Juan Carlos Amat in his introduction to Guitarra española y vandola, published in 1596 in Barcelona (there’s a mention in this wonderful study of the Colombian tiple by David Puerta Zuluaga) and here in the Gerona version printed by Joseph Bró 40 years later:

The wrath of Spanish [Spanish irascibility might be closer, but Khan is next up on this machine] has been the main reason (discreet reader) for bringing out this little work, because I see that no one is sufficiently phlegmatic to teach the art of playing the guitar, and thus those who would be instructed in this art should not be surprised, if after three days their teachers were very tired of teaching them, because this choleric humour so oppresses all the Spanish, that any thing that we undertake, however short it may be, seems to us very long. Considering the lack felt throughout this land for having no author to treat of this, (at least to my knowledge) I wanted to write in this style, how to tune, and play the guitar of five courses, called the Spanish, being more accepted in this country than in others, and how to make on it any tone, that it may serve as a teacher, and that its disciples may not be subject to such misery as that produced in us by this humour.

La colera de Eſpaña ha ſido la cauſa mas principal (diſcreto Lector) que aya ſacado à luz eſta obrecilla, porque veo que ninguno es tan flematico como es meneſter para enſeñar el arte de tañer la guitarra, y aſſi no ſe maravillen los que deſeavan ſer inſtruydos en eſta arte, ſi al cabo de tres dias ſus maeſtros eſtavan muy canſados de enſeñarles, porque nos tiene tan oprimidos à todos los Eſpañoles eſte humor colerico, que qualquier coſa que emprendamos, por corta que ſea nos parece muy larga. Conſiderando pues yo la falta que avia en toda eſta tierra por no haver algun Autor tratado deſto, (alomenos que yo ſepa) he querido eſcrivir con eſte eſtilo, el modo de templar, y tocar raſgado eſta guitarra de cinco, llamada Eſpañola, por ſer mas recibida en eſta tierra que en las otras, y el modo de poner en ella qualquier tono, para que ſirva de maeſtro, y tambien paraque los dicipulos della no eſtèn ſujetos à tanta miſeria como es la que nos dà eſte humor.

Unfortunately the teachers fought back and now write books that haunt infants long after the prison gates have opened.

Tags: bandola, Barcelona, education, english, Girona, guitar, pedagogy, Spanish, teacher rage, translation
Categories: Empire, Heathen philosophers, Music

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