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The Classical Guitar in Australia: Foundations

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The Classical Guitar in Australia: Foundations 1 THE CLASSICAL GUITAR IN AUSTRALIA: FOUNDATIONS by ANGELINA M. ELLIS L. Mus. A (Australian Music Examinations Board) Dip. Sec. Teach. (Brisbane College of Advanced Education) B. Mus. (University of Queensland) Submitted in full requirement for the award of AT22 Master of Arts (Research) in the Faculty of Arts Queensland University of Technology March 2000 2 ABSTRACT Drawing upon data from published and unpublished sources, this thesis examines the classical guitar in Australia during the years spanning European settlement to the early 1970s. The significant factors, events and individuals that shaped the early history of the instrument in this country have been documented and examined, and form the central focus of this investigation. This study begins with an examination of the origins of the guitar in Australia during colonial times. Following this, against the background of international events and influences, the lean years of classical guitar activity in Australia between 1900 and 1945 are examined. The study then focuses on the rise of classical guitar activity that occurred in this country after the Second World War, and in particular the work pioneered by Len Williams and guitar societies throughout Australia. In this study a special focus has been given to the 1960s: a decade that witnessed a flourishing of classical guitar activity throughout Australia. The latter part of this thesis investigates the critical developments and shifting attitudes that led towards the acceptance of the classical guitar as a serious instrument of performance and academic study in this country. The conclusion of this study identifies and examines three major periods of activity, highlighting the geographical, cultural and educational factors that have influenced the history of the classical guitar in Australia during its formative years. Finally, recommendations are made for further study into Australian classical guitar culture after 1970, and in particular the specialist and high growth areas of guitar composition and guitar construction. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 6 INTRODUCTION 8 CHAPTER ONE THE GUITAR IN AUSTRALIA DURING THE NINETEENTH 14 CENTURY The Guitar in Australia: 1830s 21 The Guitar in Australia: 1850-1890 23 Guitar Activity in Sydney during the 1890s 26 CHAPTER TWO THE CLASSICAL GUITAR IN AUSTRALIA DURING THE 33 TWENTIETH CENTURY: 1900-1950 Len Williams: A Pioneer of the Classical Guitar in Australia 36 CHAPTER THREE THE YEARS OF EXPANSION: 1947-1970 44 The Society of the Classical Guitar (Sydney) 45 Other Classical Guitar Societies in Australia 54 Touring Classical Guitarists in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s 58 Resident Classical Guitarists in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s 64 Sadie Bishop (1922-) 65 Don Andrews (1929-) 71 Jose Luis Gonzalez (1932-1998) 74 Antonio Losada (1938-) 78 CHAPTER FOUR THE INTRODUCTION OF THE CLASSICAL GUITAR INTO 84 SYSTEMS OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC EDUCATION. Tertiary Music Education Public Music Examinations 93 CONCLUSION 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY 106 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my supervisor, Dr. Adrian Thomas, for his guidance and advice during the years taken to prepare this thesis. In the collection of data for this study a number of people were most generous in giving their time and resources. My thanks goes to all those people I have interviewed over the past years for their accounts of the past have been invaluable to this study. I would also like to acknowledge the help and assistance of the staff at the AMEB Federal Office in Melbourne. I am grateful to them for allowing me full access to files and conference proceedings. Finally, I would like to thank my family, especially my parents Graham and Roslyn Ellis and my grandmother Irene Pope for their constant support. 5 DECLARATION The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree or diploma at any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. Date: ____<--1-/--'!_2... __ /_2._tJ_o_r; __ _ r1 6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Fig.1. Modem Classical Guitar. Made by Simon Marty, Sydney, 1994 7 Fig. 2. Nineteenth Century Guitar. A copy of a guitar by Louis Panormo, 15 London, ca. 1830. Copy made by Ian Watchorn, Victoria, 1999. !!lid II Fig. 1 Modem Classical Guitar 1111111 Made by Simon Marty 11111• Sydney, 1994. 111.11 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 ~11111~ 111111 111111 111111 111111 •II . .. ,. 8 INTRODUCTION The central focus of this thesis is an instrument that today is commonly known as the classical guitar. This same instrument has also been referred to as the classic guitar or Spanish guitar. 