Guitar Chords (Classical Period)

[Christopher Chew]

Just wondering if the composers (for example Tarrega, Carulli, etc) knew that by playing a "D", "A", "C" and "F#" is actually a modern day D7 chord. Because i think nobody strums and sing during those times. Or holding other chords for that matter.

Chris

[randalljazz]

chord diagram books that date back to renaissassance times. corbetta sparked such a rage for the guitar at the king's court in 1660's london that count grammont in his memoirs wrote "everyone played upon it, well or ill...and God knows what a universal strumming there was."

modern harmonic conception dates to at least as early as 1722--j.p. rameau 'Treatise on Harmony".

although the music of the common folk was discouraged by the church in medieval times (due to its association with pagan practices), and consequently not described in histories written by monks (who were the only literate folk in the dark ages), it is clear from statues and bas-reliefs from those times that chords were played on ancestors of the guitar. by the 12th century, the troubadours and trouvères were most probably acccompanying themselves much like modern folksingers (as evidenced by extant compositions of adam de la halle and others).

so yes, carulli and tarrega would have had a clear understanding of the modern D7 chord, and probably most of their students were only interested in learning just such things, to accompany themselves "singing in the parlor"... plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

[Christopher Chew]

Wow, looks like you've got a deep knowledge of such events. Are you a professor or what??

Chris

[randalljazz]

ha-ha! no, merely a lifelong student with an insatiable curiosity...

[Jeffrey.C]

Just wondering if the composers (for example Tarrega, Carulli, etc) knew that by playing a "D", "A", "C" and "F#" is actually a modern day D7 chord.

Of course they did.

[robin loops]

Funny you should mention Tarrega and chords... Tarrega hung out with a lot of gypsies and at that time flamenco wasn't written down in notation or transcribed it was based on simple chordal progression (strumming chords) and at best the chords were written down.

Take a look at the Fredrick Noad Solo Guitar Playing books (older editions). They have some pretty cool chord charts from way back... Crazy thing is they drew the whole hand for some reason!

[guitareleven]

Just wondering if the composers (for example Tarrega, Carulli, etc) knew that by playing a "D", "A", "C" and "F#" is actually a modern day D7 chord. Because i think nobody strums and sing during those times. Or holding other chords for that matter.

Chris

For all that we concentrate nowadays on solo repertoire pieces, guitar as accompaniment to song is probably the most prevelant usage of the instrument throughout history. Artistic representations of situations in which guitar is so used are replete with such images.

There was a period of about forty years in the early Baroque during which guitar repertoire in published tutors consisted of nothing but chords that were held and strummed.This was a new sort of "thought concept" that well predated Ramaeu's theoretical development.

Even earlier, in an age in which musical thought was supposedly concerned with linear lines, pieces such as in the opening of Milan's sixth pavan display writing that is hard to reconcile with a thought process that did not include at least an incipient conception of chord lexicon.

[DerekB]

For excellent examples of chord strumming from the baroque period look up Hopkinson Smith at the 2008 Cordoba Festival and Paul O'Dette playing music by de Murcia on YouTube.