470:(1888) - Once owned by Leon Farre, one of the great enthusiasts of the Barcelona guitar world in the first half of the 20th century. Due to its particular sound qualities, the guitar received special attention from Miguel Llobet, Domingo Prat, Emilio Pujol and other guitar enthusiasts. Due to the beauty of its voice, Prat and Pujol gave it the nickname “La Italica”, while Llobet christened it with the epithet “La Leona de Farre”, in honour of its owner Leon Farre. The guitar later belonged to the Barcelona luthier Enrique Coll (a student of Simplicio and a mentor to Fleta). The guitar seems to have come out of a time machine, as it has never undergone restoration and is still in the original condition in which Torres left it in 1888. The guitar currently belongs to the Raccosta Collection (Verona, Italy);
356:
283:" smilingly responded: 'Father, I am very sorry that a man like you also falls victim to that idea that runs among ignorant people, Juanito (that is how he addressed me) has been witness to the secret many times, but it is impossible for me to leave the secret behind for posterity; this will go to the tomb with me for it is the result of the feel of the tips of the thumb and forefinger communicating to my intellect whether the soundboard is properly worked out to correspond with the guitar maker's concept and the sound required of the instrument'. Everyone was left convinced that the artistic genius cannot be passed on "
33:
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317:, and then in the rest of the world. Although they are not particularly loud by modern standards, they have a clear, balanced, firm, and rounded tone that projects very well. His guitars were widely imitated and copied. Because he never signed his guitars, and only numbered those from his second epoch, many fake Torres have been made, some by well-known and expert makers.
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FE 13 (1860): owned by Miguel Llobet, who often used it in concerts in
Germany together with the FE09 (1859). Llobet sold it in the first half of the 1920s to Hermann Hauser I, who kept it throughout his life, drawing inspiration from it for the development of his famous guitar of 1937. The guitar is
250:
was key. To increase its volume, he not only made his guitars larger, but fitted them with thinner, hence lighter soundboards that were arched in both directions, made possible by a system of fan bracing for strength. These bracing struts were laid out geometrically, based on two isosceles triangles
303:
where he and his wife opened up a china and crystal shop on the Calle Real. About five years later, Torres began his "second epoch" (as he referred to it on the labels of his guitars), building part-time when not busy in the china shop. After the death of his wife Josefa, in 1883, Torres began to
278:
During his later years, Torres's close friend, a priest named Juan Martínez
Sirvent, lent him a hand in his workshop. Many years later, in 1931 Sirvent wrote a letter to Francisco Rodríguez Torres, mentioning the following explanation Torres made when he, at the age of 68 was asked by the famous
214:
broke out, and soon after Torres was conscripted into the army. Through his father's machinations, young
Antonio was dismissed as medically unfit for service. As only single men and widowers without children were subject to conscription, in 1835 his family pushed Torres into a hastily arranged
329:
is also frequently used. Luthiers have continued to develop the bracing of the soundboard, but most still use some version of the fan-bracing that Torres's pioneered. Torres's guitars were strung with gut trebles and basses of silk threads, overwound with silver. Since the 1950s almost all
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Torres guitars are divided into two periods: the first belonging to
Sevilla from 1852 to 1870, the second being the years 1871–1893 in Almería. The guitars Torres made were so superior to those of his contemporaries that their example changed the way guitars were built, first in
417:
a rare example of the originality of the guitar concept that Torres carried forward in the First Epoch period as it has never undergone restoration and is still in the condition in which its maker left it. The guitar is currently part of the
Raccosta Collection (Verona, Italy);
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While Torres was not the first to use this method he was the one who perfected the symmetrical design. To prove that it was the top, and not the back and sides of the guitar that gave the instrument its sound, in 1862 he built a guitar with back and sides of
764:
246:, that Torres made it his profession, and he began building in earnest. Julián Arcas offered Torres advice on building, and their collaboration turned Torres into an inveterate investigator of the guitar construction. Torres reasoned that the
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295:
to buy a Torres guitar from the maker of Julián Arcas' instrument. Torres offered him a modest guitar he had in stock, but on hearing him play, offered him a much better guitar that he had made for himself a few years before.
330:
classical guitars have been strung with nylon. The tuning heads of Torres's guitars were often set with traditional ebony friction pegs, similar to those of other string instruments. His later instruments were fitted with
274:
There is an anecdote about how he had made a guitar made like a
Chinese puzzle that could be assembled without glue and disassembled would fit in a shoe box. There is no evidence that he ever made such a guitar though.
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While the overall pattern of the modern classical guitar derives from Torres, there are some differences between Torres's classical guitars and the modern instrument. Torres's guitars all had soundboards of
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219:. Children soon followed: a daughter in 1836, another in 1839, and a third in 1842, who died a few months later. His second daughter also died. In 1845 his wife died at the age of 23, of
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that he shared with Manuel Soto y
Solares. Although he made some guitars during the 1840s, it was not until the 1850s on the advice of the renowned guitarist and composer
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devote increasing amounts of time to building guitars, making somewhere around 12 guitars a year until his death in La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería at the age of 75.
