist Francesco Corbetta (1615-1681) used nails, as did many others.

Over time, guitar technique changed. There is also evidence of different schools of thought on technique. Giuliani's music for example requires the use of the third right hand finger for melody, as Sor notes in his method. Other players, such as Sor's contemporary Aguado, advocated the use of the fingernails. The only strings in use were gut trebles, and typically wire-wound silk basses.

These strings were more fragile, in the sense that rough or long fingernails would easily shred the gut strings. No-nail players of course did not have this problem. Nail players would have either used shorter, smooth nails to minimize the shredding, or perhaps just changed strings more often (or both).

It is also possible that with thicker gauges of gut and lower tuning, and perhaps different string manufacturing methods using olive oil and other varnishes, the strings themselves may have been tougher.

It is often a misconception, repeated by 20th and 21st century sources who have no real first-hand facts, that Tarrega "invented" modern technique. In actuality, Aguado's ideas of using nails, not resting the pinkie on the top, using ima alternation, and probably the rest stroke, were passed on to Julian Arcas (Arcas studied with a student of Aguado).

Julian Arcas was Tarrega's teacher, who passed along the already well-established technique of playing to Tarrega. The rest stroke is surely as old as the stringed instrument itself, and Richard Savino pointed out to me several primary sources from the ancient Renaissance and Baroque guitar repertoire that refer to rest-stroke techniques.

With the guitar being a new instrument, and with changes to the instrument over time such as the string distance from the top, the changing needs of the performer and so forth, it is not surprising that many players were self-taught, and that technique varied considerably between performers. Given the number of variables, it is nearly impossible to exactly replicate the style of playing and sound that would have been heard in the early 1800's.

However, it is possible to be "historically informed" and temper one's technique and interpretation with a period style of playing. Even today, we find debate over the "Tarrega rules" with the bent right wrist, versus straight wrist technique.

The Instrument

There is a real difference between early French or Viennese guitars versus modern classicals in the attack, response, sustain, balance, timbre, scale, and so forth that can lend much insight into the music.

The instrument is a "filter" through which music is processed, and the music can have a totally different effect with a different guitar. Since modern guitar technique is probably no different than Aguado's technique, a true period sound can be obtained by playing a modern replica of a 19th century guitar, such as Panormo, Lacote, or Stauffer.

Left Hand Position

Early illustration of

left hand technique

As with all aspects of period technique, the left-hand position varied between players, Sor advocated the modern method of keeping the thumb behind the neck for support, and he shows geometry-based arguments of why this is the strongest position, and why other styles of left-hand playing are "incorrect". Sor argued against using the thumb for bass notes.

Sor's left-hand method is still used today. Other players, like Mertz and Carulli, sometimes used the thumb to finger bass notes on the 6th string. Facsimile editions indicate when the left-hand thumb is utilized, usually with the notation "pouce" or "^".

Keep in mind that using the thumb was possible then since some early guitar necks were only 4.2cm in width, versus the modern classical guitar 5.2cm width. Most players today simply re-finger the piece to avoid using the left-hand thumb.

Playing Position

Matteo Carcassi

A Carcassi portrait clearly shows the left-leg elevated position. However, the guitar rests against the chair somewhat, and Sor's method advocates resting part of the guitar body on a chair. It was also common to elevate the right leg, much like today's flamenco players.

Aguado used a tripod device to mount the guitar, so that only the player's arms touched the instrument. The smaller 19th century guitar body affects how to hold the instrument, since the much larger modern classical puts the player's right arm in a different location.

Nearly every period guitar came with a strap button. In the early 19th century, classical guitarists often played using a strap. A period portrait of Giuliani depicts Giuliani playing the guitar standing up and wearing a strap; this is on the front cover of Dr. Heck's biography of Giuliani.

Another portrait of Schubert depicts the composer singing, and playing a Stauffer for accompaniment while standing and wearing a strap. Presumably, the standing position, much like today's popular guitars, is used for simple music because of the left hand limitations the standing position imposes.

Fingerings

Most of the facsimile music has very few fingerings. Today's music is over-fingered. You will find however, that Studies and Exercises of the era were well-fingered, whereas the concert pieces were only fingered in particularly tricky passages. Often, a single fingering unlocks the key for fingering the entire passage.

Sor's Method goes into great detail on fingering principles, and it was assumed that the player would choose them.

Invariably, modern edits of 19th century music have many poor choices of fingerings, or at least ones that do not conform to period practice.

**********************

In a hurry?  Just leave us your number, and we'll call you back at a date and time of your choice!

Have we just played at your event?  Please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you! 

Pay online by credit/debit card, or by cheque

We only use Verisign-certified secure payment processing services with 128-bit encryption, through Merchants used by Lloyds, Halifax & Barclays Plc

Now Hiring in Europe, USA and Canada

© 1994-2008

The Romantic Guitar Agency Ltd. 

The Classical Guitar Agency Ltd. 

Registered in England & Wales no. 5153742.