Distant Sarabandes

The Solo Guitar Music of

]oaquin Rodrigo

Graham Wade
)

GRM. Publications
 Contents

Acknowledgements Vlll
Preface IX
1. The Musical Background 1
2. Zarabanda lejana, En los trigales 8
3. Tiento antigua 15
4. Bajando de la meseta, Tres piezas espaiîolas 19
5. Junto al Generalife, Entre olivares, 27
En tierras de Jerez
6. Sonata giocosa, Tonadilla, 32
lnvocaciôn y danza
7. Tres pequeiîas piezas, Sonata a la espaiîola 40
8. Ela gia de la guitarra 45
9. Pdjaros de primavera 49
10. Dos preludios, Trîptico 53
11. Un tiempo fue Itdlica jamo7a 56
12. Dos pequeiîas fantasîas 59
13. The Achievement 63

Appendices
I Notes and References 67
II Select Bibliography 68
III Discography 69
 Acknowledgements
The author would like to express his deep appreciation
for ali who have helped in the writing of this book.
In particular my thanks are due to Maestro Joaqufn
Rodrigo and his daughter, Cecilia Rodrigo, theirfamily, and ali
the staff at Ediciones Joaqufn Rodrigo, whose support and
encouragement for this project have been so enthusiastically
given over the years. I must also thank them for their kind
permission to use the portrait of Maestro Rodrigo by Joaqufn
Vaquera Turcios for the cover, and the photograph.
My gratitude mustalso go to the following: to Catherine
Dickinson and Andrew Liepins of the Spanish Guitar Centre,
Nottingham for their unfailing generosity in the provision of
music, information and records: to Colin Cooper and Maurice
Summerfield for publishing aspects of this book in Classical
Guitar between October 1992 and October 1993: to my wife,
Elizabeth, for advice, proof-reading and editorial labours
undertaken with devotion, as ever, over and above the cali of
duty.
Grateful acknowledgement for use of varions quoted
material is due to: Joaqufn Rodrigo, Ediciones Joaqufn
Rodrigo;Victoria Kamhi, Latin American Review Press,
Pittsburgh; Vicente Vayâ Pla and his biography, Joaqu(n
Rodrigo, su vida y su obra, Real Musical, Madrid; Raymond
Calcraft;JoaqufnAmauAmo; Gregory Allen & Linton Powell;
Becky and David Starobin, Bridge Records Inc., New York;
John W. Duarte; The Gramophone; Colin Cooper, Maurice
Summerfield, Classical Guitar; J. G. Gili, Penguin Books;
John Williams, CBS Records;FedericoSopefia, Marion Boyars
Ltd, London; Juan Riera; Luis Seco de LucenaParedes; Sergio
FemândezBravo; AntonioRuiz-Pipo;JoeNickerson;Manfred
Dahmer.

viii
 Preface

This book commemorates the 95th birthday of Joaqufn

Rodrigo and is an introduction to sorne of the finest solo guitar
music ever written. Yet the depths and variety of his guitar
works have not al ways been full y appreciated by guitarists or
the public. It is on! y recent! y that detailed attention has been
paid to the significance of Rodrigo's contribution to the guitar
repertoire over the years between 1926 and 1987.
In 1985 the present au thor was asked to wri te a book on
the famous Concierto de Aranjuez and this was sufficient to
augment admiration of a masterpiece of a very special kind.
From there it was a natural progression to move to a study of
the solo guitar music.
Rodrigo's guitar works excite our imagination and our
sense of the vitality of Spanish music. He has listened intently
to the distant sarabandes of the past and through his art has
united so many traditions oflberian culture. He continues the
great line of inspiration which stretches through Albéniz and
Granados, and the work of Manuel de Falla and Joaqufn
Turina. But he goes beyond this to a living awareness of the
earl y Spanish traditions, of the vihuela of Luis Milân and the
guitar of Gaspar Sanz. He is, at the same time, profoundly
indebted to French impressionism, to Debussy, Ravel, and to
his teacher Dukas.
Any great creative artist whose work has notreceivedits
due is, (as F.R. Leavis once said), 'a power for !ife wasted'.
Treasures should not be squandered and the art of Joaqufn
Rodrigo deserves our utmost attention and admiration.

G.W.
Leeds, England, July, 1996

ix
Chapter 1. The Musical Background

Joaqufn Rodrigo's solo guitarmusic has been widely recorded

and constitutes a familiar and enduring part of the recital
repertoire. Perhaps because of the remarkable appeal of his
Concierto de Aranjuez, Rodrigo's contribution to the solo
instrument has tended, until qui te recent! y, to be, if anything,
undervalued and sometimes misunderstood.
Rodrigo is after ail (in the line of Castelnuovo-Tedesco,
Ponce and Moreno Torroba), one of the great perennial writers
for guitar, a composer who has consistent! y remained true to
the instrument and produced work of a lasting nature. His
guitar pieces, with their inimitable vocabulary and idioms, are
unique! y his own, and, at their fin est, instant! y recognisable,
Iingering in the ear for a lifetime, once beard, never forgotten.
The predominant aspect of his approach to the guitar is
not usually flamboyant. Spanish music, as expressed through
Rodrigo, tends towards inwardness, austerity, discipline, fewer
notes rather than too many. In this respect Rodrigo's solo
guitar works are somewhat less florid or expansive than his
concerto writing for guitar.
Discussion of Spanish musical style in generalised terms
can sometimes be misleading. J.B. Trend, writing in the earl y
1920's, found it very necessary to putto rest sorne of the false
assumptions about the 'Spanish idiom' and the 'Spanish style',
held not only by non-Spaniards but also by the Spanish
themsel ves:
1
In spite ofali the Spanish music which has be en heard in recent
years, the only kind which many people -even Spanish people
- can immediate/y recognise as 'Spanish' re mains substantially
whatitwas fifty years ago; while modern Spanish music which
does not conform to this type is apt to be coldly received and
never played again. The type was dejinitely established in
Europe by the production of Carmen in 1876, and then spread
by such worksas Lalo's Capriccio and the pianoforte duets of
Moszkowski, while it was treated by Chabrier as a splendid
joke ...
Carmen has become, for the non-Spanish world, the
mirror of the Spanish sou/, the pattern of Spanish music. Yet
Carmen herse/fis by no me ans a normal Spanish type, or even
an abnormal Spanish type which is specijically Spanish, and
the few genuinely Spanish touches in the music are not derived
direct/y from folk-song. 1

That 'which many people - even Spanish people - can

immediate! y recognise as Spanish', has been considerabl y
broadened since the early 1920's. Bizet's Carmen may still be
regarded by sorne as typically 'Spanish' music, but for sorne
years tbe public have become increasingly acquainted with tbe
true Spanish music of Albéniz, Granados and Falla. In addition
Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez has achieved universal
populari ty and is sure! y now at the he art of e veryone' s essential
Spanish experience in music.
Y etRodrigo's famous Concerto cannat be considered as
characteristic of his guitar style. The presence of an orchestra
written in terms of a huge guitar, pulsating behind the soloist
in a process of mutual reflection of sonorities, seems to inspire
the composer towards a rich romanticism. Similar effects of
luxuriance and melodie ecstasy are not often fou nd in Rodrigo' s
solo pieces.

2
 Rodrigo's guitar compositions thus possess their own
identity, en ti rely appropria te to the solo instrument. His output
remains remarkabl y uninfluenced by the archetypal masters of
Spanish romanticism, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados,
and the precedents oftheirsensuous pianism. Rodrigo's finest
contributions to the repertoire owe immeasurably more to the
example of Manuel de Falla's Homenaje, "Le Tombeau de
Debussy", to Turina's Fandanguillo, with their austere !ines,
and to the picturesque but compact guitar vignettes of Moreno
Torroba.
Within Rodrigo's output there is immense variety in
rerrns of structure and content. But his understanding of the
guitar favours a conciseness of statement to create whatever
mood is intended. ln this he is influenced directly by the
flamenco guitar of Andalusia.
Manuel de Falla expressed his own particular vision of
the guitar's role in the art of Spanish and European music, a
view which Rodrigo's compositions implicitly endorse:

The use ofthe guitar made by the people re presents two clearly
determined musical values: the rhythmic value, external and
immediately perceptible, and the purely tonal- harmonie value
... The harmonie effects that our guitar players unintentionally
achieve are one of the marvels ofnatural art.
Even more, we believe that our fifteenth-century
instrumentalists were probably the first ta add a harmonie
accompaniment (with chords) ta the vocal or instrumental
me lady. And letit be clear thatwe do notrefer ta the Moorish-
Andalusian music, but ta the Cas tiZian; we should not mistake
the Moorish guitar for the Latin ...
The primitive way of playing the Castilian guitar is ta
strum it, and this is still ojten heard among the people. That is
why the use of the Moorishinstrumentwasandis, melodie, like

3
the lute and the bandurria, whereas the junction ofthe Spanish-
Latin guitar was harmonie, be cause if one strums the strings,
only chords come out.
Many will say that those chords are barbarian. We
a.ffirm instead, that they are a marvellous revelation of
unsuspected possibilities of sounds. 2

Whereas the traditional Spanish guitarists, from various

parts of Spain, 'unintentionally' achieved amazing harmonie
surprises, Rodrigo explores the guitar's possibilities more
deliberately and analytically. Thus his music continues the
age-old fascination with the mysteries of the guitar's harmonie
chemistry, its combinations of dissonances and open string
effects characteristic of fretted instrument compositions since
the sixteenth century.
Rhythmic patterns, evoking the dances of flamenco,
recur in Rodrigo's music, coming naturally out of the concept
of the guitar as a strummed instrument. But monodie passages
can also be found juxtaposed with chordal sections in a manner
reminiscent of Renaissance vihuela compositions, where
redobles (scale runs) frequently altemate with consonancias
(chords). Throughout this book it is intended to look more
closely at the specifie textures and timbres of sorne of Rodri-
go's guitar masterpieces and to see how contrasting elements
of his style are integrated. It is extraordinary how long a time
span his writings for guitar cover, and how numero us were the
leading guitarists for whom Rodrigo wrote.
Here is a list of the solo guitar works, with dedications:

Zarabandalejana(l926),EditionsMaxEschig, 1934,ed.Pujol,
Ediciones Joaqufn Rodrigo, 1993, ed. Pepe Romero.
'A la vihuela de Luis Milan'.

4
En los trigales (1938), Ediciones Musicales Madrid, 1958, ed.
Yepes. 'A Narciso Yepes'. Republished Ediciones Joaqufn
Rodrigo, 1994, ed. P. Ramera.

Fandango del ventorrillo (originally for pianoforte) (1938),

Editions Max Eschig, 1965, arr. Pujol for two guitars.

Tiento antigua (1947), Bote & Bock, 1957, ed. Behrend.

Dedicated to Siegfried Behrend.

Bajandode la meseta (1954),Schott, 1963,ed. NicolâsAlfonso.

Dedicated to Nicolâs Alfonso. Ediciones Joaqufn Rodrigo,
1991, revised Pepe Ramera.

Tres piezas espaiiolas (l.Fandango 2.Passacaglia 3.

Zapateado) (1954), Schott, 1963, ed. Andrés Segovia.
Dedicated to Andrés Segovia.

Junto al Generalife (c. 1955), Bote & Bock, 1957, ed. Behrend.
'A Siegfried Behrend'.

Entre olivares (1956), Schott, 1958, ed. Yepes.

'A Manuel L6pez Ramas'.

Sonata giocosa (1. Allegro moderato 2. Andante moderato 3.

Allegro) (c. 1958), Chester, 1960.
'A Renata Tarrag6'.

En tierras de Jerez (c. 1960) (Sometimes entitled Par Tierras

de Jerez), Ricordi,1961, ed. Miguel Abl6niz.
'Para Luise Walker'.

5
Tonadilla (two guitars) (1960), Ricordi, 1964.
'A Ida Presti et Alexandre Lagoya'.

Invocation et Danse (Hommage à Manuel de Falla) (c.1959-

1961), Editions Françaises de Musique, 1962. lnvocaciôn y
danza (Homenaje a Manuel de Falla), Ediciones Joaqufn
Rodrigo, 1993, ed. Pepe Romero. 'A Alirio Diaz'.

Tres pequeiias piezas (1. Ya se van los pastores 2. Par caminos

de Santiago 3. Pequeiia sevillana) (c.1962), Editions Max
Eschig, 1963, ed. Regino Sainz de la Maza.
1. 'AHeitorVilla-Lobos' 2. 'ACeliaSalomondeFont' 3. 'A
Robert Vidal'.

Sonata a la espaiiola (1. Allegro assai 2. Adagio 3. Allegro

moderato - Tiempo de Bolero) (c.1969), Editions Max Eschig,
1969.
'A Ernesto Bi tetti'.

Elogio de la guitarra (1. Allegro 2. Andantino 3. Allegro)

(1971), Bèrben, 1971.
'Ad Angelo Gilardino'.

Pâjaros de primavera (1972), Union Musical Espafiola, 1973.

'Para la Sra. Take Takahashi '.

Deux Préludes (1. Adagio 2. Allegro) (1977), Editions Max

Eschig, 1978, ed. Celedonio Romero.
'À Celedonio Romero'.

Trfptico(l.Preludio 2.Nocturno 3.Scherzino) (1978), Schott,

1985, ed. Alexandre Lagoya.
'À Alexandre Lagoya'.

6
Un tiempo .fue ltdlica jamosa (1980), Schott, 1989, ed. Angel
Romero.
'para Angel Romero'.

Dos pequeiias fantasîas (! - Qué buen caminito! Il - Ecos de

Sejarad) (1987), Ediciones Joaquîn Rodrigo, 1992.
I. 'Para América Martînez'.

