Francisco Simplicio (1874–1932) was a Barcelona guitar maker, the only pupil and successor of Enrique García. Celebrated for his carved headstocks and lavish Art Nouveau ornament as much as for his sound, he carried the Barcelona school into the 1920s and influenced makers such as Ignacio Fleta and Daniel Friederich.
At a Glance
- Born: 1874
- Died: January 14, 1932
- Workshop: Paseo de San Juan No. 110, Barcelona (García's former shop)
- Teacher: Enrique García – Simplicio was his only pupil
- Labels: signed and numbered from No. 1 (1922); his first 49 guitars on García's old labels, his own printed labels from 1925
- Prize: Gold medal, 1929 World's Fair, Barcelona
- Known for: carved headstocks, rich inlay and nine experimental guitars with a divided soundhole
- Successor: his son Miguel Simplicio
The Ramírez Workshops and the Barcelona Line
There is no doubt that the workshops of José and Manuel Ramírez played a central part in the history of guitar making in Spain. Apprentices trained there would go on to become some of the most important makers of the century. And of course, many students of these apprentices, such as Francisco Simplicio (pupil of Enrique García), would also carry on the legacy of their predecessors in their own, masterful way.
Enrique García, Simplicio's Teacher
Simplicio's story stems from his apprenticeship with Enrique García. Enrique García (1868–1922) was the son of one Juan García, a maker of guitars and mandolins. José Ramírez III, custodian of the family's tradition, always insisted that García was trained by his great-grandfather, José Ramírez I. José Romanillos, in his biography of Torres, insists that García was apprenticed to Manuel Ramírez. He cites Domingo Prat (1886–1944), who knew García and maintained that he was apprenticed to Manuel Ramírez in his premises at Plaza Santa Ana. Furthermore, as Romanillos has discovered, he is recorded as working there in a census document of 1890.
None of this is of any great consequence. The important event in Enrique García's career was his move to Barcelona, which seems to have taken place in the early 1890s. Barcelona had its own strong, if idiosyncratic, tradition of guitar making, owing more to French practice than to the Spanish.
Into this potentially hostile environment, García brought the ideas of Manuel Ramírez and Antonio de Torres. "His beginnings in this town were difficult," comments René Vannes, in the Dictionnaire Universel des Luthiers. "But soon García became celebrated in Europe and South America, and was considered in his own country as the Stradivarius of the guitar." In 1893 he won first prize at the Chicago Exhibition, a feat commemorated on his labels.
Domingo Prat, who had learnt the guitar in Barcelona, emigrated to Argentina and introduced García's instruments to that country. García's guitars owe a great deal to Torres. Many had similar plantillas and some even used a tornavoz, the metal sound-reinforcing tube which Torres favored. García used fan-strutting, sometimes using an asymmetric layout, unknown in Torres, to stiffen the treble side of the soundboard and augment its response.
García, Torres and Tárrega's Guitar
In 1897, García was asked to repair one of the most famous of all guitars, the 1864 flame-maple instrument (FE 17) that Tárrega had acquired from Torres, who had made it for his own use. It had a soundboard that was said to be less than a millimeter thick all over. Tárrega played it constantly, and in 1897 the top collapsed. García's label speaks of "removal of the back and repair of the interior".
This inside view of the legendary instrument may have helped García in the development of his craft. In the 1910s he produced a series of guitars similar to Torres' instruments in plantilla, dimensions and even detailing. The head of a 1912 guitar of his, for instance, closely resembles those on later Torres instruments. All would have carried Enrique García's own label: but there was nothing to stop the unscrupulous from changing them for a fake Torres label to meet growing demand.
One guitar dealer in Paris, mentioned in Prat's Diccionario de Guitarras, Guitarristas y Guitarreros, offered in 1910 to supply as many Torres guitars as were required, and if they weren't available, to offer García's guitars instead. A comparable attitude is discernible in Segovia's autobiography, where he is invited to play for some Tárrega disciples and offered a García, while their favored player, a "non-nail" guitarist, was given a Torres.
