Evening star., 1933-08-13

rOi d lOiiB pcIlOQ Tile GUITAR llaS
been relegated to the more or less sole
usage of accompaniment for sentiment
tai pastimes Through the insistence
OF serious students of the instrument
and the guitar literature, it is grad
ually coming forward, If not to Its
former place of Importance, at least to
Q more thoughtful consideration as an
instrument of musical worth. The
vogue of the lighter type of music has
increased the study of the guitar and
its kin, the mandolin and banjo. There
Is, therefore, a fertile field for the in
PRODUCTION of the heretofore little
known department of cultural music to
be found in the classical compositions
written especially for the guitar
Within the last year or two SYM
phony orchestras of these instruments
have been organized throughout the
country, and the beginning of such an
orchestra was made in Washington this
Spring by Sophocles Papas, well known
guitarist and teacher. The first con-
cert of this new orchestra was the nov
city of the late season. 1t has been
shown that all of the string orchestral
effects can be duplicated by these in
struments and that with little change
tn the music written for the modern
symphony orchestra.
The study of the guitar is one OF
the pleaSantest ways of acquiring a
musical education. 1t can not be de-
MED that the long years necessary for
developing a certain proficiency on any
of the standard musical instruments
has proven discouraging to many who
would have liked to become musicians.
The thought that months must pass
before enough control is acquired TO
permit of simple tune and years be-
fore ones friends would be willing to
listen to ones efforts, has been too
much for the staying power of many
amateurs. The purely physical strug-
giles with the cello or violin, with the
accompanying discordant sounds, are
a severe test for ones love for music
and desire to produce 1t. With the
guitar, the difficulties Of the beginning
are rendered less complicated and nerve
racking. The comfortable position of
holding the guitar and the fretS that
help In finding the pitch are a great
advantage over these difficult points in
other string instruments A consider
able technic can be gained without un-
due slavery and the goal Of credit
able performance rapidly reached.
Now that serious-minded teachers are
doing their best to awaken interest in
the finer repertoire of this instrument,
compositions of charm and depth can
be substituted for the simple and
sweetly pleasing numbers that have
been its limited repertoire heretofore.
The guitar has been the beloved and
intimate companion of the great mu-
sical writer's BY its means intricate
harmonies have been worked out, and
to this seemingly modest instrument
the musical world is indebted for some
of its greatest literature. Paganini, the
supreme master of the violin, was equal
master Of the guitar, and Tor three
years. during which he concertized as
\ guitarist, it was debatable whether
the world would call him the greatest
violinist or the greatest guitarist ever
known The peculiar style OF his COM
position, which until the present day
Is the Alpha and Omega OF violin teen
ME, Is the outcome OF his noWieoge
of the guitar He himself said: i
make use of it to stimulate my fantas1e
for composition or to bring forth some
harmony which I cannot do on the
Sdolin."
The poverty that deprived Schubert
Of the enjoyment of piano led him
to find Inspiration in the guitar. When
his boy soprano voice had developed
into a light baritone he used the
Quitar as his accompaniment when
Singing In those happy, gay evenings
scent with his carefree companions. So
individual and unforgettable was the
atmosphere which this instrument ef-
Hcted that he wished to reproduce 1t
$itaa other instruments. And 80 he
s2erke instructions in many of his songs,