A substantial amount of early music for the guitar remains unknown to modern performers and audiences. In recent years, however, musicologists, scholars and performers on period instruments have provided a wealth of accessible new source materials which players can now begin to interpret in convincing and effective ways. Nevertheless, many still feel intimidated by the prospect of sorting through and learning to use these resources for the first time. For the uninitiated, just knowing where to start can be difficult.
This anthology contains representative selections from the publications and manuscripts of four important Spanish Baroque guitarists: Gaspar Sanz, Antonio de Santa Cruz, Francisco Guerau, and Santiago de Murcia. In addition to being fun and entertaining music for all to enjoy, this collection is intended to help bridge the gap between scholarly editions and performance editions by providing a hands-on introduction to tablature transcription and to issues concerning historically informed performance on the modern guitar.