Tribute to Oscar Ghiglia in Ravenna

Dec 11, 2024 | Events and news, Related artists

Tribute to Oscar Ghiglia in Ravenna Ramirez Guitars
On September 13th, I arrived at Milan Airport, where I was greeted by Pietro Camera, representative of Guitarras Ramírez in Italy. We visited Gino, where we discussed the Segovia guitar and the reason we use shellac varnish, unless a specific request is made to apply polyurethane instead.

The Segovia Guitar

The Segovia guitar, which is a reproduction of the first guitar built with a red cedar top and preserved in our collection, is varnished with shellac. In this reproduction, we use shellac varnish to maintain the original instrument’s sonic characteristics, but at the guitarist’s request, polyurethane can be applied for greater durability, as it has minimal impact on the sound.

Event Honoring Oscar Ghiglia

The next day, we traveled to Ravenna, where I was invited to participate in the OMAGGIO AD OSCAR GHIGLIA, the great guitarist who was a student of Segovia and passed away last year. The event, organized by the Associazione Musicale Angelo Mariani, was held in the Sala Corelli at Teatro Alighieri. After a brief concert by Piero Bonaguri, who masterfully played a Segovia model guitar, I gave a talk about the original guitar and its characteristics.

Anecdote About Varnishes

I shared an anecdote about the time when my father, José Ramírez III, was experimenting with varnishes, as he believed shellac was a rather poor product that crystallizes in small fragments, which does little to enhance the sound.
  
He dreamed of the fatty varnishes used on violins, which crystallize over large areas, facilitating sound expansion. One day, such a varnish came into his possession, and he applied it to a guitar. He then mentioned it to Andrés Segovia, who showed great interest and periodically called my father to inquire about the process.
 
To speed up the drying process, my father placed the guitar under infrared lamps, periodically touching the varnish that would not dry. Segovia’s impatience grew until, a year later, my father found the varnish had dried and sent the guitar to the maestro for testing.
A few days later, the guitar returned to the workshop with Segovia’s arm hair stuck to its sides. He complained it was sticky all over and painful to play.
My father abandoned the fatty varnish and continued experimenting until he developed the urea-formol formula, which we used until it was banned at the end of the last century.
This varnish, unfortunately very toxic, was a marvel for sound due to its wide crystallization, flexibility, and resistance. We had to replace it with polyurethane varnish, which has similar characteristics and works very well.
I kept my talk brief, as there is much to tell about the Segovia guitar, but it wasn’t the time to monopolize the event. I think people appreciated the brevity, and I will share more in future talks.

Presentations and Performances

After my talk, Andrea Dieci played with exquisite skill and delicacy. Piero Bonaguri and Antonin Vercellino presented Oscar Ghiglia’s biographical book, “La Musica Prima di Tutto,” which I received from co-author Antonin Vercellino.

This dedicated copy is displayed in my shop on La Paz Street. Although it is in Italian, I hope it will be translated as it is a historical document personally approved by Ghiglia as the principal author.

The presentation was framed by performances from Andrea Dieci, who masterfully performed several high-quality pieces.

Stefano Jacoviello, from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana de Siena, spoke about Maestro Ghiglia, sharing his vision of the guitarist and his approach to the guitar as a versatile instrument, central to first-class concerts.

I loved his presentation and wished I had more time to discuss his understanding of the guitar.

The event concluded with Piero Bonaguri’s sensitive and exquisite performances of two beautiful pieces.

We finished around midnight and enjoyed delicious pizzas at the only place that served us at such a late hour.

Amalia Ramirez, September 26, 2024
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