Newly engraved, contains previously unpublished works.
2009 marks the hundredth anniversary of the death of Francisco Tárrega. A performer who wishes to extend his knowledge of the works of this important composer will find that it is not a simple task; why should this be? You have to understand that, during his lifetime, Tárrega supervised the publication of only 21 of his compositions. The rest of his output was in the hands of his family and certain pupils and friends. These pages of music contain compositions, exercises, sketches and transcriptions. Over a period of a hundred years several published editions have seen the light of day, so much so that Tárrega must surely be the guitar composer with the most published editions as regards quantity, but the quality of many of these editions is in great doubt.
This is what I found in 2004, after being asked to present the complete works of Francisco Tárrega in concert. I was in no doubt, even then, about the complexity of the task. In the course of my research I came to realise that no «complete works« of Tárrega existed that would answer my requirements. Yet, not only is he a major composer for our instrument, but the very fate of the guitar in the 20th century actually depended on Francisco Tárrega. This was when I had the idea of recording and supervising the publication of the complete works for guitar of Francisco Tárrega.
These are the criteria that guided me throughout this process.
- Using the oldest printed or manuscript sources as a basis.
- Excluding transcriptions, sketches and exercises
- Giving a full account of my corrections.
- Regrouping pieces of the same type (preludes, studies, dances) in a coherent manner.
- Re-engraving everything in a modern, clear and precise manner.
- Revising, correcting, purging and supplementing the fingerings.
- Retracing the origin and details of each composition.
We hope that this collection will help guitarists to gain a better acquaintance of Francisco Tárrega and to play his works all the more.
- Michel Beauchamp
