Instruccion de Musica sobre La Guitarra Española, y metodo de sus primeros rudimentos, hasta tañerla con destreza. Con dos Laberintos Ingeniosos, variedad de Sones, y Danças de Rasgueado, y Punteado, al estilo Español, Italiano, Francès, y Inglès. Con un breve Tratado para acompañar con perfection, sobre la parte muy essencial para la Guittara, Arpa, y Organo, resumido en doze reglas, y exemplis los mas principals con Contrapunto, y Composicion. [With] Libro Segundo, de Cifras sobre la Guitarra Española, con arte nuevo para aprender a tañerla sin Maestro, etc. [and] Libro Tercero de Musica. De Cifras sobre la Guitarra Española, que contiene las diferancias mas primorasas de Passacalles, etc.
Zaragoza: Por los Herederos de Diego Dormer, 1697.
Price: $16,000.00
Oblong folio: 20.2 x 28.5 cm. Three volumes in one: Book I: [4] lvs. (title, approbation, introduction), 12 pp. (instructions), 18 plates. Book II: [1] leaf (title) 12 pp. (instructions) 12 plates. Book III: [1] leaf (title), 10 plates. Complete.
SECOND EDITION. (1st ed. 1674-5)
Extremely rare. I have located 2 copies in North American libraries: Oberlin (defective), University of South Dakota and two copies of the 1674-1675 first edition: Newberry (incomplete) and Yale. The copy listed in the University of Florida catalogue is in fact held in the Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí.
A very good, complete set, bound in early marbled wrappers (spine discreetly repaired.) Fore-edge of first title page finger-soiled and spotted, with small loss to blank corner. A few plates lightly toned, plates 5 and 6 lightly browned. Plate 9 in the second part lightly foxed, cello-tape repair in blank lower margin of plate 12. In the third part: a small stain in the lower margin of final two plates, lower blank margin of final plate slightly frayed at edge and lightly soiled. 40 engraved plates of music. Provenance: Eugène Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940), musician and instrument maker (small stamps on versos of titles.)
An extremely important work by the Spanish guitar master Gaspar Sanz. “Sanz's ‘Instruction’ is unique for several reasons: it is an indispensable source for learning about Spanish popular music of the time; it is the most complete baroque guitar method; and contains the first known manual on Spanish music for instrumental accompaniment. Given the limitations of the Spanish printing press, it was Sanz himself who engraved a good part of the music plates.
“What we know today as the baroque guitar was in use from the 16th century to the end of the 18th century, and was always called ‘Spanish’. Sanz was knowledgeable about European publications for guitar, particularly the Italian ones, but he places a special emphasis on Spanish dances, since, he says, it is necessary to provide novice players with songs with which they are familiar.”(Biblioteca Nacionál de España)
The first book is an introductory tutor containing technical information about the rasgueado (strummed) and punteado (plucked) techniques, while the second and third books contain advanced pieces in alfabeto notation and Italian tablature, including dances: 'Gallardas', 'Granduc de Florecia', 'Rugero', 'Zarabanda', 'Jacaras', 'Pavana', 'Canarios', 'Alemanda', 'Coriente' etc.), as well as pieces entitled 'Maricapalos', 'Clarines y Trompetas', 'Preludio y fantasia con mucha Variedad de falsas', 'Capricho arpeada', 'Pasajes de Bajo', 'Fuga', 'Chacona', 'Folia' and 'Passacalles', of which there are many in the third book.
“Little is known about the life of Gaspar Sanz (Calanda, 1640 Madrid, 1710?). In 1669 he joined the competition for the chair of music at the University of Salamanca, but lost. Later he traveled to Italy, where, as he himself recounts in his book, he trained as a musician in Naples and Rome [under Cristoforo Caresana and Lelio Colista, and possibly also under Orazio Benevoli and Pietro Andrea Ziani]. He published at Zaragoza, in 1674-1675, his “Music Instruction on the Spanish Guitar”, dedicated to the son of Felipe IV, Don Juan of Austria, then Vicar General of the Kingdom of Aragon.
“Sanz's influence continued even after the appearance of the modern guitar, and, in the 20th century, the music from his book has been used by composers such as Manuel de Falla (El retablo de maese Pedro) and Joaquín Rodrigo (Fantasia para un gentilhombre).”(Biblioteca Nacionál de España)
Although the dedicatee for this edition was Carlos II, The first plate in Book I (cut in 1674) has the engraved dedication to Don Juan de Austria. The last plate of Book I is dated “Sexta die Decembris anno 1674” in the plate. The second plate of Book II dated 1675. In the first part, Sanz is credited as engraver (Gaspar Sanz Inventor sculpsit) while Joannes Blauet is named as the artist and engraver of the second plate in Book II.
RISM (Répertoire international des sources musicales), Écrits imprimés concernant la musique, p.753; Anglés y Subirá, Catâlogo musical de la Biblioteca National de Madrid, Vol. III, no. 116; Hirsch (Katalog der Musikbibliothek Paul Hirsch), III, p.151; not in Gregory & Bartlett; The Biblioteca Nacionál de España copy is digitized on the website of La Biblioteca Digital del Patrimonio Iberoamericano. Collation of letterpress: I. [¶]2, ¶¶2, A-C2; II. π1, A-B2, C1; III. π1. See Richard Strizich, “Gaspar Sanz,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Stanley Sadie, ed., 2nd ed., Vol. 22 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 268