7
Chapter 2. Zarabanda lejana, En los trigales

Joaqufn Rodrigo's first composition for guitar was

Zarabanda lejana, written in 1926 (later scored for orchestra,
along with a Villancico to form a diptych). Rodrigo's own
account links his first meeting with the great Catalan guitar
maestro, Emilio Pujol, to the published guitar edition:

Itwas the year 1926 whenl had the goodfortune tome et Emilio
Pujol, l had just written my jirst work for guitar, Zarabanda
lejana, which sorne time later Pujol would publish in his
collection ofthe Max Eschig Editions, and he made sorne warm
and enthusiastic remarks which had a considerable influence
on the music which llater wrote for the instrument. 1

In her book, De la mano de Joaqu(n Rodrigo, Victoria

Kamhi tells how Rodrigo arrived in Paris to study with Paul
Dukas. In his suitcase was Zarabanda lejana along with other
earl y works including Suite para piano, Cinco piezas infantiles
and Preludio al gallo mafianero. 2
In 1927 Manuel de Falla visited Paris to receive the
award of Legion of Honour. To celebrate the occasion a
concert was arranged and though intended mainly for Falla's
own music, works from other composers such as Turina and
Halffter were included. Seizing his opportunity Rodrigo
performed Preludio al gallo mafianero and Zarabanda lejana
on pianoforte to an audience made up, as Kamhi described it,
of the 'cream of the French intelligentsia'. Such was the
success of Rodrigo's music that various publishers offered
contracts to the young man and thus Rodrigo's composing
career was officially launched.

8
 Zarabanda lejana was eventually published by Editions
Max Eschig (ed. Emilio Pujol) in 1934 (though the piano
version was issued in 1930), bearing the dedicationA lavihuela
de Luis Milân. Rodrigo's biographer, Vicente Vaya Pla, tells
of the close friendship between Rodrigo and Pujol and how,
'Y ears later in 1936, in the Institute of Spanish Studies at the
University of Paris, Emilio Pujol would illustrate, with his
vihuela, a lecture on the vihuelistas given by Rodrigo. ' 3
Zarabandalejana is afascinating work. Markedandante
quasi adagio, it begins with three bars of a single note A,
(played on the fourth string), before weighty chords of D
major, characterised by an acciaccatura on the top string from
B to A. The apparent simplicity of the material is not entirely
matched by the technical difficulty of achieving a smooth and
even legato as the chords progress through sorne ingenious
changes while the player articulates the melodie line.
The discrepancy between the composition's economy
(with its chords evok.ing the spirit of the pastand supporting an
elegant melody), and the difficulty of its realisation on the
guitar, could perhaps be best resolved by seeing this work as
essentially a pianistic concept, transferred to the gui tar but not
entirely at home there. On the keyboard these weighty chords
and small note changes from chord to chord, as weil as
ornamentation in the upper voices, can be straightforwardly
accomplished. On the guitar such writing is unwieldy despite
the ostensible Jack of complexity on the page.
A usefu! contribution towards understandingZarabanda
lejana is contained in an essay by Joaqufn Arnau Arno:

Rodrigo sets the pace at the start of the pie ce, and immediate/y
introduces his music for the dance in a re co gnisable tonality,
with repeated 'catches', which it se ems the guitar particularly
needs.

9
 Suddenly, however, a modulation occurs which is not at
ali unusual in the tonal structure ofthe piece ...lt is a modulation
to the sub-dominantfrom D to G... and there is nothing unusual
in it. Even more -of ali the possible modulations ....that of the
subdominant is the most natural...
Melodically, therefore, the 'change' that Rodrigo slips
into his Zarabanda is quite normal. Harmonically, however,
we are perplexed by it. The chord with which the composer
'qualifies' the change challenges every authority ... The fact is
- and this strange chord has a great deal to do with it - that
Rodrigo's Zarabanda lejana has nothing in common with the
hundreds or thousands of sarabandes written during the
Baroque and later periods, and ils 'distance' is not limited to
the past... the past has come to have a sense offuture aboutit...
Modernity, which can be demonstrated in the Zarabanda,
nevertheless remains hidden, in part because of the limited
sounds of the guitar .. .lt is more obvious, on the other hand, in
the piano version, where the density of the sound reveals the
frictions much more. The orchestra, final/y, di/utes it...4

Thus Joaqufn Amau Arno regards Zarabanda lejana as

more than it seems; a piece which is 'evocative, wi thout doubt;
but we are not certain if what it evokes has passed, or simply
might come to pass '.
Furthermore, though the work is dedicated to the vihuela
of Luis Milan, it might be pointed out that Milan wrote no
sarabandes and that this piece has closer affinities to Ravel's
re-creation of the spirit of the antique dance in Pavane pour une
Infante défunte (composed in 1899, premiered by Ricardo
Vines, the Spanish pianist, inParis,l902), than toany authentic
sarabande of the past.
This was, of course, Rodrigo's first composition for
guitar, written at a ti me when he had not yet full y tumed his

10
attention and creative energies to the instrument. Though this
is sometimes claimedas a piece conceived from the outset for
guitar, it is surely preferable to regard this work as an
arrangement that owes much to the keyboard by a composer
who wished to offer something for the guitar to Emilio Pujol.
Like many composers, Rodrigo certainly wrote with the
sound of an ideal guitarinhis head. ButZarabanda lejana may
appear more appropriate arranged for string orchestra or
pianoforte than for the guitar, which essentially lacks the
necessary sostenuto. Yet it is effective on the guitar to the
extent that it has attracted severalleading players to record it.
(Unfortunately, it has rarely been played in the concert hall.)
The premiere recording of Zarabanda lejana was by
Andrés Segovia in the 1950's (on Brunswick AXTL 1069) in
company withhis transcriptionofBach's Chaconne. Complete
with the inimitable Segovia sound, the Zarabanda proceeds in
stately dignity, taking the space of four minutes forty-five
seconds.
Rey de la Torre, the Cuban guitarist, recorded the work
in 1966. At four minutes seventeen seconds this is probably the
fastest version, though giving the impression of being slightly
rushed. In the notes for his recording, Rey de la Torre wrote:

Rodrigo' s Zarabanda lejana, one of the outstanding

modern contributions to the guitar repertoire, evokes a sense
of distance in time and space in which even the fortes sound
piano. It illustrates, better than any composition I know,
Stravinsky 's characterization of the instrument: 'The guitar
does not sound little: it sounds from afar'.

Narciso Yepes, perforrning on his ten string Ramfrez,

offers an interpretationjustafew seconds longerthan Segovia.
Recordings by leading players such as Alice Artzt, Ernesto

11
Bitetti, Eric Hill, Oscar Ghiglia, Turibio Santos, Vladimir
Mikulka, etc, indicate areasonablelevel of interestin this piece
over the years.
Zarabanda lejana, will continue to be of value in a full
understanding of Rodrigo's output, particularly when viewed
as the beginning of the creation of his characteristic guitar
style. But in sorne ways it stands apart in lime and stylistic
aspects. For after Zarabanda lejana there was a twelve year
gap before Rodrigo returned to the solo guitar, preferring
between 1926 and 1938 to build up his reputation with an
immense output of music for orchestra, voice and piano, solo
pianoforte, etc. By the timehe went back to writing for guitar,
he was an experienced composer with assured technique and
mature vision.
ln 1928hemet VictoriaKamhi, apianist,fe!l in love, and
married herin 1933. ln that year the couple returned to Spain
following Rodrigo's valuable education at the École Normale
de Musique, Paris, where he studied with Paul Dukas.
In 1934 Rodrigo won first prize at the Circula de Bellas
Arles in Valencia for his symphonie poem Perla fior dellliri
blau and on the strength of this a ward returned on a scholarship
for further study in Paris. In 1935, after the death of Dukas,
Rodrigo wrote Sonada de adi6s (Homenaje a Paul Dukas) for
pianoforte.
Thefollowing year saw theoutbreak of the Spanish Civil
War. This inevitably entai led the cancellation of the Conde de
Cartagena scholarship, causing Rodrigo considerable fi nan cial
anxiety. Between 1936 and 1938, however, Rodrigo was able
to lake up residence out of Spain, in Paris, Salzburg and
Frei burg.
In 1938 Rodrigo completed En los trigales (ln the
Wheatfields), dedicated sorne years later to Narciso Yepes.
Here Rodrigo uses the guitar absolutely idiomatically,

12
demonstrating aconsiderableadvance in his awareness of solo
guitar writing since Zarabanda lejana.
The work begins with an introduction recalling the scale
passages of the flamenco guitar, but balancing light single
notes against finely resonant three-part chords. After these
sixteen bars of setting the atmosphere, a catchy Iwo-part
episodereveals the sophistication and vibrancy which Rodrigo
could now achieve through the gui tar.
A lyrical section, Allegro alla marcia, offers a sudden
contras! in tempo and mood. A slow melodie line on the lower
strings is voiced against chords and harmonies, and a repeated
B flat in the bass evokes a drom or handclaps. After a little
phrase in harmonies, the original themes return, dancing and
agitated, the quintessence of the restless Spanish guitar.
En los trigales, along with Bajando de la meseta, Entre
olivares, and Junto al Generalife formed part of what the
composer regarded as an 'imaginary suite that describes the
Spanish landscape' entitled Par los campos de Espaiia (In the
Countryside of Spain).'
Julian Bream recorded En los trigales not long after the
publication of the score. Narciso Yepes's interpretation of En
los trigales was issued in 1961 on a ten-inch LP which provided
Spanish solos (Two Pavanas by Milan, Tarrega's Recuerdos
de la Alhambra and Alborada) along with his vintage version
of Concierto de Aranjuez, conducted by Ataulfo Argenta.
Lionel Sa! ter wrote concerning En los trigales:

This is an imaginative and evocative impression of

wheaifields on a summer 's day, with a light breeze rippling the
golden ears into gentle and intermittent animation.

Rodrigo's extraordinary aurai sensitivity enabled him to

achieve highly charged impressionistic images. Certainly in

13
this instance the varied sounds of a summer's day in the fields
are gloriously realised and the work remains a fresh and
stimulating pic ture of a Spanish landscape. In terms of the
number of recordings, En los tri gales is the most popular of ali
Rodrigo's solo pieces.

14
Chapter 3. Tiento antigua

FtPrt~,pcomposition of En los trigales in 1938, andfollowing

premiere of the Concierto de Aranjuez in Barcelona on 9
NovP.rnh<", 1940 (with Re gino Sainz de laMaza, thededicatee,
soloist), Joaqufn Rodrigo seems to have tumed aside for
years from the task of writing for the Spanish national
nstrun1enct. His next guitar work was Tiento antigua, written
1947, dedicated to Siegfried Behrend, and published by Bote
Bock a full decade after its composition.
From 1939 to 1947 Rodrigo was engaged in writing
large scale works, including severa! concertos,
nstrurnerltal pieces, music for the stage, and an operetta. In
he composed Romance del Comendador de Ocana
'so]prano and orchestra), and Cuatro madrigales amatarios
.vu1c.:e anupiano), as weil as retuming to his exploration of the
guitar.
Tiento antigua was intended, according to the notes on
Romero's recording, 'to evoke the music of the vihuela'.
the relationship between Tiento antigua and the music of
sixteenth century is not immediate! y obvious. The piece is
to the sounds and techniques of the modem guitar or
amenc:o than to echoes of earl y instruments.

15
 After an introductory section of slow arpeggios, weaving
back and forth across the strings in varied undulating patterns,
a short cantabile in the treble recalls the urgency of the flamenco
voice. Then the arpeggios return until interrupted by another
short passage, a cadenza, featuring good examples of typical
lberian ornamentation, a few brilliant moments of flamenco
scales and quieter two-part writing. Again we hear arpeggios
before cadenza lento ends the piece in a subdued diminuendo.
Tiento antigua may be regarded as an experiment in
guitar sonorities. Two elements of Rodrigo's characteristic
solo guitar writing are apparent here - the beautiful use of i
arpeggio (reminiscent of a study or the cadenza of the slow 0
movement of the Concierto de Aranjuez), and an emphasis on 'l
treble voicings, suggesting flamenco, where the composer 2,
exercises a rigid economy in the number of notes employed.•;~
Overall the composition is not structurally complex,~
relying as it does on localised atmospherics, the nostalgie ~
resonances of the title, and various guitar effects perhaps too··~
easily acquired because of the natureofthe instrument. Butthis:~
piece is essentially a retum to the guitar, its mysteries and~~ /7

techniques, after sorne years of absence. J

The Spanish guitar's own native sounds are indeedl
atmospheric and curiously haunting. A bare E minor chord1
withanaddedA,suchasRodrigorepeatsin bars 17, 18and 19,~
has the charm of directness and simplicity in its context. Tht;"a
scale passages too bring to mi nd the indigenous Andalusian{l
guitar and are juxtaposed with a short two-part episode or~J
poignant appeal. "ijJ
Tiento antigua is therefore a kind of artist's brief sketch)~~
a writer's lyric poem, a composition where certain technique~~
' <-:4i
are explored. The distinct styles of the Aranjuez and the twqJI , v0
early solo works were now in the past. lt was essential fo~J
Rodrigo to discover and develop a new and urgent voice in hi~J

16 11
;l~~
guitar writing. Tiento antigua indeed represents a major step
in that process.
After 1939 Rodrigo's reputation in Spainhad grown, and
demand for his music intensified after the end of the Spanish
Civil War. Duringthesehecticyears Rodrigo's outputincluded
the following:

Chimères for voice and piano

Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra
Homenaje a la Tempranica for orchestra
La Chanson de ma Vie for voice and piano

Gran marcha de los subsecretarios for piano (four

hands)
Tres danzas de Espaiia for piano

Concierto heroico for piano and orchestra

Concierto de estîo for violin and orchestra

Pasodoble a Pepe Luis Vâzquez for piano
Rumaniana for violin and piano

Capriccio (Ofrenda a Pablo Sarasate) for violin

A l'ombre de Torre Bermeja for piano

Dos piezas caballerescas for cello ensemble

El duende azul (Operetta by Torroba and Rodrigo)

Musica para un despertador for piano
Cuatro estampas andaluzas for piano

Cuatro madrigales amatorios for voice and piano

17
 Romance del Comendador de Ocana for soprano and
orchestra
Tiento antigua for guitar

Rodrigo's compositions thus came forth a ta prodigious

rate. He wrote a mass of ma teri al for so many musical contexts
and revealed the enormous range of interests and versatility
characteristic of leading composers. It is not surprising if the
guitar pieces during these years were the product of time set
asideaftermoreambitious projectsand, th us, at this point, very
few.
But, from 1947 onwards it becomes apparent Rodrigo
moved ever closer to the guitar until we arrive at the annus
mirabilis of 1954 when severa! of his finest guitar works
emerged. During this period of his development, the following
songs and arrangements enabled Rodrigo to experiment with
the guitar and its qualities in the area of accompaniment.

