1903 Enrique García No. 13 SP/MH

This 1903 Enrique García is a spruce and mahogany classical guitar made in Barcelona, No. 13, from his workshop on Calle Aragón – built just a year before the García that Francisco Tárrega famously played.

In the video above, Lovro Peretić plays his arrangement of Johannes Brahms' Intermezzo Op. 117, No. 1 on this guitar.

A 1903 García from Calle Aragón

This is a wonderfully well-preserved example of a great-sounding and great-playing Enrique García, built at a very exciting period of his career. Its label is filled in by hand – "año 1903", "nº 13" and the street, Calle Aragón, where the number 455 has been corrected to 369. Stylistically the instrument is fairly simple (but very elegant) in decoration, especially compared to the much more intricate and highly ornate guitars built between 1919 and 1922, after Francisco Simplicio began working for him.

Sound and Condition

This guitar has an amazing "old world" sound with a big "low end" quality (heard and felt even in the trebles), making it very dark and mysterious. As full-bodied and rich as the sound is, it still has plenty of clarity and separation. Condition is excellent for a guitar of this vintage: there are only three thin hairline cracks, two in the top and one in the back, all conservatively repaired. For the player or collector looking for a great García, this one has it all – it is very lively and "friendly" to both hands, with great charm and personality.

Enrique García: From the Ramírez Workshop to Barcelona

Enrique García was born in Madrid in 1868. Although he was the son of a guitar maker, Juan García, in 1883 he began an apprenticeship with either Manuel Ramírez or José Ramírez I (or likely both), and continued to work in Madrid for many years. In 1893 his guitars won first prize at the Chicago World's Fair – García was evidently very proud of this achievement, as he represented it in pictorial form on his labels after receiving the award. In 1895 he left Ramírez and Madrid for Barcelona, where he set up his own workshop as an independent builder.

Founder of the Barcelona School of Guitar Making

García is considered to be the founder of the "Barcelona school", or "Catalan" style of guitar making. His style influenced subsequent generations of Barcelona makers including Francisco Simplicio and Miguel Simplicio, Enrique Sanfeliu, Enrique Coll and Ignacio Fleta. Perhaps the most important hallmark of his style is the increased stiffness in his soundboards – his guitars commonly featured 8 asymmetrical fans instead of the traditional 7 (years later, Ignacio Fleta would increase the number of fans to 9).

An International Reputation

García was arguably the most sought-after and famous maker at the turn of the century (1900). His reputation very early on was truly international, largely thanks to Domingo Prat and Francisco Tárrega, who both played his guitars. By 1912 he was exporting many of his instruments, primarily to South America, where a thriving and very important guitar scene, based mainly in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, was forming. His guitars have always been prized by performers and collectors for their intimate charm and unique style.

Books on Enrique García

The bilingual (French and English) monograph "Enrique García 1868-1922: Constructor de Barcelona" by Jacques Vincenti and Alberto Martínez – 216 pages, with the plan of García No. 123 – is the most complete record of his life, his labels and workshops, the Chicago prize and the guitars of Prat and Tárrega:

Enrique García 1868-1922: Constructor de Barcelona