Soundboard Vol. 47 No. 4 guitarfoundation.org
Historical archival materials, including concert reviews, personal letters, contracts, photo images, manuscripts, recordings, etc., are very valuable and of prime importance in the classical music research. Through investigations and analysis, we can use these materials as a gateway to glimpse the past and gain a better understanding of its performance practice. Miguel Llobet, 1878-1938, left us one of the earliest classical collections of classical guitar recordings, dated from the 1925-1929. It preserves Llobet’s solo performances of composers like J.S. Bach and Fernando Sor, as well as guitar duets with his students María Luisa Anido. Llobet’s artistry was heavily influenced by both written and unwritten 19th-century performance practices, which are evident throughout his recordings and manuscripts, and which passed on to his students. Playing Llobet with awareness of his fin de siècle ethos conveys a very different impression of his music than doing so with a present-day sensibility.
19th century Performance Practice Miguel Llobet’s Interpretation of J.S. Bach