1948: Folfas canarias for voice and guitar

Romance del Comendador de Ocana arr. for voice
guitar

1951: Tres canciones espanolas for voice and guitar

1952: Tres villancicos arr. for voice and guitar

1954: Bajando de la meseta for solo guitar

Fantasia para un gentilhombre for guitar and small
orchestra
Tres piezas espaiiolas (Fandango, Passacaglia,
Zapateado) for solo guitar

18
Chapter 4. Bajando de la meseta, Tres piezas espafiolas

In 1954, at the age of fifty-three, Rodrigo's relationship

the guitar achieved new intensities. The instrument
gail~ed a central raie in his creative activities to the extent that
began to write new works for it almost every year. He was
ioVII pcJist:d to become one ofthe great composers for the guitar
the 20th century in terms of the solo instrument (the
îlrtlniiuezhaving established the supremacy of his orchestration
his solution to the problems of blending the guitar with
instruments.)
One of the fruits of Rodrigo's new commitment to the
of the guitar repertoire was Bajando de la meseta
_uinii•o dawn from the Meseta), completed in 1954. lts
lédicatee,NicolâsAlfonso (b. 1918, Santander, Spain) became
:oft:sscJr of Guitar at the Brussels Conservatoire. He formed
""'"~r duo with his wife, lise, and toured widely. Other
lffiJ)Osers who dedicated pieces to him included Torra ba and
(whose Contrastes was dedicated to the Alfonso Duo).
edited Bajando de la meseta for publication by Schott
Brussels (1963). A furtheredition, revised and fingered
Ramera was published by Ediciones Joaqufn Rodrigo

Rodrigo provided his own authoritative notes for Pepe

recording:

19
The plateau (meseta) referred to is the one that forms the
re gion of Cas tilla la Nueva; coming down from this plateau we
reach Andalucia and in this imaginary and musical journey we
are suddenly confronted with loud singing that echoes out to
the wide horizon and then changes into a' quick, trembling
dance. lt is the real, bewitching Andalucia, with its pulsing
rhythms, which rewards the traveller after the long journey.

Bajando de la meseta has not so far proved universally

popular, despite recordings by Nicolas Alfonso, Pepe Romero
and Esteban Bottinelli. However Scott Tennant's superb
rendering, on his way to a complete recording of ali Rodrigo's
guitarworks, may promptinterestfrom recitalists and students
alike in this piece. For Bajando de la meseta, though perhaps
not one of Rodrigo's central masterpieces for the guitar, is in
itself a most interesting composition.
1t has many fascinating similarities with the Fandango
from Tres piezasespaiiolaswithits 'wrongnote' chords,its use
of triplets and its catchy melody, The choice of B major, and
the subsequent modulations through various keys, show
Rodrigo's inventive and experimental attitude to the guitar and
his desire to create statements of substance through the solo
instrument. Moreover the work lends itself to sorne flexibility
of interpretation as weil as indulging in exciting passages of a
vividly Iberian nature.
Thus the composition begins with a meditative lento
section in that unusual key (for the guitar) of B major. The
writing is sparse and somewhat repetitive, the bare textures
relieved only by a burst offour bars of arpeggios before a retum
to the original theme.
The last four bars of this introduction modulate to G
major by way of sorne 'wrong note' chords (conventional
chords rendered discordant by the inclusion of one or more

20
 notes foreign to the tonality) in which Rodrigo frequently
delights. An Allegro follows, Tempo de Seguidilla, again with
Rodrigo' s 'wrongnote' chords predominant. Strummed chords
ofG major, withan added augmentedfourth (C sharp), lead on
to other discords. The strummed section ends with a pleasing
theme, before the rasgueados retum. (Bottinelli slows down
the tempo for the melodie sections in contrast to the vigorous
strumming. Though not marked as such on the score, this
makes for an effective interpretation.)
This section con eludes with a transition into Emajor and
a development made up of broken chordal figurations (played
normally, not strummed) and single note triplets. The latter
evolve through chords stiJl in triplet rhythm back to the
Seguidilla in a brief rasgueado imitative of earlier moments in
the piece. A fairly lengthy coda in the original key of B major
follows, deploying short and snappy flamenco-like scale
passages, as weil as a number of rhythmic flourishes involving
both the earlier melodie theme and energetic triplets.
Rodrigo covers the whole range of the guitar in this
piece, using many different textures which he will employ
elsewhere in his guitar music. (The opening lento, for example,
with its melody against expressive chords, looks back to the
first cadenza of the Aranjuez.)
The rasgueado episodes of Tempo de Seguidilla have
distinct kinship with the rhythmic chords in both Fandango
and Pequeiiasevillana (Tres pequeiias piezas). The swooping
triplets of the middle E major section bring to mi nd Zapateado
and even Elogio de la guita"a (1971).
Th us Bajando de la meseta provides a significant link
between the earl y attempts of Rodrigo to write expressively for
the guitar and ali that follows. As a unit in the cycle of Por los
de Espaiia, the work obviously has a supreme
inlPc>rumce, though i t is sel dom that ali the pieces in the group

21
have been performed together. The yoking of picturesque
items from separate periods of the composer's !ife did not
create a sequence of organically interrelated movements in a
true suite. Recitalists have usually thus regarded them as
discrete compositions, published under one title but not really
a coherent group. Moreover the appearance of Tres piezas
espaiiolas, dedicated to Segovia in the same year, has left
Bajando de la meseta, for ali its charms, weil and truly
overshadowed.
Por los campos de Espaiia is cl earl y alesserconcept than
the great triptych of Tres piezas espaiiolas, one of the most
remarkable monuments to the guitar's expressive powers
achieved in this century. Assuming thatBajando de la meseta
was composed either short! y before or about the same time as
Tres piezas espaiiolas, there is certain! y internai evidence that
the writing of the one may weil have contributed to the success
of the other. The two works remain related in terms of
chronology and their integral use of traditional Spanish dance
forms.
Tuming to Tres piezas espaiiolas, it is an interesting fact
that these are the only solos of Rodrigo to be dedicated to
Andrés Segovia. They were written in the same year as
Fantasia para un gentilhombre, inspired by the music of Sanz
and presented to Segovia, the gentilhombre of the 20th century
guitar. Rumours were rife throughout the previous decade and
a half that Segovia was displeased because the Concierto de
Aranjuez was dedicated not to him, but to Regino Sainz de la
Maza, a distinct! y Jess capable guitarist. Rodrigo's biographer,
Vicente Vaya Pla, tried to put this to rest (though not entirely
convincingly):

The se two great musicians - composer and interpreter -

had first met in Paris about 1929. Years later Segovia asked

22
Rodrigo to write him a work for guitar and orchestra (or
chamber orchestra). He wished to be able to premiere the work
in America, where he was performing on various occasions.
Somebody has insisted on writing, withoutany foundation, that
the distinguished guitarist was upset with Rodrigo be cause of
the fact that the Concierto de Aranjuez had be en dedicated to
Regino Sainz de la Maza, who premiered the work in 1940.
Nothing was further from reality, since during the years
1938 and 1939, divided by the ocean, a warin Spain, a world
war about to begin - it was total/y impossible for Segovia to
have been able to premiere that Concerto. 1

Whatever the truth about their disagreement over this

matter, it remains a permanent loss to guitar history that
Segovia never played the Concierto de Aranjuez. Perhaps the
only advantage was thatthis omission allowed space forothers
(notablyNarciso Yepes in the earl y years of his career), toplay
music untouched by the predominant Maestro, a rare pleasure
at a time when an alternative repertoire to Segovia's was
difficult to find. Whatever happened in the post-1939 period,
the relationship between Segovia and Rodrigo was apparently
most cordial in 1954 when the composer gave him two
substantial works within the same year.
Rodrigo has made the following comments about the
first movement of Tres piezas espanolas:

The work consists ofthree dances: Passacaglia, Fandango and

Zapateado, dedicated to Andrés Segovia, and composed a few
weeks before the Fantasia para un gentilhombre (1954).
The fandango was a very popular dance in the 18th
century; it was the dance bath of the nobility and the masses.
The 'Fandangos at Candlelight' were very famous occasions,
and the se reunions very often ended in brawls. The fandango

23
is a slow dance and sometimes includes ballads which are
sung. Its origin is uncertain though many experts claim the
fandango is of Arabian descent.
Except in the trio of the central section, this Fandango
does not employ popular themes, but it is inspired by the
sevillanas, an extremely intricate instrumental folk dance. The
melodie style reflects the gallantry and pomp of the 18th
century in Spain and especially in Madrid. 2

Elsewhere, Rodrigo has appended a further note on the

Fandango:

The Fandango is a dance that was once enjoyed by ali

Spanish social classes and should not be conjused with the
fandanguillo which is totally different. My fandango for guitar
is a little solemn, but maintains a popular touch, for example
in the central section, which contains various ec hoes of the
seguidilla which recounts the heroicfeats ofbrave smugglers.'

At this point it may be relevant to ponder wh y Segovia

played only the Fandango from the triptych. There can be no
definitive answer for it is evident from the Schott edition that
Segovia worked meticulously on ali the pieces. However, he
was invariably discriminative even with works dedicated to
him by leading composers. Unless Segovia believed a
composition worked stylistically in his favour, he would not
perform it. (Villa-Lobos'sDouze Études, dedicated to Segovia
in 1929, are an example of this selectivity; of the twelve
studies, Segovia played and recorded only three.) For many
years the result of this was a focus on Fandango to the
disadvantage of the unity of the triptych. A pattern was set of
choosing only Fandango as if the other piezas espafiolas were
not acceptable terri tory.

24
 Segovia premiered Fandango in Buenos Aires in 1957.
His recording was issued two years later on the Golden Jubilee
Vo/.3 album, along with works by Murcia, Sor, Castelnuovo-
Tedesco, Roncalli and Granados. The edition of the complete
suiteappearedin theSegoviaGuitar Archives (Schott) in 1963.
After such a strong campaign on behalf of Fandango it is not
surprising to discover that the next recording of any of the suite
favoured the same piece. John Williams offered his brilliant
interpretation ofFandango in 1970.
Thus a true appreciation of the structural unity and
magnitude of this suite in performance was not possible until
nearly thirty years afterits composition. In 1983 Julian Bream
celebrated his twenty-five years with RCA (and his fiftieth
birthday) by recording Tres piezas espafiolas in their entirety.
The present author's notes for this issue were as follows:

The Fandango, with its 'wrong note' beginning, contains fine

moments of lyricism accompanied by colourjul chords, as well
as many brilliant passages of triplets in which the player's
dexterity is exploited ta the utmost. The firm rhythm and full
writing give the piece richness of movement and contrast.
Passacaglia is more introspective in character, revealing
how resonant a single fine can be on the guitar, especially on
the bass strings. Gradually the figurations over the repeated
ground become more complex through succeeding sections
until a chordal rasgueado takes us into the atmosphere of the
Spanish guitar, but with slightly altered chords from what we
might expect. The harp-like brilliance of the following section
precedes a fugato coda in the rhythm of a fandango. The
transition from the pensive opening ta the vigorous finale is a
masterly pieceofcomposing, requiring afinejudge ofpace and
shading from the performer.
Zapateado is a virtuoso demonstration of the rhythms of

25
the flamenco dance,famedfor its skilfulfootwork. Its perpetua/
motion, inventive modulation and subtle rhythms create not
on/y a picturesque image of the actuai dance but also provide
a dramatic climax to the suite.

Since Bream' s recording, severalleading recitalists have

followed his example and offered ali the Tres piezas espaiiolas
to the public. Complete recordings include Eric Hill's
interpretation (1982, the first release of the triptych) and
excellent performances by Eduardo Femandez, Manuel
Barrueco, Narciso Yepes, Kaare Norge and Scott Tennant.
Thus after a period of sorne years, oneofRodrigo's most
inspired and brilliant works has achieved its rightful place in
the guitar repertoire. lt took too long before the three pieces
were performed as an integrated suite but perhaps the moment
has now arrived when to play a single section of the work
without its corn panions seems as aesthetically unsatisfying as
hearing an isolated movement from a suite by Bach.
The triptych remains one of the most dazzling
compositions in 20th century guitar music, and with its deep
roots in traditional Spanish culture and its superb mastery of
guitar idioms, continues to attract the closest attention and
admiration from recitalists and the public.
In 1954, Rodrigo completed Ave Mar{a (mixed choir),
Cancwn primaveral (soprano, chorus and orchestra), La
destrucci6n de Sagunto (music for the stage), and the ballet,
Pavana Real (with the story by Victoria Kamhi, 'inspired by
the !ife and music of Luis Milan, vihuelist and nobleman '),as
weil as Bajando de la meseta, Fantas{apara un gentilhombre,
and Tres piezas espaiiolas. Thus 1954 must be considered as
one of the most remarkable years of Rodrigo's creative !ife.