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271:. (This guitar resides in the Museu de la Musica in Barcelona, and before the year 2000 it was restored to playable condition by the brothers Yagüe, Barcelona).
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Antonio de Torres was the son of Juan Torres, a local tax collector, and Maria Jurado. As was common, when he was 12 he started an apprenticeship as a
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in
Seville, in 1869. The back and ribs were made from flamed maple. Sold by Vicente Tárrega (brother of Francisco Tárrega) to Domingo Prat in 1917.
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Although there is some debate as to who taught Torres, one theory is that sometime around 1842, Torres may have gone to work for
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223:. These were difficult years for Torres, who was often in debt and forced to look for more lucrative forms of employment.
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477:, restored and owned by luthier R. E. Bruné. Nearly identical to SE 114 but with birds eye maple sides and back.
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995:
888:
904:
Investigative
Methods for the Study of Historical Guitars: A Case Study of the Work of Antonio de Torres
239:
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1043:
694:
437:
421:
288:
963:
599:
Romanillos, José L. (1990) . "Antonio de Torres, Guitar Maker, His Life & Work". pp. 16–17.
588:
Grondona, Stefano (2001). "La
Chitarra di Liuteria, Masterpieces of Guitar Making". pp. 58–61.
396:
247:
227:
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father Garzón at a dinner about his "secret" of how to make his outstandingly sounding guitars:
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joined at their base creating a kite shape, within which the struts were set out symmetrically.
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About 1870, Torres, who was then in his 50s, closed his shop in Seville and moved back to
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In 1868, Torres married again, wedding Josefa Martín Rosada. Shortly after, Torres met
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for the first time. Tárrega, who was then aged seventeen, had come to Seville from
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SE 114 (1888) - owned by Francisco Tárrega, now in the collection of Sheldon Urlik
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996:
Fretwork From the Land of Flamenco - A Masterful Collection of Classical Guitars
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57:
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FE 17 (1864) - initially made by Torres for his personal use, acquired by
906:, by Dr. James Westbrook, 2009, MA thesis, London Metropolitan University
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FE 18 (1864), presently owned by James Westbrook, www.theguitarmuseum.com
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Almeria, 1875 (actually housed in: Musée du Palais Lascaris in Nice)
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This is an incomplete list of guitars made by Antonio de Torres.
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Bruné, R.E. (September 2011). "1883 Antonio de Torres No. 52".
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marriage to Juana María López, the 13-year-old daughter of a
1004:
Articles Hemeroteca Digital - Biblioteca Nacional de España
190:
It is with his designs that the first recognizably modern
234:, rapidly learning to build guitars. He soon returned to
935:
Measuring and documenting the FE 18 by Antonio de Torres
611:"MDMB 626: Guitarra, by Antonio de Torres Jurado (1859)"
559:"MDMB 625: Guitarra, by Antonio de Torres Jurado (1862)"
395:(1856) - owned by Erhard Hannen, now is being played by
380:
owns three Torres guitars (including the FE03 of 1856);
1017:
Caras y caretas (Buenos Aires). 04/07/1925, n. 1396
899:
Making Master Guitars By Roy Courtnall, Adrian Lucas
1023:
Caras y caretas (Buenos Aires). 05/09/1925, n. 1405
157:
102:
85:
69:
39:
23:
334:, which are universal on classical guitars today.
985:Website with videos and photos 360 of this guitar
767:- search-phrase: Facteur, auteur ou sujet :
179:(13 June 1817 – 19 November 1892) was a Spanish
413:Sevilla, 1862 - Collection of José Luis Postigo
433:FE 28 (1868) - Collection of Marcos Villanueva
983:Guitar Antonio de Torres 1884 “La Invencible”
979:Website with videos and photos of this guitar
427:Almería, 1864 - Collection of Félix Manzanero
198:in use today are derivatives of his designs.
8:
376:have five Torres guitars of uncertain year.
