First edition, first issue, one of the most important (if not the most) pedagogical treatise of the 18th century of Spanish musical instruments, namely string instruments, wonderfully illustrated and exceptionally rare, peculiar namely because of its aim to teach students to play music without the assistance of a tutor or teacher.
The Reglas y advertencias generales par tañer la guitarra was ‘perhaps the most widely dispersed’ instructional manual of the period. He ‘was perhaps “the first editor to understand fully that the true editorial market was not made up of professionals, but of apprentices and amateurs.” His method thus consisted of a series of notebooks “dedicated to instruments or instrument families that could be acquired individually…” The complete work was reprinted on various occasions until 1774, which sheds light on its significance’ (A. Vera, The Sweet Penance of Music: Musical life in colonial Santiago de Chile, Oxford University Press, 2021, p. 189).
“Minguet aporta reglas muy precisas para aprender a tocar determinados instrumentos e interpretar ejemplos musicales que no están contemplados en obras anteriores a su tratado —y que podrían ser de su propia autoría—y, por otro lado, ofrece instrucción para instrumentos que hasta ese momento no tenían dedicado ningún tratado pedagógico” (Ventura Quintana).
Printing of the book:
The history of the printing of the book is complicated, it is conformed of 6 parts, each dealing with specific instruments, all with a separate title page (which has created the confusion of considering them complete parts on their own); these parts came out throughout a period of time. However, as Ventura Quinta explains, there are essentially three main stages of the publication, the first, where no date is indicated in the independent title pages (as our copy), a second, where the date is mentioned (1754) and a third, published in 1774. They are all exceptionally rare, and this would appear to be the first edition, first issue.
Whilst many works on music and musical instruments are theoretical in nature, Minguet´s has the distinction, such as Sanz´, of being of a practical nature, meant for people to learn how to play without the employment of a teacher. To us, this is one of the most important sources of information on music teaching of the 18th century in Spain, an important period for baroque music.
“[D]edicado al aprendizaje de la guitarra, tiple, bandola, cítara, clavicordio, órgano, arpa, salterio, bandurria, violín, flauta travesera, flauta dulce y flautilla y la interpretación del repertorio de los mencionados instrumentos” (Ventura Quintana).
The author:
Pablo Minguet y Yrol (1733–1778), a Spanish writer, engraver, composer and publisher, is among the more striking figures of popular culture during the Spanish Enlightenment. In the mid 18th century, he was also ‘one of the most prolific engravers in Madrid. He issued numerous booklets on various subjects’ (M. Esses, Dance and Instrumental Diferencias in Spain during the 17th and early 18th Centuries, Stuyvesant, NY, 1992, I p. 136). Among these were several broadsheets which he published himself and which were intended to assist in education, particularly for autodidacts like himself. Minguet was also a talented musician responsible for various works on musical composition and instruments as well as dance.
Collation:
Section 1: engr. Frontispiece (Academia musical de los instrumentos que explica Pablo Minguet), (4) pp of letterpress, and 2 ff of engr. music; 34 pp. of letterpress, followed by 9 plates,
(10) pp of letterpress “Reglas y advertencias generales para acompañar sobre la parte con la guitarra, clavicordio, organo”, plus 9 plates,
(8) pp of letterpress “Reglas y advertencias generales para tañer el psalterio”, plus 2 plates,
(8) pp of letterpress “Reglas y advertencias generales para tañer la bandurria”, plus 1 plate,
(8) pp of letterpress “Reglas y advertencias generales para tañer el violín...”, plus 2 plates,
(4) pp of letterpress “Reglas y advertencias generales para tañer la flauta travesera, la flauta dulce, y la flautilla”, plus 2 plates.
Rarity:
According to OCLC we locate copies at the Univ. of California, Boston Univ. Duke (with only 64 pages and an undetermined number of plates), Oberlin College, LoC (with 17 plates), NYPL (with less leaves of text and one less plate), Eastman School (however we were unable to locate the copy at their website), University of Toronto, and copies in Europe.
References:
Ventura Quintana, S. Reglas y Advertencias Generales de Pablo Minguet (1754 y 1774): Estudio de sus diferentes ediciones y análisis de las pautas para la interpretación de la guitarra. Cuadernos de Investigación Musical, 9, pp. 57-83.
https://revista.uclm.es/index.php/cuadernosdeinvestigacionmusical/article/view/2212/pdf_1
