Explanatory notes
This is a Pujol's guitar study that was originally published in the 2nd book of his famous guitar method "Escuela razonada de la guitarra - Basada en los principios de la técnica de Tárrega" which was first published in Buenos Aires (Argentina) by Ricordi Americana, ©1954. It was published in Spanish and French simultaneously. The version here presented is a modification (texture and fingering) of the original.
One of the goals of this study (according to Pujol's fingering) is to develop the constant alternation of the i m fingers. The written texture is monodic with the exception of a single bass note (A open string) played in the beginning of the piece.
One might judge that this study is basically composed by one single line (or voice). I believe it is not so for the following 2 reasons (among others):
- the use of motif/phrase imitation
The first 2 bars are filled up with the first phrase which is immediately imitated at the lower octave. And it goes like that throughout the whole piece.
- the use of a pedal note
This was a very common technique used in the baroque period just as the imitation one described above.
Conclusion:
This study shouldn't be used just to achieve its technical goals. There are musical goals as well - like the proper way of phrasing in ways to suggest the entrance of the new voices. Obviously Pujol intended this goals to be achieved with the simple use of i m alternation. The left hand fingering is also a very basic one - 1st position (with one little exception) using the open strings whenever possible.
About this arrangement
Considering Pujol's implicit goals I offer you a new version Pujol's "Estudio VI" with considerable changes in it's texture and fingering.
For those who wonder why did I commit such a "crime" by arranging Pujol's famous "Estudio VI", read on:
The way Emilio Pujol wrote this study is just perfect because it is destined to guitar beginners who will, with their limited technical capacities, be introduced to important phrasing concepts. And the piece sounds lovely too. Therefore I shouldn't have any reason to change it. That would be so if my goals were the same as Pujol's.
My main goal is to put into paper the musical ideas that are suggested by Pujol's apparently monodic texture. It's like if I have written an orchestration of the piece where I would have to decide which instrument would play a certain line. By doing so the guitar student can very clearly understand those latent voices just like in Bach's music for solo instruments.
But my version is technically more demanding which means that guitar beginners shouldn't play it yet - of course, this rule doesn't apply to extremely gifted beginners. In fact it is destined to those students who are not totally beginners but have too much technical problems or aren't enough talented. When you work in a public music school, like I do, that's quite a normal thing. It's not a very pleasant fact but if it wasn't so I would most probably be out of job.
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