1 Other forms of the guitar, namely folk, jazz, country and western and flamenco, are not the subject of this investigation, and as such, are discussed only when they have affected the growth or popularity of the classical guitar. For the purposes of this thesis, the classical guitar will be referred to as the guitar, and any other form of the instrument or style of performance will otherwise be stated. Although design of modern classical guitars vary greatly, traditionally these instruments are made from selected hard woods for the back, sides and neck, and high quality spruce and cedar for the soundboard. 2 Internally, the instrument is supported and stabilised by an arrangement of struts and braces, and the most traditional method of support is known as 'fan' strutting. During the nineteenth century, instruments were smaller in size and produced a lighter and softer tone. 3 After 1880, the modern classical guitar was produced with larger dimensions and the string length was increased to 65 centimetres.4 The earliest strings were made of animal gut however after 1946, the upper three strings were made from nylon and the lower ones with nylon fibre overspun with fine metal. 5 The strings are tuned by pegs that activate gear mechanisms. The standard tuning for the instrument is E-A-d-g-b-e. 1 The term "Spanish" guitar emerged around 1800, in part denoting the instrument's Iberian origins but also to distinguish it from the English guittar (sic), a form of cittern that coexisted in England at that time. 2 See Fig. 1. Modern Classical Guitar. 3 See Fig. 2 Nineteenth Century Guitar. 4 Stanley Sadie, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (London: Macmillan, 1984) 101. See Fig. 2. Nineteenth Century Guitar. 5 Sadie 101. 9 In the traditional playing position, the classical guitarist is seated and supports the instrument on the left leg elevated by a footstool. More recently, some exponents have used various support devices that attach to the guitar and rest on the player's leg. The strings are plucked systematically by the right-hand fingers using the nails and flesh, and the accomplished guitarist can achieve a variety of tonal colours and articulations. The repertoire of the classical guitar spans many centuries and comprises a large body of transcriptions and a growing repertory of original works. Most, but not all compositions, are contrapuntal in style and written in treble clef notation one octave higher than the sounding pitch. The close of the twentieth century is a timely point at which to reflect upon the events of the past that have secured the classical guitar a permanent position in Australian music culture. Today, the instrument is heard regularly in Australian concert halls, on Australian radio, and is accepted by Australian institutions of higher learning and public music examination boards. Furthermore, with growing numbers of Australian guitarists, guitar makers and composers of guitar music gaining recognition here and abroad, and guitar societies and festivals throughout the country enjoying a healthy revival, the outlook for the guitar in this country has never been more positive. However, it has been only in relatively recent times that the guitar has emerged from obscurity to reach this positive status in Australia. In past decades, the instrument has been misunderstood and encountered prejudice, and these obstacles have affected its progress. In view of this, the aim of this thesis is to trace the early history of the guitar in this country and document the significant factors, events and prominent individuals that have been influential in establishing the guitar as a serious instrument of performance and study in Australia. This thesis focuses on the foundations of the guitar in this country and therefore is not a comprehensive history of the instrument in Australia or a complete 10 biography of Australian guitarists: an investigation of this scale lies beyond both the purpose and parameters of this study. In order to establish the foundations of the guitar in Australia, this study has focused on the years spanning 1830 to the early 1970s, with some consideration of activity which took place in the decades before and after. Most attention has been devoted to events after 1945, and specifically during the 1960s and early 1970s when interest in the guitar escalated and a number of significant developments took place. The decision to focus on this time frame was made for several reasons. First, researchers and musicologists have disregarded almost entirely the early years of Australian guitar activity. 6 In addition to this, Australian guitarists of the past and present have written very little about their experiences, and a study of this kind was necessary before valuable knowledge was lost as generations grow older. Second, the present status of the guitar in this country is often taken for granted; thus, an examination of the instrument's formative years reveals the foundations upon which more recent developments have been able to take place. This study also reveals aspects of past cultural, social and political attitudes in this country, and how these are reflected in the development of the guitar in Australia.
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