A question about Sanz and rasguado.

[Olav Fylling]

I have noticed that many interpreters of Gaspar Sanz's music add rasguado sections that are not written in the tablature. Is there historical documentation of this freedom?

[Juan Pablo Pira]

Sanz includes a page of rasgueado pieces right before his tablature pieces. Some of them are also included in the rasgueado section like Villano, Rujero, Paradetas, Folías, etc. I suppose some people play both pieces one after the other.

[Peter Sinnaeve]

They probably get their inspiration from Murcia as well; he often starts his Spanish dances with the theme in rasgueado style, followed by punteado variations, at least in the Saldívar manuscript.

[Olav Fylling]

Thank you for the answers!

This explain many of the versions I have heard, but it's also usual to hear people playing a rasguado section in Canarios. It sounds well, but is there any evidences that this was done at the time of Sanz?

[Monica Hall]

It depends what sort of evidence you want.   A strummed version of Canario is included in Ruiz de Ribayaz "Luz y Norte (1677) and in Murcia's versions in Codice Saldivar no. 4.  It is really a mix and match situation.  These little harmonic formulae are supposed to form the basis of improvisations...