Biblioteca de la Guitarra y Cuerda Pulsada

Since the 16 th century, the guitar’s role in Spain has been divided between that of a strummed instrument sufficient for accompanying popular songs and a melodic instrument used for art music at court and in the concert hall. Of primary importance throughout the guitar’s history of art music in Spain is for the performer to communicate lyrical melodies. Ironically, the execution of a lyrical, legato melodic line is one of the most difficult skills to execute convincingly on the guitar. This difficulty is compounded by the addition of an accompaniment with the melodic line. While many studies explain the guitar’s physical, technical, and musical development, this document focuses on the musical and technical evolution of melodic playing in Spain. This study synthesizes the history, technique, pedagogy, and aesthetics of melodic phrasing within the Spanish guitar tradition from the middle of the 16 th century through the early 20 th century and addresses the technical and musical difficulties of legato melodicplaying on the classical guitar.

The technique and artistry of melodic  phrasing in the spanish classical guitar tradition