Who is the composer you feel is underrated in the guitar world?

Every guitarist has that one composer—the one who writes beautifully for the instrument but doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. Maybe their works are hidden gems that rarely make it onto concert programs, or maybe they wrote just one brilliant piece that deserves more time in the spotlight.

💬 Which composer do YOU believe is criminally underrated in the classical guitar community?

  • What makes their music special to you?

  • Is there a particular piece you'd recommend others to try?

  • Why do you think they’ve been overlooked?

Whether it’s a forgotten Romantic, an overlooked contemporary voice, or a regional treasure, we’d love to hear your pick and why they deserve more love! Let’s build a list of hidden gems together 💎🎶

👉 Bonus: Share a short recording or video if you’ve played something by them!

28 replies

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    • sekhar
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    Dear Martin,

    I hope this message finds you well.

    My name is Sekhar Screenevasan, writing from Singapore. I would like to submit a guitar music recording featuring Mr. Harry Martinez, which includes several of his original compositions. This recording was originally made on a cassette tape, with approximately 30 minutes of music on each side. It was personally gifted to me by Mr. Martinez in 1982, during the time I was his student (from 1981 to 1984).

    Although the sound quality of the original cassette has naturally deteriorated over time, I had it digitised several years ago into two separate audio files. I would be pleased to share these recordings with you for consideration in your work highlighting underrated composers in the guitar world.

    Additional information on Mr. Martinez can be found via the National Archives of Singapore, under the following reference:
    MARTINEZ, Harry Joseph. Performing Arts in Singapore (Music), Accession Number 001130
    https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/oral_history_interviews/interview/001130

    Other references:

    Attached are the audio files. I look forward to your thoughts and I hope Mr. Martinez’s work will be of interest to your project.

     

    Warm regards,

    Sekhar Screenevasan

    01 Track 1 H Martinez 28-12-82 02 Track 2 H Martinez 28-12-82 H Martinez 28-12-1982
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      • martin.3
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      sekhar Thank you so much for sharing these recordings — what a special and meaningful contribution. It’s incredibly moving to hear music passed down with such a personal connection, especially from a student of Mr. Martinez himself.

      This is exactly the kind of material that helps us celebrate and rediscover underrated voices in the guitar world. Thank you again for making this available to the community!

      • sekhar
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      martin Thank you for your encouraging words.

      I'm hoping  if someone could transcribe Mr. Martinez's Sonata in C-Major (Track 2, No.4).
      So that it can be studied / performed.

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