GRADE TWO
Vals
Bartolomé Calatayud
Vals by Bartolomé Calatayud is a charming, lyrical waltz that captures the romantic spirit of early 20th-century Spanish guitar music. Known for its graceful melodies and typical waltz style rhythm, the piece offers students an opportunity to explore expressive phrasing, dynamic control, and a singing tone. As a student of Francisco Tárrega’s tradition, Calatayud blends classical technique with Spanish folk influences, making Vals a delightful and accessible addition to any classical guitarist’s repertoire.
Being written in the typical waltz style, you’ll hear the famous um-cha-cha rhythm throughout. The melody voice stays on the top E string and is easily identified by the stem of the note pointing upwards. The harmony voice is often a two note chord and provides the ‘cha-cha’ part of the waltz feel. As is the case with most harmonically simple pieces, the bass sticks mostly to chords I, IV and V. In the key of E minor, this gives us E, A and B. The E and A are often open strings, which makes life easier for the fretting hand. The bass voice enjoys a little of the spotlight half way through, so be ready to bring that part out when you spot it. Also take note of the harmonics at the very end of the piece. These are played at fret 12 on the G, B and E strings.
Bartolomé Calatayud (1882–1973) was a Spanish guitarist, composer, and teacher from the island of Mallorca. A student of Francisco Tárrega and a contemporary of Miguel Llobet, Calatayud carried forward the Romantic Spanish guitar tradition with his lyrical compositions and refined technique. He wrote numerous pieces for guitar, many of which are accessible to students yet rich in musical expression, including Vals, Mazurka, and Tango. As a teacher, he influenced generations of guitarists in Spain, helping to preserve and promote classical guitar during the early 20th century.
Being a three voice piece, there will be moments of complexity when it comes to playing Bartolomé Calatayud’s Vals. Thankfully, all of the melody is played on the top E string which makes the melody line easier to locate. If played slow enough, it’s even possible to play all of this with the ‘a’ finger of the right hand, leaving fingers ‘i’ and ‘m’ to handle the harmony voice (with ‘p’ on the bass). If you don’t like repeating fingers or would prefer to play this piece more quickly, a combination of ‘a’ with either ‘i’ or ‘m’ may be more suitable for the melody. As a suggestion, try playing the bars where there are 3 melody notes with fingers ‘a, m, i’ (in that order).
To create a balanced texture, try playing the melody louder than the harmony and bass voices. As the melody is so expressive, don’t feel limited by dynamics. You’ll notice there are very few within this particular score. This is intentional and allows the player to explore their expressive side. Do you hear this as soft and gentle piece, or a bold, driving, passionate waltz? Try both!
Watch out for the harmonics at the end. Try playing with the soft, fingerprint of the finger directly above the fret for a controlled harmonic. Remember that with harmonics, you are not intending to press the string towards the fret, but instead touch as lightly as possible when you play. As soon as you hear the harmonic ring out, remove the finger from the string so you don’t stop it from singing.
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