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Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
Abel Garcia Interview
I just stumbled across this very impressive interview with Able Garcia López.
In an hour and fifteen minutes he discusses the construction of several copies of different historical instruments, finishing with the magnificent version of Torres' masterpiece FE08. John Ray posted here that "jaws dropped" when professional luthiers saw it.
The interview consists mainly of a prepared presentation with high quality photos, narrated by Abel.
I knew of Abel's FE08, which was presented at a guitar making event, I believe in Cordoba. I was also aware of the copy of Pepe Romero's1856 Torres, now for sale at Guitar Salon International. Turns out Abel has made several other historical copies, of Baroque, Classical and Viennese instruments, as well as at least one other Torres, and some Hausers.
The Spanish is in educated Mexican accents, spoken clearly. The closed caption feature of Youtube produces the normal rate of clinkers in Spanish. It's supposed to be able to translate simultaneously to English, or a long list of other languages, but I didn't try it out.
If an hour and fifteen minutes is too much, the segment on the spectacular Torres FE08 begins at 44:10.
The finest details in the decoration measure 0.2mm. To master the technique Abel says he first built a set of decoration with the finest details at 0.3mm. Once satisfied with that he did the actual 0.2mm reproduction.
He worked on the reproduction on weekends, devoting weekdays to commissions. It took ten years of weekends.
I tried the Spanish to English CC and it seemed to be fairly accurate, what with my back of the kitchen Spanish and all.
Hard to imagine working for ten years on one guitar. One thing did cross my mind but had more to do with Torres rather then Garcia: I had to wonder how Torres made the exhibition guitar as his 8th build? Sr. Garcia had years and many more guitars under his belt and still it took him years to master... just makes me wonder how Torres was able to build such a guitar so early in his career and perhaps he had more help then we know about, say a master of marketri at his disposal?
HR
_____________________________
I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Abel Garcia Interview (in reply to ernandez R)
quote:
ORIGINAL: ernandez R
Richard,
Hard to imagine working for ten years on one guitar.
HR
Abel says he had to do a lot of research to characterize Torres' original instrument accurately, consulting and comparing many resources before beginning construction. I'm not sure how much time he spent actually making his own instrument. Note that Abel only worked on special projects on weekends, devoting weekdays to commissions. But at least a couple of his historic reproductions were commissioned.
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Abel Garcia Interview (in reply to ernandez R)
quote:
ORIGINAL: ernandez R
Richard,
I had to wonder how Torres made the exhibition guitar as his 8th build? Sr. Garcia had years and many more guitars under his belt and still it took him years to master... just makes me wonder how Torres was able to build such a guitar so early in his career and perhaps he had more help then we know about, say a master of marketri at his disposal?
HR
I'm not sure how the numbers have been assigned to Torres' instruments. Romanillos' extensive book, intending to catalog all of the survivors, missed a few, which have come to light after publication. Some have subsequently been denoted xxxa or xxxb, depending upon how they are dated relative to those numbered by Romanillos.
So it's not certain that SE08 is just Torres' eighth guitar.
Abel says he believes the whole instrument was made by Torres. The word he uses is "supongo," (misspelled in the caprions). It has a number of definitions, one of which is:
"Considerar una cosa verdadera o real a partir de ciertos indicios o señales, sin tener certeza completa de ella."
"To consider a thing true or real from certain indications or signals, without being completely certain of it"
which conveys more certainty than the English "suppose."
Abel says he believes the whole instrument was made by Torres. The word he uses is "suppongo." It has a number of definitions, one of which is:
"Considerar una cosa verdadera o real a partir de ciertos indicios o señales, sin tener certeza completa de ella."
"To consider a thing true or real from certain indications or signals, without being completely certain of it"
which conveys more certainty than the English "suppose."
I trust you will forgive my linguistic intervention, but one of the primary definitions of the English "suppose" is:
"To assume that something is the case on the basis of evidence or probability but without proof or certain knowledge."
I would suggest that the definitions of both English "suppose" and Spanish "suppongo" convey an equal degree of certainty.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Perhaps my take on the word has been colored by my mathematical training.
One way to prove a proposition such as "the square root or two is irrational," is to first devise a propostion "the square root of two is a/b, where a and be are integers" such that if the second proposition is false, then the first must be true. In proof by contradiction one begins, "Suppose the square root of two is a/b, where a and b are integers" then proceeds by proving this leads to an impossible situation concerning the prime factors of a and b, so the supposition "the square root of two is rational" must be false.
Quite often “suppose” introduces a proposition known to be false.
I had to wonder how Torres made the exhibition guitar as his 8th build? Sr. Garcia had years and many more guitars under his belt and still it took him years to master... just makes me wonder how Torres was able to build such a guitar so early in his career and perhaps he had more help then we know about, say a master of marketri at his disposal?
HR
Looking at the list John Ray posted, FE 01 was made in Sevilla in 1854, Fe 15 in 1863. Fifteen guitars in nine years is a very slow pace for someone making a living as a guitarrero. Do you suppose Torres might have numbered only the better quality ones, and supplemented his income turning out less expensive guitars that he didn't number?
Had I not hidden my Romanillos book on Torres from myself, I would try to look it up.
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