727:, Collection of Flamencoguitarsforsale.net
480:In the Museum Cité de la Musique in Paris
31:
20:
16:Spanish guitarist and luthier (1817-1892)
954:image - José Martinez Toboso with guitar
889:Antonio De Torres by Jose L. Romanillos
510:
456:SE 107 (1887) - now is being played by
149: 1868; died 1883)
126: 1835; died 1845)
654:archived from www.guitarraspostigo.com
500:In the Museu de la Música in Barcelona
483:Almeria, 1885 (Torres 11-string model)
7:
615:Catalogue online, Museo de la Música
563:Catalogue online, Museo de la Música
1011:Estampa (Madrid. 1928). 01/01/1929
238:and opened a shop on the Calle de
14:
942:Regarding Torres 11-string models
642:archived from gourmet-guitars.com
711:Collection of Marcos Villanueva
652:Collection of José Luis Postigo
408:Museu de la Música de Barcelona
406:, now in the collection of the
363:Museu de la Música de Barcelona
260:Museu de la Música de Barcelona
146:
123:
473:SE 124 (1888) - Once owned by
1:
922:http://www.antoniodetorres.es
916:Web Oficial Antonio de Torres
738:1888-antonio-de-torres-no-124
676:Collection of Félix Manzanero
977:www.lainvencibledetorres.com
866:Online catalog - Search for
765:Instruments et oeuvres d'art
666:page 122 www.guitarsalon.com
539:. Guitar Salon International
998:LA Times, February 17, 2002
755:mediatheque.cite-musique.fr
701:www.earlyromanticguitar.com
258:Guitar by Torres (1862) at
1080:
685:www.guitarrasmanzanero.com
617:. MDMB 626. Archived from
565:. MDMB 625. Archived from
359:Guitar by Torres (1859)
80:Almería, Andalucía, Spain
30:
931:Antonio de Torres Jurado
782:(Torres 11-string model)
713:www.marcosvillanueva.net
442:SE 52 (1883) - owned by
436:SE 49 (1883) - owned by
402:FE 09 (1859) - owned by
177:Antonio de Torres Jurado
44:Antonio de Torres Jurado
25:Antonio de Torres Jurado
1059:Classical guitar makers
475:Regino Sainz de la Maza
948:Multi-stringed guitars
884:Hill Guitar, Short Bio
366:
352:
285:
263:
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194:are to be seen. Most
167:Maria Jurado (mother)
971:La Invencible (1884)
937:by Florian Vorreiter
927:29 July 2019 at the
681:3 March 2016 at the
338:Inventory of guitars
164:Juan Torres (father)
136:Josefa Martín Rosada
1064:People from Almería
537:"Antonio De Torres"
895:Google Book Search
839:Museu de la Música
752:Cité de la Musique
697:picture; see also
640:video, lieske_live
367:
353:
264:
966:(harpguitars.net)
960:(harpguitars.net)
950:(harpguitars.net)
847:on 1 January 2013
524:. pp. 84–88.
438:Francisco Tárrega
422:Francisco Tárrega
351:and Wulfin Lieske
332:mechanical tuners
327:western red cedar
289:Francisco Tárrega
192:classical guitars
174:
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113:Juana María López
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1054:Spanish luthiers
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843:. Archived from
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458:Stefano Grondona
240:Cerrajería No. 7
196:acoustic guitars
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73:19 November 1892
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683:Wayback Machine
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621:on 26 June 2015
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569:on 26 June 2015
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535:Morrish, John.
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803:Almeria, 1852
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780:Almeria, 1885
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725:La Invencible
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451:La Invencible
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404:Miguel Llobet
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397:Wulfin Lieske
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388:each own one.
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210:. In 1833, a
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893:Julian Bream
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849:. Retrieved
845:the original
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695:FE 18 (1864)
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664:FE 17 (1864)
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635:
623:. Retrieved
619:the original
614:
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583:
571:. Retrieved
567:the original
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541:. Retrieved
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450:
444:Angel Romero
392:
386:Angel Romero
382:Celin Romero
368:
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311:
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269:papier-mâché
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244:Julián Arcas
225:
221:tuberculosis
212:dynastic war
205:
189:
176:
175:
75:(1892-11-19)
54:13 June 1817
18:
1049:1892 deaths
1044:1817 births
625:3 September
573:3 September
378:Pepe Romero
374:The Romeros
262:(MDMB 625).
228:José Pernas
86:Occupations
1038:Categories
505:References
468:La Itálica
365:(MDMB 626)
248:soundboard
217:shopkeeper
50:1817-06-13
1025:; page 76
1019:; page 20
293:Barcelona
208:carpenter
202:Biography
181:guitarist
92:Guitarist
62:Andalucía
990:Articles
925:Archived
679:Archived
393:La Leona
347:La Leona
1013:page 29
964:Players
750:Museum
466:SE 116
410:, Spain
349:(1856)
308:Guitars
301:Almería
236:Seville
232:Granada
185:luthier
158:Parents
151:
143:
139:
128:
120:
116:
103:Spouses
95:luthier
64:, Spain
58:Almería
868:Torres
851:24 May
769:Torres
723:SE 70
453:(1884)
449:SE 70
391:FE 04
325:; now
543:8 May
315:Spain
145:(
141:
122:(
118:
1028:etc.
853:2010
627:2018
575:2018
545:2011
384:and
183:and
70:Died
40:Born
958:ref
361:at
230:in
1040::
1007::
956:,
891:,
613:.
561:.
399:.
147:m.
124:m.
60:,
855:.
841:"
837:"
629:.
577:.
547:.
460:.
446:.
52:)
48:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