26
Chapter 5. Junto al Generalife, Entre olivares, En tierras de
Jerez

Following the amazing activityof 1954Joaqufn Rodrigo

kept his guitar list active over the next few years with three
impressionistic pieces - Junto al Generalife, Entre olivares
and En tierras de Jerez. These may not have been performed
frequently in recitals but they have many interesting features.
Junto al Generalife (Close by the Generalife) was dedi-
cated to Siegfried Behrend, who edited the piece for Bote &
Bock, Berlin (publ.1957). The Generalife was the pleasure
palace, with gardens, of the former kings of Granada, its name
derived from the Arabie, Gennat-Alarif- 'the garden of the
architect'. Situated on the slopes of the Cerro del Sol, the
Generalife overlooks the city.
Rodrigo offered this comment:

... Everyone knows of the magical gardens of the

Generalife connected to the Alhambra; the re can be found the
gentle rustle ofperfumed breezes, a distant tinkle of belis, and
jlowers which shelter behind the myrtle bushes. And the re,
also, the guitar reposes and dreams. 1

Luis Seco de Lucena Paredes has written about the

Generalife's 'sweet melody murmured by the tin y waterfalls,
pools and fountains ... and above ali, the seductive charm of the
flower gardens, where plants are subjected to rigorous
architectonie forms' .2

27
 The Generalife thus has powerful aurai and visual
associations with sounds of water and birdsong, impressions
evoked within the music.
Junto al Generalife is in two sections. The introduction
is a gentle lento e cantabile, with scalic passages very much in
flamenco quasi-improvisatory style interspersed with full
chords. An Allegro follows, reminiscentof Albéniz 'sRumores
de la Caleta and the malagueiia. The middle section of the
Allegro consists of tremolo, an effect rare! y used by Rodrigo
but here recalling the them es of the granadinas, the flamenco
form originating among the gypsies of Granada. The final
pages present the recapitulation and a coda which includes a
passage of fiery descending triplets similar to those in the first
movement of the Aranjuez.
The piece was first recorded by Pepe Romero (1980)
with later renderings by Narciso Yepes, Peter Korbel, and
ScottTennant. This measure ofsupportimplies thatitmay not
be in the front-rank of Rodrigo's solo guitar output but it
certain! y merits our attention.
Entre olivares (Among Olive Graves) is a somewhat
more muscular work than Junto al Generalife. The opening is
live! y with discordant triplet chords (for example, a chard of G
major, set against an augmented fourth, the C sharp). The
energy of the movement here, a rapid allegro, suggests Entre
olivares is not the serene amble through the twisted little trees
on Spanish hillsides one might have expected but rather a
boisterous peasant dance.
The middle section presents a characteristic deviee of
Rodrigo - a single li ne of melody carried on the low strings,
contras led withallegro graciasa quaverpassages featuring the
use of altemating pedal notes and rapid movement on the treble
strings. The opening theme retums, with a frenetic coda, the
last bars marked accelerando and siempre accelerando.

28
 Entre olivares, dedicated to Manuel L6pez Ramos, was
first published by Ediciones Musicales Madrid (1958), in
company with En los trigales (edited by Yepes). There is a
dearth of recordings of this piece and it falls into the category
ofwoefully neglected compositions, offering further evidence
that the suite of Por los campos de Espaiia has never really
caught the imagination of recitalists. Perhaps its day will come
and recordings by Yepes and Tennant reveal the intrinsic
vitality of the piece. Entre olivares is a work both stimulating
and virtuosic, and provides an exciting musical experience.
En tierras de Jerez (In the Lands of Jerez), dedicated to
the Austrian guitarist, Luise Walker, may be unfamiliar to
many guitarists. lt was published originally in Antologia per
Chitarra (Ricordi, 1973), edited by Miguel Abl6niz, along
with sorne recondite items by Auric, Guamieri, Ghedini,
Malipiero, Sauguet and Surinach. The anthology also incl udes
Poulenc's Sarabande, as weil as the substantial Suoni notturno
by Goffredo Petrassi, and represents a significant historical
publication.
En tierras de Jerez depicts the sherry producing area of
Spain around Jerez de la Frontera, sorne sixty kilometres from
Seville on the way to Cadiz. Sherry was first exported to
England from there in the reign of Henry VII (1485 -1509).
Originally the town was the Roman settlement called Asido
Caesaris, so the word 'sherry' may invoke the name of Caesar.
Later, Jerez was a Moorish dwelling until recaptured in 1264
by Alfonso X.
Rodrigo's celebration in music of the lands of Jerez is
very beautiful and the piece is quite unjustly neglected. He
presents us with a variety of moods and sorne exquisite melodie
moments. The quietopening, in six/eight time, uses onceagain
the single li ne concept so beloved by Rodrigo, culminating in
terse! y rhythmic chords.

29
 The !herne returns (after the chords), stated an octave
higher, ending in a scale run so rapid that one should perhaps
cali on a flamenco player to do it full justice. An intriguing
section with strummed six-string chords follows, conjuring up
images of the Andalusian guitar glimpsed from afar.
After a melody in the bass accompanied by treble
chords, the composer inserts an intricate arpeggio section
(broken into by more chords, reminiscent of Entre olivares),
before the resumption of arpeggios which recall the flamenco
form, the granadinas. This section too ends in a virtuosic run
the length of the guitar. The climax consists of strummed
chords, a repeat of the bass melody section, and another
hearing of the opening !herne.
Rodrigo here reverses the order of his material, as if
tracing each episode to i ts origin to bring us back home. The
finale, mainly chords followed by a single repeated high note,
is similar to the ending of Junto al Generalife.
Afterthese three impressionistic compositions Rodrigo,
apart from the occasional exception such as Par caminos de
Santiago, seems to have given up, at !east in his guitar music,
the practice (so often found in Albéniz's music) of creating
geographically inspired vignettes. Images of Spain would
henceforth be created through sonatas and dance forms, though
expressive titi es such as Ptijaros de primavera or Un tiempo
fue Italie a famosa could still arouse the imagination.
Sorne of the composer's fines! works for guitar stilllay
in the future. Like a great painter preparing for a masterly
canvas, Rodrigo's smaller sketches had served as vital
experiments in discovering the guitar's hidden potential and
secret voices. Within his solo music there is constant
development of compositional style and a restless trying on of
varions musical forms and genres.
Against a background of creating so many kinds of

30
music, Rodrigo paid particular attention to the taskof perfecting
techniques of guitar writing. Through this medium he could
now write with increasing confidence, exploring not on! y the
beauty ofSpainandits traditions but, at times, thedarkershores
of his inner being.

31
Chapter 6. Sonata giocosa, Tonadilla, Invocaciôn y danza

Rodrigo composed Sonata giocosa, his first sonata for

the guitar, in 1958. His previous explorations within the sonata
genre had been Cinco Sonatas de Cas tilla (con toccata a modo
de pregôn) (Five Sonatas of Castille, with Toccata in the
Mann er of a Proclamation), for pianoforte, 1950/1951. These
were influenced primarily by Scarlatti rather than the example
of Beethoven, for the extended work in severa! movements,
sonata form in the classical mould, would be more attractive
lateron. The titi es ofRodrigo's works often reveal a preference
for a picturesque and impressionistic approach to composition
rather than an obsession with the problems of musical form in
any abstract sense.
Sonata giocosa, dedicated to Renata Tarrag6 (one of the
first editors of Concierto de Aranjuez), has three movements-
Allegro moderato, Andante moderato and Allegro. This work
is naturally good-humoured and not profound, following
concepts of the sonatina rather than the weighty precedents
implied by 'sonata'.
There are echoes and associations of earlier works within
the first movement, such as the 'wrong note' /dissonant chard
syndrome of Fandango and Entre olivares, the downward
triple runs of the Aranjuez (reminiscentofthefamous multiple
thirds of the Concerto's last movement), and single string
scales once more in quasi-flamenco mode.

32
 The slow movement relies on a lightly dotted rhythm,
interspersed with firm crotchet chords. The key of E minor
here contrasts with the A major of the outer sections. A
composer can hard! y be giocoso (Italian for 'jocose, playful,
jesting') in the slow movement of a sonata but this Andante
moderato has charm, is most craftsmanlike and the thematic
implications of its opening bars are full y explored. In his notes
for Alfonso Moreno's recording, Sergio Femândez Bravo sees
the movement as 'like a pavana, lento, solemn, full of reveries
and references to a past steeped in history'.
The third movement, an elegant dance in six/eight time,
includes staccato strummed chords akin to the Aranjuez's
beginning and an opening theme in the spirit of Fantasîapara
un gentilhombre. loe Nickerson, writing for Mariotti's
recording, comments on this 'brilliant modulating Allegro
movement, replete with rasgueado and other percussive
flamenco techniques'.
Sonata giocosa represents a mood of wit and gaiety.
Though satisfyingly structured and technically difficult, the
sonata is not immediate! y dazzling, hence its apparent Jack of
popularity in the concert hall. Despite this severa! guitarists
have recorded it very successfully.
In 1960 Rodrigo composed Tonadilla for two guitars.
This piece has to be mentioned in any context concerning the
composer's total masteryoftheidiomsofthe guitar. Dedicated
to the Presti-Lagoya Duo, Tonadilla is a memorable guitar
composition. Rodrigo provides such variety within the three
movement form that varions other pieces by him may tend to
be eclipsed by its grandeur. The perfect appropriateness of the
duo writing, the high leve! of virtuosity demanded for a
meaningful performance, and the breadth of the sonata-like
structure, reveal Rodrigo at full creative stretch in his finest
guitar work since Tres piezas espaflolas of 1954.

33
 Fortunately such a peak of inspiration within solo guitar
writing was present the following yearin the revision of a piece
drafted sorne tirne earlier. Invocation et Danse (Hommage à
Manuel de Falla) won first prize in the Coupe Internationale de
Guitare (1961), organised by Radio Télévision Française.
Dedicated to Ali rio Diaz, the great Venezuelan guitarist, the
work was published in 1962, edited by Graciano Tarrag6.
Vicente Vaya Pla quotes from an article in the French
periodical, Combat, in honour of the composer:

Hamage to Falla, under the title Invocation et Danse, is a work

full of enchantment, poetry, Mediterranean refinement and
compositional elegance.
Rodrigo makes fun of the Spanish cliché, that source of
easy exoticism. He renders hamage ta Manuel de Falla, a
cultivated artist who knew how ta draw out ofthings, as the
great humorist, Rabelais, advised, the essential substance, but
a/ways with passionate delicacy. 1

VayaPlarernarks how InvocationetDanse 'utilises light

allusions to thernes from Falla, seeking contrasts between the
poetry of the Invocation and the rhythm of the Danse. ' 1
Victoria Karnhi pro vides insight into the background of
the French prize and the rnanner in which the work was
subrni tted:

On our return ta Madrid, we received a communication from

Paris, announcing thatthe ORTF hadsponsored a competition
titled 'the guitar eup' ta award a prize for the best piece
composed for the guitar.
Theorganizer,RobertJ. Vidal, agoodfriendofours, was
pressing Joaqu{n ta present a work, but he told me that he felt
no desire ta write something new for that instrument.

34
 At that point I remembered that Joaquîn had sorne years
before written an inspired work for Regina Sainz de la Maza.
We had no copy of the manuscript, but one was found in
Regino's house. lt was a rough draft in pencil- full ojerrors
- which we had ta pick up ta revise and correct. We were off
andrunning! ...
The work, Invocation et Danse, a tribute ta Manuel de
Falla, was ta the jury's liking, and won the prize. In addition
ta the cash, the prize included a love/y edition of Mistral's
book, Mireille, which we were able ta pick up personally saon
afterward on a trip ta Paris. 2

Confusion arises because of the background to the

publication of this work. Relevant literature on Rodrigo often
gives the yearof composition as 1961. But, as VictoriaKamhi
makes clear, the draftwhich won the competition was arevised
edition of an earlier version. (When precisely the piece was
first begun seems impossible to ascertain.)
The premiere recording by Alirio Diaz was issued on an
·album including performances by the Pomponio-Zarate Duo
and Manuel L6pez Ramas. The Gramophone's reviewer
remarked:

Only a solo, however, in the singular for the Venezuelan

Alirio Diaz: but it turriS out ta be the most rewarding pie ce on
the dise. Joaquîn Rodrigo has already enlivened a sedate
Professorship of the History of Music at Madrid University
with a guitar concerto ofa most individual arder, and he re he
offers a similar solo piece; more of this kind and there will be
hope for guitar solo recitals yet.. .'

Despite such positive comments, the work remained in

35
obscurity for years, hardly everplayed in recitals and arousing
little curiosity. This impasse was resolved in 1983 when
Bream's album included the Aranjuez, Tres piezas espaiiolas
and Invocation et Danse, under the title of Joaqu{n Rodrigo,
Lastofthe SpanishRomantics. The presentauthor's notes on
Invocation et Danse for this release were as follows:

Since 1961 the work has not been played or recorded many
times, main/y because of the immense virtuosity needed ta
interpret such a piece convincingly.
From a subtle opening of harmonies and fragments of
arpeggios, the lnvocationflowers into an intricate pattern of
melody and broken chords in which delicacy of eflect is
matched by clarity and complexity.
The dance which follows is the Andalusian Polo, a
reminder perhaps of the last song of Falla's Siete canciones
populares espafiolas. Ajter the rhythmic twenty opening bars,
the Danse develops into passages of demanding tremolo and
brilliant showers of demisemiquavers, the tremolo returning
eventuallyinanextendedsection. The Dansecloseswithsparse
harmonies, a reference ta a theme from Falla' s ballet, El A mor
Brujo (Love the Magician), and a final murmuring arpeggio.
ft is in its structure and shifts ofmood a remarkable example
ofRodrigo's imagination.

Prior to Bream's high profile interpretation sorne artists

had also recorded the work, including Hubert Kappel (1980),
Peter McCutcheon (1981), and Kazuhito Yamashita (1981),
but their performances did not attract much cri ti cal attention.
ReviewingBream 's album in Gramophone, John Duarte wrote:

The best of Rodrigo seems ta have been neglected and

this is the first recording of Invocaci6n y danza ta come my
36
way, though it was written in 1961; a strongly atmospheric
work whose difficulty has helped ta keep it out of the concert
halls until recent/y, performance levels having risen sharply.4

Bream's album brought about an enduring awakening

of interestin the work. For many his interpretation re mains the
supreme statement even though a considerable number of
recordings have followed Bream's precedent.
Mikulka's album contained an interesting note by
Antonio Ruiz-Pipa:

It is certain/y one of Rodrigo's most beautijul and inspired

pieces. The introduction, with its air ofmystery, evokes a sense
of expectation like that provided by the twelve strokes of the
bell inFalla's El Amor Brujo. In addition the inclusion of the
Polo rhythm inspired by the Canci6n del fuego fatuo (El Am or
Brujo) and the introduction of a general atmosphere of
improvisation, with tremolos à la Tarrega, broken chords and
very jree harmonies, make this piece one of the rare works by
Rodrigo which does not use procedures from other guitar
works by the composer of the Aranjuez Concierto.

Presumably theslightsting in the tai! of this is essentially

a compliment on the originality of the work rather than an
implicit criticism. That there should be interrelationships of
'procedures' from one piece to another should not be en tire! y
to the disadvantage of a prolific composer such as Rodrigo.
(Many composers, of course, barrow 'procedures' from
themselves, imitate their own work, and produce similarities
within separate works, Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert being
examples of the occasional excellence of such a practice.)
Manuel Barrueco's recording (1987) contained useful
notes by ManfredDahmeron the emotional effect of the piece:

37
 A tense atmosphere builds up in the 'invocation' with
bell-like flageolets, imploring tremoli and urgent arpeggio
repetitions: the longed-for release and fu/filment then seems to
come with the dance, atfirst simple, then intensified by virtuoso
tremoli.

