Tarrega Unplugged


-Brian Mendonça

Lately I have been doing some serious practice on my classical guitar. The sudden enthusiasm has its genesis in a visit by my friend Dr. Rajan Barrett to our place in Goa. Everytime I used to phone him he used to excitedly tell me which piece he was practising on his classical guitar. I left it at that. Until he came over.

Before the crack of dawn, he was up to practise his pieces while the world slumbered. Lost in playing a piece, he somewhat reluctantly would come for the breakfast laid out for him. He relished the feijoada the last time before he returned to Baroda. But not before he played a number of pieces on classical guitar.

I invited him to play for the students in college. He agreed. We held the mini-performance during recess in the foyer where curious passers-by stopped to listen. It was unplugged – without any mikes or amplifiers. It was just the sweet tones of the classical guitar.

This was a new way of promoting classical music. It was not ticketed; it was away from the high-brow; and it was accessible to all. In some way I felt it epitomized the heroic lives of the composers that were featured.

Rajan started with ‘Por Una Cabeza’ (1935) by Carlos  Gardel.  He introduced each piece before playing. ‘Por Una Cabeza’ is a tango inspired by the machismo of Argentina. It is about laying claim to a woman. There are many videos which interpret this piece.

The next two pieces were by Francisco Tárrega, viz. ‘Lagrima’ and ‘Adelita.’ ‘Lagrima’ (Teardrop) is said to have been written when Tárrega visited London in 1881 and was homesick for Spain. ‘Adelita’ is one of Tárrega’s most famous works leading him to be called the Chopin of the classical guitar. Rajan ended with J.S. Bach’s ‘Minuet in G’ composed in 1725 for Anna Magdalena Bach.

I was impressed at the way Rajan had come this far in his practice. It shows what perseverance can do. He had practised classical guitar over a period of 10 years. To cultivate this practice was deeply satisfying. One did not need anyone else to play. Finding time to play amidst the demands of being a University professor was very creditable.

Rajan and I come a long way. I met him during my M.Phil. days at Pune. He was the best man at our wedding in Bombay. We also spent time together in Delhi. My first reading of my book of poems Last Bus to Vasco: Poems from Goa was at his behest at M.S. University, Baroda where he is part of the faculty of the department of English. I visited him before that at Patan, North Gujarat University. We also landed up in the South for a conference which both of us were attending in Coimbatore.

The beauty is we stay in touch. We may not chat everyday but when we do meet we pick up where we left off. 
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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 26th January 2020. Photo: Dr. Rajan Barrett, faculty, Department of English, M.S. University, Baroda, plays Latin American music on classical guitar during the recess in the foyer of Carmel College, Nuvem, Goa on 14th January 2020. Photo courtesy Jolainne De Souza. 

Comments

Francis Vaz said…
Amazing doc, the way you write. So simple and refreshing.
Unknown said…
This post reminds me of the times both of you landed up at my home in Pune. The cup of tea that we shared together and the catching up we did. It has been several years. I seems like a hundred. But the charm never fades.