Gazpar Sanz

For several years, Sanz was organist of the Spanish Viceroy in Naples, a city whose popular dances would later inspire some of his guitar works. Just as the popular music of Naples aroused the creativity of the Spaniard Sanz for his guitar compositions, the popular music of Spain and, in particular, the sound of the guitar would inspire the Neapolitan Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) for his harpsichord sonatas some years later.

Sanz later traveled to Rome where he became acquainted with the music of the great Italian guitarists Foscarini, Granata, and Corbetta, whom he called “the best of all.” (It is interesting to note that, although Sanz thought highly of the Italian guitarists and learned from them, it is his music that is played frequently today while the Italians’ guitar music is rarely heard.) It was probably from this period that Sanz adopted the re-entrant tuning, which was used by most of the Italian guitarists, and the alfabeto chord system, which originated in Italy. Besides the new techniques learned by Sanz in Italy, the popular music of Italy would exert considerable influence on him as a composer.

Sanz returned to Spain and was appointed instructor of guitar to Don Juan, the natural son of King Philip IV and Maria Calderon, a noted actress of the day. It was for Don Juan that Sanz wrote his first book, Instrucciòn de Mùsica sobre la Guitarra Española, first published in 1674 in Saragossa. A second book entitled Libro Segundo de cifras sobre la guitarra española was printed in Caragoza in 1675. A third book, Libro tercero de mùsica de cifras sobre la guitarra española, was added to the first and second books, and all three were published together under the title of the first book in 1697. It is his masterpiece and, at the same time, his only known contribution to the repertory of the guitar. Yet from these inspired pages, songs and dances of three hundred years ago remain favorites with classical guitarists and audiences alike.

Instrucciòn de Mùsica sobre la Guitarra Española by Gaspar Sanz is a complete instruction book covering all the aspects pertaining to the Baroque guitar. It provides the player with a wide selection of pieces in both punteado (“plucked”) style and rasqueado (“strummed”) style. This is not a book for the simple strumming of chords-it is a serious contribution by a well-trained virtuoso who desires to impart his knowledge and love of music and the Baroque guitar. Sanz’s book is for those who wish to excel in this art.