Nicola Hall became one of the youngest guitarists to

record the work after studio sessions on 2 and 3 May, 1993, at
the age of twenty-four. ln his notes to her recording Colin
Cooper raised important questions about the text of the work:

Interestingly, no two guitarists seem to play the same

version, note for note. Nicola Hall has developed her version
from the edition by Alirio Diaz, but the composer' s original
(and well-nigh unplayable) score is now available in a printed
edition, and as ifthat were not enough, the composer's first
draft (made at the piano) has been brought in. lt could seem
confusing, but since no two performances of anything are
identical, perhaps it ali adds to the pleasure of the sheer
unpredictability of music.

Nicola Hall had presumably been helped by her teacher,

John Williams, in selective editing of the score. Williams,
writing notes for his own recording ( 1992), had commented
that 'it is the original edition, with small amendments, that I
play, and not the heavily altered later version'.
Pepe Romero's definitive edition of Invocaciôn y danza,
(pub!. Ediciones Joaqufn Rodrigo, 1993), may finally resolve
the matter of which appropriate text to perform or amend.
Further comments from Colin Cooper on the Rodrigo
family's publishing activities and problems of the score of
Invocaciôn y danza provide the essential background:

38
 It is only comparative/y recent/y thal Cecilia Rodrigo,
with commendable initiative and enormous energy, has been
able to devote time to the promotion of her father's music.
To thal end she has formed her own publishing company
- Ediciones Joaquîn Rodrigo - and has begun the lengthy and
often tedious pro cess ofretrieving the various copyrights from
other publishers, sorne ofwhom have not be en able to maintain
her father's work in print. This venture has brought her into
contact with more guitarists, and she is impressed by the
network through which information is disseminated.
'Everyone knows one another, and everyone knows the
music,' as she put it. lt is this unstructured but complex
organisation thal has enabled the first but unpublishedversion
of lnvocaci6n y danz.a to be performed by numero us guitarists
despite the differences from the published version.
Rodrigo himself prefers the original version; and his
daughter would like it to be publicly known. How many
guitarists can actually play the first version (it is widely held
to have sorne impossible things in it) is another matter.5

Thus one ofRodrigo's greatest guitar solos finally came

through to achieve the recognition it deserves after severa!
years in the wilderness. lnvocaci6n y danza is one of his most
complex and demanding pieces. Like Tres piezas espafiolas,
it has at last been acknowledged as one of the outstanding
achievements of the 20th century solo repertoire.

39
Chapter 7. Tres pequeiias piezas, Sonata a la espaiiola

Following the prolific creativity of Rodrigo's guitar

writing between 1954 and 1961, it is not surprising if the
quantity of material began to !essen thereafter. As al ways it
must be remembered that Rodrigo remained the pre-eminent
national composer of Spain, and his activities were continually
at full stretch to produce an enormous range for orchestra,
stage, choir, ballet, instrumental music, concertos, etc.
ln 1962, for example, Rodrigo also wrote Estudiantina,
La bella durmiente (a ballet), and La grotte (voice and piano).
The following year he composed Cânticos nupciales (three
sopranos and organ), Dos poemas (voice and flute), Seis arias
de El hijo fingido (voice and piano), and Sones en la Giralda
(harp and orchestra).
Tres peque11as piezas, edited by Regina Sainz de la
Maza, were published in 1963. The first piece is a setting of a
carol, Ya se van los pastores (There go the Shepherds),
(dedicated to Heitor Villa-Lobas). The tune is reconstructed
over fragmented angular ostinatos, throwing the simplicity of
the original into a context of dissonance and disturbance. The
familiar suddenly becomes threatening.

40
 Por caminos de Santiago (Along the Roads of Santiago),
marked adagio, begins with split intervals and repetitive
phrases. Theeffectisof dislocation andestrangement, butwith
nostâlgico written undemeath the stave, as if Rodrigo is
thinking back to a time when music could be otherwise, singing
a sweeter, Jess startling language.
Pequefla sevillana is qui te different. Without an atonal
care in the world and with a vintage lento e cantabile middle
section, this is a most charming miniature and a memorable
encapsulation of the spirit of a flamenco dance, the sevi/lanas.
The titlemeans 'a young girl from Seville' and Peter Sensierin
notes for Carlos Bonell 's recording commented how the piece
'evokes the pertness and grace of the girls of Seville'.
The composer wrote his own comments for Pepe
Romero's recording (1981):

These are three easy pieces, as the title suggests, and they have
a distinct Spanish sound, manifest in the Pequefia sevillana or
the old romancillo with vague reminiscences and echoes ofthe
way to Santiago. ltis important thatthe complicated technique
of the guitar should pause in its progress for a while so asto
encourage young guitarists.

Though technically simpler than many of Rodrigo's

solos, Tres piezas pequefias are rarely studied by young
guitarists, but would, without doubt, provide useful items in
any intermediate player's repertoire.
This little triptych is often broken up for purposes of
performance, whether in recital or for recordings. Carlos
Bonell plays Ya se van los pastores and Pequefia sevi/lana in
company with Fandango ( 1986), while Yepes selects on! y the
first twoofthe set. Certain! y the three pieces havefew organic
relationships in terms of a suite, being yoked together possibly

41
more for publishing convenience than for reasons of artistic
unity.
Rodrigo tumed his attention over the next phase of his
creativity to sorne large scale guitar works. Two concertos of
the 1960's developed from his close musical relationship with
Los Romeros.
Concierto andaluz (four guitars and orchestra), written
1967, was premiered in San Antonio, Texas, the following
year. Concierto madrigal (two guitars and orchestra), was
composed in 1968 and premiered by Angel and Pepe Romero
at the Hollywood Bowl, 30 July, 1970, with the Los Angeles
Symphony Orchestra undertheconductor, Rafael Frühbeckde
Burgos. Raymond Calcraft gi ves more detailed information on
the genesis of this work:

The ide a for a concerto for two guitars was suggested ·to
Rodrigo in the early 1960's by the husband and wife guitar
duo, Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya. The title, according to
Vayd Pla was initially to be Concierto para una virreina de
Espafia. Work on the concerto was well advanced when Ida
Presti, whom the Rodrigos had known since she was 12, died
suddenly at the age ofonly 42. When Rodrigo took up the work
again sorne time later, its new and definitive title had become
Concierto madrigal.
The music was finished in early 1966, but the work had
to wait untill970 for its first performance. 1

The process suggested here is of the composer returning,

(as had happened with lnvocaciôn y danza), to music started
sorne time before, to be revived and completed in the fullness
of time. This can make dating of compositions difficult. But
in terms of writing for the guitar, in one genre or another,
Rodrigo was clearly exceptionally busy during these years.

42
 In 1968 severa! bread-and-butter arrangements of the
adagio of the Aranjuez (entitled Aranjuez, ma pensée) were
published, including one for solo guitar, as weil as others for
voice and guitar, and pianoforte. This simple distillation of the
theme from the slow movement of the Aranjuez proved
irresistible to a wide range of recording musicians, many of
them in a world very distant from the ethos of the classical
guitar fratemity.
In 1969, Sonataa la espaiiola was published, dedicated
to Ernesto Bitetti. This is in three movements -Allegro assai,
Adagio and Allegro moderato (Tiempo de bolero). Rodrigo
commented:

There are many instances, using a variety ofinstruments,

where 1 have used sonata form. 1 can quo te as examples the
Sonata pimpante for violin and piano, the Sonata a la breve for
cello, the Cinco Sonatas de Castilla for piano, and the two
sonatas for guitar, Sonata giocosa and Sonata a la espafiola.
The appendage, a la espafiola must be regarded as a slight
touch of irony - irony which is emphasised in the bolero, for
example. This sonata is styled in a classical mould and its
technique is on a moderate leveZ. 2

Sonata a la espaiiola is a workofRodrigo's late maturity

founded on his deep understanding of the gui tar. The vision of
Spain within this composition is light and fresh, not moody or
given to introversion. The opening movement demonstrates
the utmost economy of means. A rising single line of melody
recalls the flamenco guitar, broken by a rasping two-note
discord, D sharp and E. lt is only half-way through the piece
that Rodrigo allows the use of four-note chords. The
development is very brief before the recapitulation and a
section which might be termed codetta.

43
 The adagio is in AlBIA form. The A section again uses
the minimum of rnaterial, a srnall vocabulary of discords
contrasted against Aranjuez-like bass patterns. The B section
has flowing arpeggios with unusually placed accents and a
pleasant little therne in the treble before the A section returns.
The bolero of the last rnovernent is one of Rodrigo' s
finest miniatures and perhaps indebted to Pequeiia sevillana.
Vigorous strurnrned chords contrast with single line sections,
which include sorne of his characteristic triplet passages. The
tight organisation of this rnovernent functions adrnirably and
provides a most satisfying conclusion.
Once again this is not a sonatain the sense of an extended
musical experience dernanding full intellectual and ernotional
engagement. As with Sonata giocosa, this work lies within the
genre of sonatina which by definition should not perhaps be
taken too seriously (bence Rodrigo's own comment about the
iron y of the title a la espaiiola ). From such a di verse composer
itis not to be expected thateach excursion into creativity is an
investigation of the sublime. This sonata is a walk through a
Spanish village, a light-hearted stroll with the rnerest glanees
at the picturesque grave yard illurninated by the bright sun. The
adagio rnayofferahintofpathos butits lyrical song dispels too
intense a rnelancholy.
Sonata a la espaiiola has been recorded by at !east half
a dozen artists but is ali too rare! y played in public. It deserves
a greater exposure for its very title reveals the nature of its
inspiration. When performed in a recital it offers both player
and audience pure enjoyrnent and sings throughout with the
natural Spanish voice of the instrument.

44
Chapter 8. Elogio de la guitarra

The 1970's can be seen with hindsight as a crucial

watershed in thehistoryoftheclassical gui tar. Many significant
solos werecomposed and published during these years, mainly
inspired by Julian Bream, and had the effect of shifting the
direction of the guitar recital towards a more contemporary
repertoire.
The new pieces included Lennox Berkeley's Theme and
Variations(1970),MalcolmAmold'sFantasy(1971), William
Walton's Five Bagatelles (1971), and Hans Werner Henze's
Royal Winter Music ( 1976). Composers were now encouraged
to attempt substantial structures for the instrument rather than
the production of short impressionistic works so common
hitherto. The time was ripe for ambitious projects moving the
gui tarforward into a new era, everfurther away from Segovia 's
concepts of concert programming.
Rodrigo seems also to have been influenced by the
progressive spirit of the time though he was not (unlike
Wallon) new to the process of discovering the joys of the solo
guitar. By the age of three score years and ten, Rodrigo had
delved deeply into the instrument's resources for over forty
years, and was full y in possession of a unique compositional
range of techniques characteristically his own.
Elogio de la guitarra (ln Praise of the Guitar) (1971)
represents Rodrigo's contribution to the new era. Published in
1971 by Bèrben, it was the first of his works to be included in
the adventurous publishing series, Collezione di Music he per
Chitarra, directed by Angelo Gilardino.

45
 Most of the works throughout the series were dedicated
to Gilardino, the ltalian composer and teacher, and Elogio de
la guitarra was no exception. According to a brief avvertenza
at the front of the edition, the structure of sorne difficult
passages in Rodrigo's text had 'induced' Gilardino 'to realize
solutions in my opinion more profitable- from the instrumental
point of view'.
Thus at given points an alternative version is included
above the score. Such amendments are for the instrumentalist' s
benefit, including re-voicings of awkward chords, raising
passages an octave, in this way avoiding unnecessary technical
complications which might impede the flow of the music. lt is
a fine example of scrupulous editing for the highest artistic
motives.
Elogio de la guitarra, in three movements lasting over a
quarter of an hour, is a virtuoso work of great charm and
momentum. Rodrigo supplied a commentary:

My intention was to demand a precise and infallible

technique of the guitarist, as weil as a profound sensitivity to
the frameworkand thematicsofthe music. l have composed my
'challenge' to the guitarist, starting rather comfortably with
the 'sonata' form.
The .firstmovement, Allegro, is made up oftwo parts: the
.firstis a chordal progression embellished by sc ale triplets and
passages. Tt leads to a melodie theme which combines at the
end of the movement with the chordal writing.
The second movement, Andantino, has a more serene
char acter and evokes an ancient Castilian cathedral. The .firm
resonances ofthe harmonicchords underline the two themes of
a distant Gregorian chant. The .first the me of the chant ends in
a calm series of chords that lead to the second theme in
arpeggios. These chords help reach the essence of the theme.

46
The second movement is based on the harmonie register of the
guitar.
The third movement, Allegro, begins with live/y triplet
figures and is developed in extended passages of scales, such
as those previously heard in the first movement. The second
part (indicated più allegro) is characterized by rapid patterns,
which require great virtuosity and lead to a conclusion of
sharp contrasts, with notes executed by the left hand a/one,
which are repeated by the performer as he strikes the guitar's
wood with his right hand. 1

Victoria Kamhi added a few thoughts:

Joaqufn Rodrigo has managed to enclose in his composition

the brilliant possibilities of classical guitar music, as weil as
the diabolical requirements made of its player, due to the
characteristics of this instrument.'

