Early 19th Century Studies: Fun for the Whole Family

How we hear music today is different from the far past. Two hundred years ago, if you wanted to hear music, you either sought out someone who could play it or learned to play it yourself. Both required effort. By contrast, today music can be had at the push of a button. Indeed, it’s often piped in to our daily lives with no effort on our part. This very effortlessness makes it hard for us to understand what music used to be. It was a rare and special thing, and those who could do it were admired.

By the early 19th century, music became something more democratic than an elevated accouterment for the nobility. More and more, ordinary people could reach a standard of living that made music a part of their lives. Well-heeled families could afford music lessons for their children. Musically skilled family members became the 19th century equivalent of a radio or stereo system.

In this era, music teachers thrived (at least modestly so). And they wrote and published music aimed directly at music students. Such music was seldom difficult or profound. Rather, it was approachable fare that could be learned fairly quickly, and once mastered was pleasant to hear.

With this in mind, I offer the following selections of early 19th century guitar studies. My goal is to transport you back to a time when hearing music was a unique experience to be savored. I’ve tried to reanimate the spirit in which this music was conceived. You’ll notice that I often depart from the written music. This is because early 19th century musicians were less rigid in their attitude to the printed score. Improvisation was a natural part of music making. We today would do well to revive this creative response.

Enjoy.