by Gerry Saulter

A transcription & free mp3 file of the music discussed below is available at www.serenadeduo.com

Canco Del Lladre
"The Robber's Song"

Miguel Llobet (1878-1938) was one of the principle guitar players in the "geneology" of the Spanish guitar. Growing up in Barcelona and being the son of an artist, he was encouraged to follow in his fathers footsteps. Llobet found his art and his voice in the guitar. He was quickly recognized as Francisco Tarrega's star pupil and it has been suggested that many of Tarrega's great works, (Capricho Arabe, to name just one) was actually penned by Llobet.

Llobet's debut recital was in Malaga in 1900. After receiving critical acclaim, he played Paris in 1905, which proved to bea career turning point. Shortly thereafter a series of highly acclaimed concerts followed. As he turned his attention to the new world, Llobet was easily recognized as one of the first true international stars of the guitar. He may very well be the first classical guitarist to record into a microphone, dating back to a series of recordings from Barcelona in 1926.

What is so beautiful about Llobet's impressionistic arrangements is that they represent how effective the melodic voice of the guitar can be. His understanding of the melodic strength of the 2nd & 3rd string is in a word, fantastic. His works translate as more than mere chord/melody, but rather as chord harmony & melodic tonality.

In outlining our example of Canco Del Lladre, we can see his genius at work. Look at the definition of the essential chord voices as early as measure 3. By using the IV position, he is able to carry the lyrical style song over 4 strings. First he holds the bass with an open low D, he then follows with an open A string which strengthens that harmony. He builds by finding the F# on the 4th string to identify the major harmony, and finally gives us the the melody with a full, warm tone on the rich sounding 2nd string. Great stuff!

In a similar fashion, if you execute carefully the melodic line in measures 8-10 on 2nd string with rest stroke, while supporting the harmony of a I6/4 to V7 with the open 4th & 5th strings, (along with the critical A string harmonic for sonic support) your guitar will never sound better.

At measure 11, the melody is applied with harnonics, creating a haunting and beautiful tone. Be sure to sustain these passages as long as possible to get the most out of the melody. Remember when playing harmonics, try to trigger the notes with the right hand a bit closer to the bridge. For best results in the left hand, be sure to position each finger directly over the fret, and use the flesh, not the tip of the fingers. Release each harmonic into infinity by lifting the left hand fingers very slightly and gently, just after you attack each string.

I included this selection with tablature to help answer some fingering & arranging questions you may have. Remember there are always several fingering options in playing. I tried to create a fingering & arrangement that honored the 1965
Union Musical Espanola Madrid publication, released by Miguelina Llobet.

Finally, I'm not sure of the "impressionistic image" the title is meant to suggest, but this much I know; if played well, this piece will act as a robber and steal away the listener's heart.Tune in next month as we uncover the development of the theme with the use of harmonics to carry the melody.