The technical demands of this work are formidable but

surely not more so than those that confront the performer of
Invocaci6n y danza, Tres piezas espaiiolas, or the Aranjuez.
The first movement's opening bars show Rodrigo's
delight in descending triplets, flamenco-like scale passages,
and the wrong note chords found in many of his solo pieces.
The second the me has an inner chordal accompaniment rather
like sections of Fandango, and features a melody over an
accompaniment of common chords such as C major, A minor
(first inversion), G major (second inversion), etc. This section
is followed by an imaginative passage (Page 9 in the Bèrben
score) of descending scales in triplets and two-part writing
with wide jumping intervals before the first theme returns.
The second movement represents Rodrigo at his most
economical. The Castilian cathedal and Gregorian chant

47
elements are reminiscent of Albéniz's Côrdoba. The natural
harmonies are deployed here as neutra! bell-like chants, rather
than being woven into a melodie statement. The chords (when
they arrive), are also sparsè, moving from three-part to four-
partharmony only as the movement progresses, and from there
to fullerfive and six note chords before the retum of the simple
harmonie effects on adjacent strings at the twelfth position.
The final movement is a delightful composition, which
could stand on its own as a recital item. Rodrigo uses the
familiar ingredients of triplets, scale passages, wrong note
chords and descending patterns of intervals. The structural
links between this and the firstmovementarefirmlyestablished
throughout.
The più allegro offers a change in texture and mood
requiring dexterity and attack. Here a theme enters over a
chordal accompaniment, imitating the techniques of the first
movement. The golpes sul ponticello (tapping on the bridge)
are like the last beats of a dying pulse, an unexpectedly
poignant ending after a display of vi gour and momentum.
In recording terms, the piece is clearly on the ascendent
with fine interpretations by Lendle, Bottinelli, Angel Romero,
Eduardo Isaac, etc. I t is to be expected that more young
guitarists will take up Rodrigo's 'challenge' in the near future
for this is a work requiring a big technique which can thrill
audiences.

48
Chapter 9. Pâjaros de primavera

ln 1972 Rodrigo wrote Danza de la amapola (Poppy

Dance) for piano, dedicated to Cecilita, his six year old grand-
daughter. This contains elements of the zapateado and the
fandango, and though concise, lasting only aminuteand ahalf,
is technically quite demanding. The only other item in the
catalogueforthatyearisPâjarosdeprimavera(BirdsofSpring)
for guitar. It was as if Rodrigo was resting after the enormous
expenditure of creative energies of the 1960's when over
twenty-five substantial works were written.
Pâjaros de primavera is dedicated para la Sra. Take
Takahashi, the wife of Dr. lsao Takahashi, an oculist and
promoter of the guitar in Japan, who had spent eight years in
Lambarene withA!bertSchweitzer. VictoriaKamhi has set the
background for this piece:

From our jirst meeting we formed a jirm friendship. On this

occasion he was accompanied by his wife, Take ....As the door
leading to the terrace was open, we could see flocks of swifts,
swooping and dar ting inincessantjlight, uttering the ir cheerful
calls.
"How beautiful!" exclaimed Take, marvelling. "Why
doesn 't Maestro Rodrigo write a work which would reflect the
flight ofthese love/y birds, a symbol of spring?"
"Nothing easier," replied Joaqufn, smiling, "It will be
a pie ce for the guitar, and 1 will dedicate it to you."
"Magnijicent! Then the premiere will be in Tokyo, and
on that occasion, we invite you to visit our country." 1

49
 Three years after the visit, Rodrigo sent the score to
Tokyo. By then Mrs Takahashi wasterrninally ill with cancer,
though she heard the piece from her hospital bedon the eve of
her death:

Dr. Takahashi also kept his ward, and through his

initiative, we were bath engaged by the impresario Tetsuyi
Matsuoka ta make a concert tour of lapan. When, in every
concert, we listened ta this inspired piece played by the
guitarist, Parkening, our hearts were fi/led with sadness. 1

The piece was premiered in Japan on 9 June, 1972, and

published by UMP, Madrid, the following year.
Pâjaros de primavera evokes the flight of the swifts in
a weil crafted composition of three to four minutes duration.
The fluttering movements of birds are created at the outset by
acciaccaturas appended to the first note of a series of four note
repeated phrases in a brief Allegro non troppo. This gives way
to a poignant Poco più lento, marked cantabile, broken into by
sonorous ascending chords. The acciaccaturas return for a f ew
moments, as indeed does the Poco più lento, until the intro-
duction of a tremolo section.
Rodrigo is rarely an enthusiast for prolonged tremolo
effects, and here saon interrupts such patterns with rapid rising
and falling scale figurations. Finally a coda provides sorne
fleeting glimpses of the opening themes, with more plaintive
acciaccaturas as the birds fly away. lt is a composition full of
concentration and delightful effects, with Rodrigo in his most
lyrical mood.
This was the composer's last piece for guitar for five
years. ln the interim he wrote a steady quantity of music
including Dos canciones para cantar a los nifios ( 1973) (for
voice and piano), Atardecer (1975) (for piano, four hands),

50
Pasodoble para Paco Alea/de (1975) (for wind band), and
Sônnica, la cortesana (1975) (music for the stage).
In 1976 Rodrigo composed A la busca del mas alla (ln
Search of the Beyond), a symphonie poem for orchestra,
dedicated to the astronauts. This followed a visit to the
headquarters of the space agency, NASA, Texas. Sorne years
laterthe HoustonSymphony Orchestrainvitedhim to compose
something in honour of the Bicentennial of lndependence
celebrations, and Rodrigo opted to write a work inspired by the
exploration of space. (lt was eventuall y premiered on 27 and 28
March, 1978).
Raymond Calcraft, in the preface to the miniature score,
writes:

Atfirst sight, it is perhaps surprising that a composer sa

steeped in the art, history and traditions of his native country
should choose ta write an extended orchestral work on such an
unrelated subject as man's wish ta explore space. Familiarity
with more ofRodrigo's production than just the popular guitar
works, however, leads one ta understand why the subject of A
la busca del mas alla should have appealed ta him.
The sense of mystery inherent in this theme had been
expressed severa/ times before in Rodrigo's work - the /ost
Moorish civilization of Seville in the first part of Soues en la
Giralda, the soul's search for Gad in Cantico de la es posa, the
magical evocation of day break and lands cape in the Pastoral
movement of the Concierto madrigal. At the heart of ali these
works, as in A la busca de mas alla, is ajundamental humanity
that seeks a/ways ta place man in close and meaningful
relationship ta whatever mysteries he may perceive in either
/ife or the world about him. 2

lt is al ways useful for those of us who enthusiastically

51
seek the joys of Rodrigo's guitar compositions to be reminded
of the enormous cul tura! hinterland which lies behind ali his
music. Raymond Calcraft perhaps expresses a slight rebuke
for th ose who know 'just the popular guitarworks '. Rodrigo's
solo guitar pieces remain but one area (though extensive and
central to the man) of a prolifically creative lifetime. The
serious listener should certainly try to understand the total
canvas of his art by listening to as much as possible of
Rodrigo' s music. Throughoutthese pages, an attempt has been
made to point to the existence of that immense panorama
beyond our immediate focus.

52
Chapter 10. Dos preludios, Trîptico

The year following A la busca del mas alla was very

productive. ln 1977, Rodrigo wrote Concierto pastoral (flute
and orchestra, commissioned by James Galway), Sonata a la
breve (cello and piano) and Sonatina para dos mufle cas (piano,
four hands).
He also made a triumphant return to the solo guitar with
Dos preludios, (ed. Celedonio Romero, pub!. by Editions Max
Eschig as Deux Préludes 1978). These were first recorded by
Wolfgang Lendle in March, 1988 and the unprepared listener
might be in for something of a surprise.Lendle describes the
first Preludio as a 'cantabile piece with impressionistically
undulating accompaniment', and the second as 'a dance-like
piece with the character of a malagueîia'. What he does not
mention is the virtuosity required to perform Dos preludios at
ali.
Preludio I deploys a complex accompaniment pattern,
snaking across the six strings of the guitar and covering the
range of the fingerboard. To this is added a cantabile melody
li ne, the texture being al most Chopinesque in the independence
of the two strands of music. The melody gravitates towards
flourishes of demisemiquavers, pauses to talee breath by way of
sorne chords plus a rapid scale passage, and concludes with a
brief recapitulation of the theme. The key is fundamentally D
minor, but the inclusion of lower open strings set against the B
flat gives a shimmering modal fee!. It is a work of fine
imaginative power and deserves our close attention.

53
 Preludio II (Allegro), is also very demanding, involving
Rodrigo's restless scampering scale passages in triplets, lively
malagueiia rhythms, and a section reminiscent of Invocaciôn
y danza with a folk melody in the bass against a repeated chard
on the top three strings. When this folk theme recurs, it
undergoes sorne ingenions modulation. This is followed by
passages of downward triplets and demisemiquavers of great
velocity and sorne astonishing four note chords. The latter are
first played as ordinary plucked chords and then strummed in
continuons rasgueado for the length of two bars. The piece
ends with a recapitulation of rapid triplets, high chords, the
melody in the bass, and more rasgueados at the end.
Lendle offers a brilliant performance of an exhilarating
composition. Dos preludios complementeach other perfectly
and should surely gain more popularity over the years in that
process of slow propagation among players which Rodrigo's
music seems to induce, like vintage port becoming more
palatable and more precious with the passing of lime.
ln 1978, according to the catalogue, Rodrigo composed
only one work, Trîptico (Preludio, Nocturno and Scherzino)
(dedicated to Alexandre Lagoya, pub!. Scholl, Guitar Archive
No. 492, 1985). Lagoya recorded Trfptico in October 1979, the
notes mentioning thal the 'evocative and impressionistic
Nocturno is flanked either si de by rhythmic miniatures painted
in primary colours'.
The opening Preludio is a ki nd of exploration of the first
four chords of Fandango, the little tune being subjected to
rasgueado treatment with episodes of cascades of falling
intervallic patterns and demisemiquaver arpeggios, with the
retum of ail these elements during the course of the piece. But
despite the echoes of a distinguished antecedent, the Preludio
remains itself, imbued with Rodrigo's trademarks. Il is as if,
from a distance of many years, he looks back affectionately at

54
an earlier work, refers to it, and develops sorne new idea
implicit in the original.
Nocturno, marked Molto adagio, is, in contrast to the
exuberance of the other movements, reflecti ve and inward. lt
is very much the work of an artist contemplating !ife with
serenity and no urgency. But there is much poignancy and weil
defined emotion here, and it is, perhaps, a piece which could
easily stand on its own in a recital.
Rodrigo's sense of humour, (a feature we should not
overlook in his music), is also there in the Scherzino, marked
Allegro vivace. This makes a reference to the guitarpartofbars
19 to 24 in the first movement of the Aranjuez, the little bass
theme played with the bassoon, punctuated by big orchestral
chords. After a jocular introduction with a four note theme
repeated across the strings (and a few wrong note chords
thrown in for good measure), the bass theme enters.
Reference is also made to certain rapid scale passages in
the same movement of the Aranjuez while the tune itself is
subjected to skilful development. lt is as if Rodrigo is asking
where the notes will go next. Needless to say, the answers to
any such questions are both surprising and pleasing.

55
Chapter 11. Un tiempo fue Itâlica famosa

After Trîptico (1978), Rodrigo wrote no guitar music

un til Un tiempo fue Itâlica famosa (1980) dedicated to Angel
Ramera (pub!. Schott, G.A. 515, 1989). Though the overall
quantity of his output lessened in this peri ad, he still composed
a work or two each year. The new pieces included, Como una
fantasia( cello, 1979), Preludio yritornello (harpsichord, 1979)
and Uricas castellanas (soprano and instrumental ensemble,
1980). Another project was Concierto como un divertimento
(cella and orchestra), commissioned by Jtùian Lloyd Webber
(1979), and premiered 15 April, 1982.
Around 1980/1981 Rodrigo composed Tres evocaciones
(Ho menaje a Joaqu(n Turina) (piano). This set of impressions
of Seville, reminds us that Turina bad composed descriptive
cycles for piano. Rodrigo's chosen sequence (Tarde en el
parque, Noche en el Guadalquivir and Maiiana en Triana)
also recalls Debussy's Ibéria (for orchestra) with its three
chronological sections (Par les rues et par les chemins, Les
parfums de la nuit and Le matin d'unjour de fête).
Thus Rodrigo, in his goldenlndian summer, reflected on
Turina, one of Spain's greatest composers, and Debussy, of
whom Falla bad written:

Without knowing Spain, or without having set foot on Spanish

ground, Claude Debussy has written Spanish music ... Debussy,
who did not actually know Spain, spontaneously, I dare say
unconsciously, created such Spanish music as was to arouse
the envy of many who knew her only too weil. 1

56
 Rodrigo's reaching out to the past, for emotional and
intellectuallinks with the traditions from which he drew his
strength, coincided with a deep depression. Victoria Kamhi
wrote:

But Joaquîn was depressed and gloomy, and nothing could

distract him. His creative work had stagnated during the last
months.'

We are not told how long this endured. But certain! y the
theme of Un tiempo fue ltdlica Jamosa (Once upon a ti me
Italica was famous) contains a reference to his own declining
years, as weil as a hark:ing back to an ancient civilisation and
the passing of empires, mutability and the fading glory of ali
human endeavour.
The significance of the title depends on the listener
knowing about the existence of Italica, a historical site a few
kilometres north-westof Seville. This was a Roman town built
by ScipioAfricanus in 206 B.C. for the veterans of the Second
Punie War and became the birthplace of the Emperors Trojan,
Hadrian and Theodosius. In the 2nd century Italicareached its
peak of fame and development but was pillaged in the barbarian
invasions of the 5th century and ravaged further during the
Moorish invasions.
Sorne of the raw materials of the old town were used to
build Seville. The site today has a paved street system, the
remains of the city gate, a forum, a mosaic floor, and an
amphi theatre that once had a seating capacity of over 30,000.
Un tiempo fue ltdlica famosa is a superb solo, deeply
impassioned, virtuosic in its demands on the performer and
drawing on the emotional intensity and guitar techniques
associated with flamenco. The piecedivides into two sections,
Lento/Allegretto and Allegro moderato (ritmico) with a reprise

57
of the first section as a coda. The Lento has elements of
tarantas (the flamenco song from the mining areas of Spain),
and a multiplicity of rapid scales. The Allegretto assumes a
chordal texture, fierce repetitive discords exuding a kind of
savage and regretful nostalgia before further clusters of scales
and arpeggios.
The Allegro moderato evokes the sevi/lanas, and its
characteristic blend of strummed chords and single note
passages. The finale is particularly demanding with scale runs
of extraordinary velocity.
This is a strong and mysterious work, full of fire and
sombre sounds which recall Lorca's duende, intense with
darkness, confronting the deepest and most tragic feelings of
humanity:

'Ali that has dark sounds has duende. 'And there is no

greater truth.
These 'dark sounds' are the mystery, the roots thrusting ·
into the fertile loamknown to ali of us, ignored by ali of us, but
from which we get what is real in art...
...lt is not a matter of ability, but of real live form; of
blood; of ancient culture; of creative action ...
The duende, on the other hand, does not appear ifit sees
no possibility of de ath, if it does not know that it will haunt
death's house ... 3

Un tiempo jùe Italica famosa confronts many dark

emotions, including the mysteries of ti me and death. Beneath
the surface of the music a phantasmagoria is hidden as past and
present merge in the act of musical creation.

