David Kraus: The Listening Room
Lagrima
David Kraus ~ classical guitarReturn to Tunes
Francesco Tarrega is unquestionably the virtuoso guitarist and guitar composer who is most responsible
for the re-emergence of the guitar as a serious concert instrument. Born in 1852 in Barcelona, his compositions are some of the most beautiful, most played and recorded, and even the most recognizable even by the general public, than any other guitar composer. Together with his good friend and musical colleague Andre Segovia (who was not a composer but a brilliant virtuoso), he made the guitar into the instrument we have learned to identify with and love. He also was the first to begin using the new guitar design developed by Antonio Torres in 1850, which is larger than its predecessors allowing for more volume and tone projection. It is this exact design which is still used today. Concerning this composition, Tarrega had been playing in London, but he liked neither the language nor the weather. There is a story about his visit to England. After a concert, some people saw that the musician was in low spirits. "What is the matter, maestro?" they asked him. "Do you miss home? Your family, perhaps?" They advised him to capture that moment of sadness in his music. Thus he conceived the theme of one of his most memorable works, the tune I play here called "Lágrima" which means "The Tears." Indeed it is a sad and romantic piece typical of this 19th century era, but by no means is it glib. It is beautiful and brilliantly written and I love this tune. Starting in Emaj for the "A" section (which is repeated), it changes to Emin for the "B" section (which is also repeated.) There is one last "A" section in Emaj then ends. Switching between "parallel" keys (major to minor from the same tonic, or minor to major) instead of "relative" keys (major/minor that are related but not from the same tonic) is classic of Spanish music in particular the guitar. It is an ingenious composing device allowing for variations but with a very different mood and emotional color. It is used in hundreds of Spanish pieces many which are known even to those who have not spent time listening to classical guitar.Return to Chronicles
