In the early 1990’s, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art presented an exhibition called The Spanish Guitar. Two high points of the exhibition involved the vihuela. On display was an authentic vihuela from the first half of the sixteenth century, until recently the only one known to have survived. Also exhibited was an original copy of vihuelist/composer Alonso Mudarra's Tres Libros de Música en Cifras para vihuela, published in Séville in 1546. Along with publications by Milán and Narváez, this collection of over seventy compositions (including pavanas, fantasías, tientos and romanescas) represents the pinnacle of music for the vihuela.

    Samplings of vihuela music can be found in transcriptions for the modern classical guitar; however, recordings devoted to this music and performed on recreated vihuelas are rare. For this reason, we owe a debt of gratitude to Hopkinson Smith. Beginning with his recording of Milan's El Maestro (Vol. I, Astrée 7748; Vol II, Astrée E 7777) in 1986, followed by Narváez's Los seys libros del Delphín de música (Astrée 8706) in 1989, and now Mudarra's Tres Libros, Smith is systematically working his way thorough the music of the great composers for the vihuela. Given his performance on this disc, I hope recordings of the works of Valderrábano, Pisador, Fuenllana and Daza will follow.

    The pieces on this recording are drawn from the first two books of Tres Libros (the third book is devoted to music for voice and vihuela). Although the six-course vihuela superficially resembles the modern classical guitar, the vihuela's smaller volume and more uniform tonal color result in a sound not unlike that of a lute. Smith has acquired a good feel for the instrument, as shown by his accuracy in playing rapid scale passages, his use of an appropriate amount of ornamentation and the clarity with which he brings out individual voices. Of all the composers for the vihuela, Mudarra was perhaps the most daring in his use of harmony and dissonance. The best example on this recording is his Fantasia que contrahaze la harpa en la manera de Ludovico, set of variations on a ground that makes extensive use of chromaticism. Smith employs left-hand fingerings that bring out the dissonance, while avoiding the excessive clashing of tones characteristic of attempts to apply cross-string techniques to sections of this piece.

    Another innovation of Mudarra's was the inclusion of pieces for the guitar; in fact, this is the first known source of guitar music. Five of the twenty-five pieces on this recording were written for and are performed on a four-course guitar. Averaging around two minutes in length, these pieces are a model for the expression of a musical idea in a compact form. Smith brings a delicate, yet full sound to each piece. If any music can truly be considered timeless, the works of Mudarra—now nearly five centuries old—surely qualify. Smith's recording should also stand the test of time.