Prelude No. 1 by Francisco Tárrega

While Tárrega is perhaps most well known for his landmark works, such as Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Capricho árabe, his approach to composing shorter, yet also masterful pieces showcases a quieter, more intimate side of the guitar. Lágrima and Adelita may come first to mind in this regard (I have written about this here and here), as both pieces create an expansive musical world in just a few short measures. Additionally, Tárrega’s Preludes provide further evidence of his expertise in composing short, highly memorable, and intricate pieces. These smaller works demonstrate the subtle nuances of the instrument and bring out the Romantic period influences of Tárrega’s compositional style. This can be seen in his Prelude No. 1, in which a simple melody in the key of D minor, first introduced in the opening measures, is varied, placed in different voices, and embellished, bringing out multiple idiomatic capabilities of the guitar.

These elements commence from the very beginning of the piece and include placing the melody in different string sets (mm. 1-2 and 17-18), achieving contrasts in timbre, and ending the piece with natural and artificial harmonics accompanied by open strings (mm. 37-40). The low E string is dropped to D, further deepening the sound and lending a more dramatic resonance to the piece, which is contrasted by answering phrases in F major, the relative major (see measures 1-4, in D minor and mm. 5-12, in F major). The harmonies are mostly diatonic to the key of D minor, with the inclusion of chords from the relative major, as well as secondary dominants adding forward momentum at points of emphasis (for example, in mm. 9-17). 

From a technical standpoint, this piece challenges the guitarist to refine their left hand shifting, left hand slurs, and legato playing techniques. Studied alongside the Estudios of Fernando Sor and Preludes of Villa-Lobos and Leo Brouwer, Tárrega’s Preludes provide students with a comprehensive musical and tactile understanding of the guitar’s capabilities. This is demonstrated from the very first Prelude, which combine several musical and technical elements to form a piece that is both highly musical and pedagogically robust, with nuances that extend far beyond specific levels of technical ability. 

Resources:

IMSLP. “Prelude No. 1 (Tárrega, Francisco).” Accessed November 3, 2024. https://imslp.org/wiki/Prelude_No.1_(T%C3%A1rrega%2C_Francisco).

Tárrega, Francisco. Edited by Karl Scheit. “Tárrega: Complete Preludes for Guitar.” Universal Edition. https://www.universaledition.com/en/Tarrega-Complete-Preludes-for-guitar/P0292836.