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Guitarra clásica (histórica) Hijos de Francisco González

6.500

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Vendu par: Casa Sors Guitars
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HISTORICAL GUITAR “SONS OF FRANCISCO GONZALEZ”

-EARLY XX CENTURY-

Characteristic:

*Sides and back: ROSEWOOD

*Bridge : ROSEWOOD

*Top: FIR

*Box: ROSEWOOD

*Strings: gut

*Neck: CEDAR

* Headstock: original (bone

Note: * Possibly built by Francisco Gonzalez himself, for its quality and finishes, to give prestige to the constructions of his descendants, continuers of the saga

DESCRIPTION

The 19th-century Madrid builder Francisco González was an almost exact contemporary of Antonio de Torres, but built his own style, notably stating on his label that his instruments are built in “a new and elegant design with a special system”. . (…an elegant new shape and build by a special system of his…).

González was very famous in his own time: he was the winner of several prizes and medals in various exhibitions during his lifetime and is known to have been the teacher of both José Ramírez I and his brother Manuel Ramírez. In fact, it was José I’s loyalty to González and the “system” and to Manuel. The conversion to Torres design that was the source of the ideological divide between the two Ramírez brothers, which forced them to break their association and instead set up competing stores in Madrid. González’s reputation in his day strongly suggests that he must have been a prolific builder, however, like Vicente Arias, very few of his instruments survive to the present day. Luckily this guitar is in very good condition and retains all the original elements: wood thicknesses, finishes, even tuning machines, which curiously have a shape that adapts to the sloping line at the bottom of the head shape ( which by the way can be seen in the instruments of José Ramírez through all generations, even up to the present).

Sound-wise, the guitar is spectacular, with a massive bottom end that would rival any later design. therefore, the guitar retains unusually perfect balance, even amid rich low notes. In this guitar it is easy to see the charm that José Ramírez must have admired and wanted to capture.

Builder’s Story:

The guitar-making tradition of La Casa González dates back to Francisco González, a guitar player of Galician origin.

 

Francisco González Estévez (1820-1879) was established in Madrid in 1849 as a cabinetmaker, but the following year he was already listed as a guitar maker. In 1851 he married María Cruz Carretero. The couple’s first daughter, Bárbara María Concepción, was born in December 1855. In 1857 Francisco settled on Calle Toledo in Madrid. In 1867 he presented his instruments at the Paris exhibition and received the bronze medal for “two guitars and two bandurrias that surpassed the common ones in solidity and vibration.”

 

It seems that the Spanish instruments had not been very successful in the previous Parisian exhibition of 1855 and that the participation was also scarce. However, in 1867, a dozen Spanish exhibitors appeared, covering six categories of instruments, including string instruments. González’s instruments won a medal and, it seems, no other guitar builder won an award. Hence the text that appears on one of González’s labels and which, referring to a special construction system for his instruments, states that: “of all the nations that have presented this kind of instrument, it has been the only one of its kind who has obtained this honor for his advancements.”

 

It seems that Francisco had something of an inventor and a revolutionary. Domingo Prat in his dictionary tells us a curious anecdote:

“The builder F. González was a talented Spaniard; This is proven to us by the various inventions of his, precursors of others that were later admired in different countries. We will remember this distinguished guitar player as a man of ingenuity, since in his youth he has built a car moved by levers, which walked by activating them.

In 1879 Francisco González, at the end of that same year, on December 29, died in the general hospital of Madrid.

 

Upon Francisco’s death, and due to Concepción’s minority, her widow empowers her future son-in-law, Enrique Románs Papell, to run the business. In 1881 Concepción and Enrique Románs are already married.

 

Nine years later, in 1891, and with address at number 33 Calle de las Carretas, the business of “Viuda de González e hijos” was established.

 

The business continued with that same name (including the widow) in the same place on Calle de las Carretas until 1912. It also continued there between 1920 and 1927, but in these years under the name of “Hijos de González”.

 

In June 1927, Concepción González died without a will. Apparently, her widower, Enrique Románs, and their son, Eduardo, inherited the business: “A workshop with a guitar shop located on the ground floor of Calle de Carretas thirty-three.”

 

In 1931 Enrique Románs appears in the commercial records at 33 Calle de las Carretas.

* * *

 

There is a beautiful instrument by Francisco González in the catalog of the guitar exhibition that was held at the Metropolitan and the Municipal of Madrid on the occasion of the Quincentenary. That catalog has been reissued by the Spanish publishing house Ópera Tres and now we can have it just by asking ( – search for “La Guitarra Española”). González’s guitar in this catalog is also reproduced in an article by José Luis Romanillos in number 6 of the magazine 12 notas.

There is a reproduction of a guitar by Francisco González in a precious book entitled Guitars which, since it is out of print, I think will allow me to present a couple of images. This guitar is from c. 1870 and the publication says that it is in the Musée Instrumental in Paris. I do not know if it is the same one cataloged in “The Spanish Guitar” that says it comes from the Musée de la Musique in Paris where it would have the number E. 1041.

 

In the collection of instruments by Félix Manzanero () we can take a look at several guitars by Francisco González (22 and 23), as well as by “Viuda e Hijos de González” (38) and “Hijos de González” (58 and 59). . Some of these instruments share unique characteristics that are worth considering.

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  • Nom du magasin : Casa Sors Guitars
  • Vendeur : Casa Sors Guitars
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