58
Chapter 12. Dos pequenas fantas{as

Following his eightieth birthday in 1981, Rodrigo still

had sorne surprises in store. The great harvest had not ceased
despite persona! crises and the vicissitudes of old age. In 1982
he wrote Concierto para unafiesta for guitar and orchestra, his
first concerto for solo gui tar sin ce the Aranjuez. The new work
was commissioned by William and Carol McKay of Fort
Worth, Texas, for their daughters, Alden and Lauri, and
premiered privately on 5 March, 1983, with Pepe Romero and
the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, conducted by John
Giordano.
Another composition in 1982 was Serenata al alba del
d{a (Serenade to the Dawn), for flute and guitar, dedicated to
Jiri Knobloch (pub!. Schott, G.A, No. 489). This was an
unexpected bonus for the flute/guitar repertoire and was
gratefully seized on by leading recitalists and recording artists
in this field.
Between 1982 and 1987 the catalogues show a gap when
no works were composed until in 1987 the silence was broken
by a number of pieces for voice and piano, solo piano, and two
guitar works. One of these late piano solos was Preludio de
anoranza (commissioned by the Isaac Albéniz Foundation to
mark the centenary of the birth of Arthur Rubinstein, the great
pianist). The workis afascinating indication of thecomposer's
thoughts and feelings at the time.

59
 Gregory Allen and Linton Powell commented:

Preludio de afioranza (Nostalgie Prelude) is the most

recent ofRodrigo's piano works, written in 1987. lts slender,
childlike thematic material includes a poignant reminiscence
of a nursery tune; the emotional tone, however, is untypically
vulnerable and melancholy, seemingly expressive of sorne
deep regret of the composer's advancing age. 1

Sorne of this nostalgia is also evident in Dos pequefias

fantasias (Two Little Fantasias) entitled Qué buen caminito!
(What a Good Little Raad!) and Ecos de Sefarad (Echoes of the
Sephardic). This publication should sadly be regarded as
Rodrigo's swan song in terms of the guitar.
Thefirst pieceisaretum to therhythrns and moodsofthe
sevillanas, but unexpectedly marked andante, not allegro. For
this is sevillanas recollected in tranquillity, a memory of dance
and movementrather than an evocation offiesta energy. In the
opening bars, strummed chords of E minor are superimposed
on a pedal noteofD beforemoving to achard of G (avera pedal
noteE), the pedal notes chiming harshly against the fifth of the
chard in a typical Rodrigo discord. The pedals move to B and
B minorchords, and F sharp, before dissolving away into those
familiar descending triplets which the composer used so often
as acharacteristicflourish. Inahighregister, thechords retum,
each time giving way to triplet runs until a kind of coda
completes this section with the tonality hovering between G
major and G minor.
A middle section, marked Allegro, with a key signature
ofB minor, still uses the pedal points, but this time in arpeggio
patterns. The ti me signature has shifted from three/four to six/
eight, and once again the strummed chords return, (moving
from A to the dominant seventh chard of A, and back again).

60
Sorne anguished modulalary passages in single note scale runs
lead us eventually to the key of E minor/G major where things
be gan.
The musical substance of the opening page is now
developed, with chords leaping from G major to B major and
back a gain in bold col ours. After further tri pl et runs, the chord
passages are not as we heard before (two note sequences in
sixths) but three part chords at first comprising the intervals of
a minor seventh and a perfect fourth. The three part chords are
themselves separaled by Aranjuez -like triplets, though ruoving
at andante pace.
The fantasia ends with the reprise of the Allegro, making
thisanA:B:A:B type of structure. Thechordsin this section are
at first six note chords (contrasted against scalic passages), the
six/eight rhythms having a special sad energy in a vivid coda.
Ecos de Sefarad refers in i ts tille and melodie li nes to the
Sephardic Jews of !beria. The Jewish population, after many
persecutions, were given the option by Ferdinand and Isabella
on 31 March, 1492 to be baptised orto leave the country, a
move which irreparably damaged both the Spanish economy
and culture. ln parti cul ar, musical historians have emphasised
the rich Hebraic effect on the Andalusian cante jondo, and
Gilbert Chase states thal there was 'unquestionably a
considerable Jewish influence in Moslem Spain' .2 Des pite the
decisions of 1492, such influences continued to enrich Spanish
music for centuries.
Rodrigo had written Cuatro canciones sefard(es (Four
Sephardic Songs) for voice and piano in 1965, with anonymous
texts adapted by Victoria Kamhi. (These have been recorded
by Victoria de los Angeles and others.)
Ecos de Sefarad, for guitar, is marked Allegro moderato
but with words underneath the stave asking for espressivo e
nostdlgico. The pieceopens with Sephardicmelody, exploring
61
scale patterns and quasi-improvisatory associations. These
passages are followed by stark chords, suggesting sorne ki nd of
instrumental accompaniment to the melodies themselves. This
structure continues through the piece, somewhat similar to the
deviees ofvihuela music where single tine effects (redobles)
alternate with chordal passages (consonancias), (cf. page 4).
In the same way as the vihuela masters, Rodrigo reveals
a tendency to shorten note values as he proceeds, moving from
quavers to semiquavers, to demisemiquavers. Before long the
solo settles into a contrasting routine of Sephardic melody,
chordal interludes, and descending scale passages of great
rapidity before a return to the Sephardic element. It may seem
appropriate that Rodrigo's last guitar piece, like his first,
Zarabanda lejana, should recall the world of the vihuela.
In Ecos de Sefarad, the composer uses a tonal and scalic
vocabulary quite different from most of his guitar works,
tending towards the Hebraic, but also rooted in the di atonie and
remaining remote from the usual Phrygian mode of much
Spanish music. The evolving tonalities develop sorne distance
from the home key and in places are resolved enharmonically.
The conclusion is provided by an amazingly straightforward
perfect cadence in the key of C mi nor, an unexpectedly simple
statement at the end of a long raad and, in effect, Joaqufn
Rodrigo's farewell to the guitar.

62
Chapter 13. The Achievement

The intention of this book has been to look at Rodrigo's

solo gnitarmusicand explorenotonlysomeofits qualities but
the extent to which it has been performed and recorded. The
initial premise was that Rodrigo's solo guitar works were for
along period undervalued, and, as wehave seen, itis onlysince
the 1980's that many of them received their share of
performances after years of neglect.
Certainly his guitar pieces have not enjoyed the amount
of popular acclaim accorded to the works of Heitor Villa-
Lobas or Leo Brouwer. Y et Rodrigo's oeuvre has been a vital
area of the repertoire for many decades now, expanding the
technical possibilities and representing, in a unique way, the
contemporary voice of Spain through the national instrument.
In Spanish music of the 19th and earl y 20th centuries a
strange paradox occurs in that the most frequently played
Spanish compositions on the gui tarare those of Albéniz (1860-
1909) and Granados (1867-1916), neither of whom ever wrote
a single note for it.
Similarly, the patriarch of Spanish music this century,
Manuel deFalla(1876-1946), produced on! y one pieceforsolo
guitar, consideredasecond butnevercompleted it, and so now
reaches the guitar through transcriptions from his orchestral
works. The most significant composers from the peninsula, for
a variety of historical reasons, thus found little time for the
guitar as a medium in its own right.

63
 Even Joaqufn Turina (1882- 1949) wrote only a han,cfful '
of pieces for guitar out of his many dozens of comflOsiticms. c
Prominent artists such as Joan Manén (1883-1971), Oscar
Esphi (1886-1976), Federico Mompou (1893-1987), Roberto
Gerhard (1896-1970) and Vicente Asencio ( 1903-1979) failed
to add more than a few excellent miniatures to the guitar
traditions of their country. Anton Garcia Abri! (b. 1933), an
eminent composer of a la ter generation, has also produced two
concertos and severa! solo works.
Only Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982) emerges
(apart from Rodrigo), as a leading Spanish non-guitarist
composer willing to devote his creative energies to the guitar
over many years. In such a historical context the contribution
of Joaqufn Rodrigo to the guitar takes on a heightened
significance.
Moreno Torroba's music undoubtedly represents the
lyrical aspects of the Spanish temperament. He loved the
zarzuelas (the traditional Spanish comicoperettas, ofwhich he
wrote over two dozen) and his guitar pieces reflect many of
their genial characteristics. Rodrigo's guitarmusic,incontrast,
explores a grea ter variety of moods ranging from the lyrical to
the tragic, a spectrum mirrored in his diverse output of other
kinds, such as choral, orchestral, and pianoforte, as weil as in
his numerous concertos for various instruments. But bath of
these prolific Spanish masters sustained a truly long-term
devotion to the guitar.
The longevity of Rodrigo's commitment to the guitar
from Zarabanda lejana (1926) to Dos pequeiias fantasias
(1987), is indeed amostremarkablefeatureofhis creative !ife.
Throughout the years he knew many players and the range of
his dedicatees was exceptionally wide and distinguished,
including Nicolas Alfonso, Siegfried Behrend, Ernesto Bitetti,
Alirio Diaz, Angelo Gilardino, Presti and Lagoya, Emilio

64
Pujol, Manuel Lôpez Ramos, Los Romeros, Regino Sainz de
la Maza, Renata Tarrag6, Luise Walker, and Narciso Yepes, as
well as Andrés Segovia.
Despite his earl y studies in Paris and hu ge international
suc cess over subsequent years, Rodrigo remained, throughout
his career, tru! y Spanish in his approach to the guitar. For him
there were no forays into avant-garde experimentation and he
stayed wellawayfromtheinfluencesofthe Vienneseatonalists.
(Even in such a workasA la busca delmds alld, whereRaymond
Caleraft comments on 'rapid segments' where 'a degree of
complexity is injected in the forrn of atonal allusions',' the
predominant musical language follows traditional tonality
spiced, as ever, with Rodrigo's piquant dissonances.)
Selections from his central guitar masterpieces such as
Zarabanda lejana, En los trigales, Tres piezas espaiiolas,
Tonadilla, Invocaciôn y danza, Elogio de la guitarra, Pdjaros
de primavera and Un tiempo fue Itdlica famosa, demonstrate
that his development in terrns of the guitar was profound,
radical and uniquely original. Within the solo music itself,
leaving aside the prolific quantity of his other works, there is
evidence of many kinds of development- spiritual, technical,
harmonie, and the evolution of instrumental complexity
expressing a variety of emotions through traditional Spanish
forrns.
IfRodrigo's solo guitaroutputhas beenan inwardquest,
it is equally true that his music makes few concessions at any
time to the player's technical abilities. There is no endless
supply of works for novices, designed to catch the pedagogie
market, and no estudios to accelerate the improvement of
students. His pursuit has been to produce expressive and pure
music rather than helping guitarists ascend the steep path to
instrumental virtuosity.
Outside the conservatoires, Rodrigo's guitar music
65
features rarely in the daily diet of student material and is not
often prescribed for examination syllabuses at lower levels.
He has written throughout his career sorne of the most
demanding compositions ever imagined for the solo guitar.
This may explain to sorne extent the gap between the
composition of works and their ultimate acceptance in the
guitar canon, sometimes a decade or more after publication.
lnterviewed in a television programme about his !ife, the
composerreplied modes tl y, '!have achieved something!' The
depths and breadths of that achievement still need to be
confronted by many guitarists, let alone the wider public,
dazzled as many might be by his Concierto de Aranjuez. But
there are many indications that a dialogue about Rodrigo's art
is now thoroughly under way and aficionados of Spanish
culture are seeking out more and more of his music.
Rodrigo' s contribution to the solo guitar repertoire is one
of the most comprehensive of ali 20th century composers.
Gradually, over many years, he has explored the Spanish
nature of the guitar and responded profoundly to a fretted
instrument tradition going back to the 16th century. He has
absorbed within his music many differing strands of Iberian
tradition, such as flamenco and folk song, and variegated
elements from European culture north of the Pyrenees. His
achievement is integral to any understanding of the guitar
repertoire in our century.

66
Appendix 1 -Notes and References
Chapter 1.
1. J.B. Trend, Manuel de Falla and Spanish Music (New York, 1924), pp. 15-16.
2. Manuel de Falla, On Music and Musicians, ed. F. Sopena (London, 1979), pp.
ll0-1ll.
Chapter2.
1. Juan Riera, Emilio Pujol: Prolo go by J. Rodrigo (Lerida, 1974).
2. Victoria Kamhi, Hand in Hand with Joaqu{n Rodrigo, tr. Ellen Wîlkerson
(Pittsburgh, 1992), p. 66.
3. Vicente Vayâ Pla, loaqu{n Rodrigo, su vida y su obra (Madrid, 1977), p. 36.
4. 90 Aniversario, Joaqu{n Rodrigo (Madrid, 1992), pp. 23~25.
5. Kamhi, op. cit, p. 334.
Chapter4.
1. Pla, op. cit., p. 121.
2. Segovia Golden Jubilee, Vol.3 (Brunswick, Mono AXTL 1090), notes.
3. Kamhi, op. cit, p. 334.
Chapter5.
1. Pepe Romero, JoaquînRodrigo, Concertos (Philips 412170-1), notes, p. 4.
2. Luis Seco de Lucena Paredes, Granada (Léon, Spain, 1975), p. 63.
Chapter6.
1. Pla, op. cit., p. 127.
2. Kamhi, op. ci t, p. 200.
3. Malcolm Macdonald, The Gramophone, February 1965, p. 387.
4. John W. Duarte, The Gramophone, July 1983, p. 137.
5. Colin Cooper, 'Joaquîn Rodrigo', Classical Guitar, October 1992, p. 11.
Chapter7.
1. Raymond Calcraf~ Concierto madrigal (Eulenberg Ltd, 1983), Preface, p. vi.
2. Romero recording, op. cit, p. 4.
Chapter8.
1. Kamhi, op. cit., pp. 330-331.
Chapter9.
1. Kamhi, op. cit., pp. 230-231.
2. RaymondCalcraft, A labuscadelmâsalld, (Eulenberg Ltd,1991),Preface, p. vii.
Chapter 11.
1. Manuel de Falla, ed. Sopena, op. cit., pp. 41-42
2. Kamhi, op. cit, p. 272.
3. Lorca, 'The Theory and Function of the Duende', cd. J.C. Gili (London, 1960),
pp. 127-139.
Chapter 12.
1. Gregory Allen &LintonPowell, JoaqufnRodrigo, The Complete Music for Piano
(Bridge Records lnc., BCD 9027A/B, 1991).
2. Gilbert Chase, The Music ofSpain (New York, 1941), p. 224.
Chapter 13.
1. Raymond Calcraft,A labuscadelmdsallâ, (Eulenberg Ltd, 1991),Preface, p. vii.