Today, however, García's reputation is strong, and not as a Torres imitator or substitute. He built nearly 300 guitars in his life and they are prized by collectors for their excellent and often ornate workmanship as much as for their sound. (One remarkable guitar in our Museum, long thought to be an 1860 Torres, turned out to be a Barcelona masterpiece of about 1918–1920, most likely by García and Simplicio.)
Francisco Simplicio: García's Only Pupil
Francisco Simplicio (1874–1932) was brought up in Barcelona, and was a cabinet-maker before turning to the making of guitars as a pupil of García, whom he joined in 1918. On García's death, Simplicio took over the premises at Paseo San Juan No. 110, trading for several years using García's labels. His own labels incorporated the information that he was García's only pupil. Some of his guitars had a strong resemblance to those of Torres, to the extent that some were advertised in Germany as his Modell Torres. Once again, the head of his standard models was based on the Torres pattern, and he often used the tornavoz. His plantilla, however, was not that of Torres, nor that of Manuel Ramírez, being wider in the upper bout and waist and narrower in the lower bout, producing a slightly more bulbous look.
Carving, Ornament and the Divided-Soundhole Guitars
Simplicio is celebrated for the extravagant carving and ornamentation of his deluxe models. He is also known for a series of nine experimental instruments featuring a divided soundhole on the upper part of the soundboard. The idea is that the soundboard acts as a coherent vibrating medium and is strong. But despite winning a gold medal at the 1929 World's Fair in Barcelona, Simplicio was never able to convince players of the instrument's advantages. He died in 1932 and his son Miguel took over. The guitars of Francisco Simplicio are sought after by collectors because despite their age they continue to play well.
– John Morrish (original article found in The Classical Guitar Book: A Complete History)
Simplicio's Label
After García's death in 1922, Simplicio signed his guitars with his own name and numbered them, starting with No. 1. He did not have his own labels designed and printed until 1925, so his first 49 guitars went out on García's old labels, with Simplicio's signature, the number and the words "sucesor y único discípulo de" written in by hand – our 1923 No. 11 is one of them. His own label, printed with García's Chicago 1893 medals, reads "Francisco Simplicio, Luthier, Suc. y único discípulo de Enrique García", with the address Paseo de San Juan 110, the year and the guitar number filled in by hand. The guitars that have passed through our hands run from No. 11 (1923) to No. 293 (1930).
Simplicio died on January 14, 1932. Two days later, on January 16, Daniel Friederich was born in Paris – a coincidence Friederich always cherished. His first guitar was a simple copy of a Simplicio, and he owned the 1930 Simplicio that later came to GSI.
Francisco and Miguel Simplicio in Orfeo Magazine
Click here to see the full issue of Orfeo.
The French classical guitar magazine Orfeo published a feature article about master luthiers Francisco Simplicio and his son Miguel Simplicio. Providing detailed history about Enrique García's influence on Francisco Simplicio's guitars, and Simplicio's rise to guitar-making mastery, the issue also emphasizes the aesthetic impact that the Art Nouveau style had on Simplicio guitars. In the following article, Daniel Friederich comments further on Francisco Simplicio's masterful guitar-making choices – choices that his son Miguel continued to cultivate as part of the family craft.
Francisco Simplicio Guitars at GSI
Many Francisco Simplicio guitars have passed through our doors over the years. You'll find guitars currently in stock by clicking the "Guitars In Stock" button in the header of this page as well as earlier examples in our Museum by clicking the "Guitars In Museum" button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Francisco Simplicio?
A Barcelona guitar maker (1874–1932), the only pupil and successor of Enrique García, famous for richly carved and inlaid guitars.
Who taught Francisco Simplicio?
Enrique García, founder of the Barcelona school; Simplicio took over García's shop at Paseo de San Juan No. 110 after García died in 1922.
Did Francisco Simplicio number his guitars?
Yes – from No. 1 in 1922; his first 49 guitars carry García's old labels, signed and numbered by Simplicio, and his own printed labels date from 1925.
What happened to the Simplicio workshop?
After Francisco died in 1932, his son Miguel Simplicio carried on the workshop.