67
Appendix II - Select Bibliography

Arnau Arno, Joaqufn: La obra de Joaquîn Rodrigo, Colecci6n

Contrapunto, Generalitat V alenciana, 1992.
Calcraft, Raymond: Joaqu(n Rodrigo, catdlo go generaldeobras, Ediciones
Joaqufn Rodrigo, Madrid, 1991.
Calcraft,Raymond:JoaquînRodrigo,catalogocompleto,EdicionesJoaqufn
Rodrigo, Madrid, 1996.
Chase, Gilbert: The Music ofSpain, Dover Publications, New York, 1941.
Iglesias, Antonio: Joaquîn Rodrigo (su obrapara piano). 2nd ed. Editorial
Aipuerto, S. A., Madrid, 1996.
Joaqu(n Rodrigo, 90 Aniversar io, Sociedad General deAutores de Espaila,
Madrid, 1991 (Spanish version) and 1992 (English version).
Kamhi, Victoria: De /amano de JoaqufnRodrigo: Historia de nuestravida,
Fundaci6n Banco Exterior, Madrid, 1986. 2nd ed. Ediciones Joaqufn
Rodrigo, 1995. Hand in Hand with Joaqu(n Rodrigo: My Life at the
Maestro 's Si de, tr. Ellen Wilkerson, Latin American Literary Review
Press, Pittsburgh, 1992.
Marco, Tomas: Spanish Music in the Twentieth Century, tr. Cola Franzen,
Harvard University Press, 1993.
Riera, Juan: Emilio Pujol, Instituto de Estudios llerdenses, Lerida, 1974.
ed. Sopefia, Federico: Manuel de Falla, On Music and Musicians, Marion
Boyars Ltd, London, 1979.
Summerfield, Maurice, J.: The Classical Guitar, Its Evolution, and ils
Players since 1800, 2nd ed. Ashley MarkPublishing Co., Gateshead,1991.
Vaya Pla, Vicente: Joaqu(n Rodrigo: su vida y su obra, Real Musical,
Madrid, 1977.
Wade, Graham: Traditions of the Classical Guitar, John Calder, London,
1980.
Wade, Graham: Joaqu(n Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Mayflower
Enterprises, Leeds, 1985.
Wade, Graham & Garno, Gerard: A New Look at Segovia, His Life, His
Music, Mel Bay Ltd, Missouri, 1996.

68
Appendix III - Discography

The purpose of this discography is to show how Rodrigo's solo

guitar music bas progressed a ver the years in terms of recording popularity.
Readers will no doubt discover inadvertent omissions from the past and the
steady influx of new recordings will saon render these compilations
distinct! y out of date. But a scrutiny of the lists will give more information
about the development of Rodrigo's reputation in the history of the 20th
century repertoire than perhaps any other means.
Dates of therelease of recordings have been given wbere possible.
'Undated' or approximate dates indicate thal the author bas not been able
to find out the year of issue. The steady build-up of recordings on a
chronological basis is one of the most fascinating aspects of guitar
discography. The author apologises to artists or record companies whose
work bas not been included.
G.W.

Marc Jean-Bernard, L'Oeuvre complète pour guitare

Dante LYS D005/6 (1994)

Scott Tennant, The Complete Guitar Works, Vol. 1

GHA 126.026 (1996)

Zarabanda lejana (1926, pub!. 1934)

Andrés Segovia, Brunswick AXTL 1069 (c.1955)
Rey de la Torre, Nonesuch 259 001 (1966)
Oscar Ghiglia, Angel S-36716 (c.1970),
Toribio Santos, Erato ECD 55028 (c.1977)
José Luis Rodrigo, ADCE 171542/8 (undated)
Rafael Iturri, Alpha DB 199 (undated)
Eric Hill, Saga 5482 (1982)
AliceArtzt, HyperionA66146 (1985)
Vladimir Mikulka, Denon OX 7164 ND (c.1985)
Ichiro Suzuki, Camerata CMT 1023 (c.1985)
Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Petr Paul, Bonton 71 0083-2 131 (1993)

69
En los trigales (1938, pub!. 1958)
Laurindo Almeida, Everest3287 (c.1960)
Julian Bream, RCA RB-16239 (1960)
Narciso Yepes, Decca BR 3083 (1961)
Rey de la Torre, Nonesuch 2590-001 (1966)
Narciso Yepes, DG 139366 (1968)
Ernesto Bitetti, Hispavox 130113 (1%9)
Alirio Diaz, Vanguard VSD 71135 (1972)
Renata Tarrag6, GML-2049 (1974)
Alberto Ponce, Arion 30 A 064 (undated, c.1974)
Turibio Santos, Erato ECD 55028 (c.1977)
José Luis Rodrigo, ADCE 171542/8 (undated)
Pepe Romero, Philips 9500 915 (1980)
Julian Byzantine, Classics for Pleasure CFP 40362 (1982)
Eric Hill, Saga 5482 (1982)
Horst Klee, Gema 1190 (1983)
Roberto A ussel, Guitare GHA 5256002 (1985)
John Williams, Sony SK 48480 (1992)
MilanZelenka, Supraphou 111855-21319 (1992)
Alexander-Sergei Ramfrez, Denon CO 75357 (1993)
David Ellis, Highland Park Productions (unnumbered) (1995)
Richard Jacobowski, Gateway CG 6124 (1995)
Agustin Mauri, EMEC 009 (1995)
Vincea McClelland, Coda 9402-1 (1995)
ScottTeuuant, GHA 126.026 (1996)

Tiento antiguo (1947, pub!. 1957)

Pepe Romero, Philips 9500 915 (1980)
Milan Zelenka, Supraphon Il 1855-2 (1992)
Vladislav Blaha, Pehy Records PY 0003-2231 (1994)
Susan McDonald, Mayfly MF 9301 (1994)
Peter Korbel, FSM FCD 97781 (1995)
ScottTennant, GHA 126.026 (1996)

Bajando de la meseta (1954, pub!. 1963)

Nicolas Alfonso, Vega C30 S-121(undated)
Pepe Romero, Philips 9500 915 (1980)
Esteban Bottinelli, Etnos 04-A-XXIX (1985)
ScottTennant, GHA 126.026 (1996)

70
Tres piezas espafiolas (Complete) (1954, pub!. 1963)
Eric Hill, Saga 5482 (1982)
Julian Bream, RCA RL 45548 (1983)
Eduardo Femândez, Decca414161-1 (1986)
Manuel Barmeco, EMI CDC 7 49228 (1987)
Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Kaare Norge, CBS CDCBS 45581 (1988)
Fandango:
Andrés Segovia, Brunswick AXTL 1090 (1959)
John Williams, CBS 72860 (1970)
Turibio Santos, Erato STU 70844 (1974)
Carlos Bonell, Enigma VAR 1015 (1976)
Angel Romero, EMI HQS 1401 (1976)
José Luis Rodrigo, ADCE 171542/8 (undated),
Kazuhito Yamashita,RCA RCL-8386 (1984)
Roberto Aussel, Guitare GHA 5256002 (1985)
Marcelo Kayalh, Hyperiou A66203 (1986)
Tom Kerstens, Conifer CDCF 509 (1989)
Zapateado:
Turibio Santos, Erato STU 70844 (1974)
Roberto Olabarrieta, GML 2038 (1982)
Marcelo Kayath IMP PCD 876 (1991)
Susan McDonald, Mayfly MF9301(1994)
Susan Gisanti, Blaze of Glory Records (unnumbered) ( 1995)

Junto al Generalife (pub!. 1957)

Pepe Romero, Philips 9500 915 (1980)
Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Peter Korbel, FSM FCD 97781 (1995)
ScottTennant, GHA 126.026 (1996)

Entre olivares (1956, pub!. 1957)

Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Vladislav Blaha, Pehy Records PY 0003 -2231 (1994)
ScottTennant, GHA 126.026 (1996)

Sonata giocosa (pub!. 1960)

Alfonso Moreno, Gamma CG 351 (1976)
Vincenzo Macaluso, Klavier KS-552 (1982), (10 string)
Wolfgang Lendle, l.eico 8155 (1984)

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Esteban Bottinelli, Etnos 04-A-XXIX (1985)
Bernard Hebb, Christophorous SCGLX 74016 (1986) (Adagio, Bolero)
Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Deborah Mario tri, Jecklin JS 263-2 (1988)
Scott Tennant, GHA 126.011 (1990)
Stephen Marchionda, Touchmedia4009-2 (1995)

En tierras de Jerez (pub!. 1961)

Esteban Bottinelli, Etnos 04-A-XXIX (1985)
Wolfgang Lendle, Teldec243 717-2 (1988)
Vladislav Blaha, Pehy Records PY 0003-2231 (1994)
Pepe Ramera, Philips 442 150-2 (1994)

Invocaci6n y danza (pub!. 1962)

Alirio Diaz, RCA RB 6599 (1964)
HubertKlippel, Exaudio F667171 (1980)
Peter McCutcbeon, Pro-Culture ADE380 (1981)
Kazuhito Yamas hi ta, RCA RCL 8301(1981)
Julian Brearn, RCA RL45548 (1983)
Susanne Mebes, Satum YA 8202 (1984)
Oscar Ghiglia, ERC 1718 (1985)
KurtRodarner, Nevada Rhodes CRS 1022 (1985)
Vladimir Mikulka, BIS CD 340 (1986)
Manuel Barrueco, EMI CDC 7 49228 2 (1987)
Nereo Dani, Wlûte Studios WS 14750/1 (1987)
Narciso Yepes, DG419 620-2 (1987)
Masuyaki Hirayarna Kata, Disco-Center 66.21537 (c. 1988)
Per Dybro Sorenson, Point PLP (1988)
Sharon Isbin, Virgin Classics VC7 91128-2 (1990)
Reiner Stutz, FSM FCD 97 723 (1990)
Margarita Esearpa, RNE M3/05 (1992)
Joho Williams, Sony SBK 48480 (1992)
Alexander-Sergei Ramîrez, Denon CO 75357 (1993)
Iwan Tanzil, Blackbird BD 40105 (1993)
Nicola Hall, Decca 440 678-2 (1994)
Susan McDonald, Maylly MF 9301 (1994)
Pepe Ramera, Philips 438 016 2 (1994)
Vincea McClelland, Coda 9402-1 (1995)
ScottTenuaut, GHA 126.026 (1996)

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Tres pequeiias piezas ( publ. 1963)
Pepe Ramera, Philips 436 016-2 (1994)
Scott Tennant, GHA 126.026 (1996)
Ya se van los pastores:
Carlos Bonell, Enigma VAR 1015 (1976)
Narciso Yepes, DG 419 620-2 (1987)
Por los caminos de Santiago:
Narciso Yepes, DGH419 620-2 (1987)
Pequefi.a sevillana:
Carlos Bonell, Enigma VAR 1015 (1976)

Sonata a la espatlola (pub!. 1969)

Luise Walker, Supraphon 1111230 (1972) (Adagio, Bolero)
Pepe Ramera, Philips 9500 915 (1980)
Bernard Hebb, Christophorous SCGLX 74016 (1986)
Emesto Bitetti, EMI 7 490502 (1987)
ScottTennant,GHA 126.011(1990)
Stephen Marchionda, Touchmedia4009-2 (1995)

Elogio de la guitarra (1971, pub!. 1971)

WolfgangLeudle,Leico8155 (1984)
Esteban Bottinelli, Etnos 04-A-XXIX (1985)
Angel Ramera, Angel S 37312 (c.1989)
Eduardo Isaac, GHA 126.019 (1991)

Pdjaros de primavera (1972, pub!. 1973)

Scott Tennant, GHA 126.0269 (1996)

Dos preludios (pub!. 1978)

Wolfgang Lendle, Teldec 243 717-2 (1988)
Marc Jean-Bernard, Dante LYS D 005/6 (1994)
Preludio 2:
Esteban Bottinelli, Etnos 04-A-XXIX (1985)

Trfptico (1978,publ.1985)
Alexandre Lagoya, CBS M35857 (1980)
Marc Jean -Bernard, Dante LYS D 005/6 (1994)

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Un tiempo jue Italica famosa (1980, pub!. 1989)
Marc Jean-Bernard, Dante LYS D 005/6 (1994)
Manuel Barrueco, EMI CDC 7544562 (1996)

Que buen caminito! (1987, publ. 1992)

Marc Jean-Bernard, Dante LYS D 005/6 (1994)

Other Pieces

Tonadilla (1960, pub!. 1964)

Presti-Lagoya, Philips 6504 020 (c. 1962)
Sergio & Eduardo Abreu, Classics S 61262 (1971)
Turibio Santos & Oscar Câceres, Erato STU 70794 (1973)
Frankfurt Guitar Duo, Solist 1184 (1983)
Stephen Novacek & Gary Bis siri, Ambasssador ARC 1005 (1983)
Sergio & Odair Assad, GHA 5256001 (1984)
Barbara Richter & Dieter Rustig, Eterna 8 27630 (1986) (Mvts 2&3)
Donald Wilson & Peter McAllister, Fanfare DFL 8012X (1986)(Allegro)
Groningen Guitar Duo, Ottavo OR C487100 (1988)
Shibata-Martinez Duo, Mako 1 (1991)

Pastoral (1926, for piano, arr. for guitar by Regino Sainz de la Maza)
Regina Sainz de la Maza, RCA RL35368 (1972)
Ernesto Bitetti, EMI 7 49050 2 (1987)

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