Jose Antonio Escobar: Canción del Emperador ("Mille Regretz") by Luis de Narváez

We begin the month with a lesson on Spanish composer Luis de Narváez's "Canción del Emperador, known also as "The Song of Thousand Regrets". Renaissance works on the guitar are often discarded as simple repertoire for our instrument, yet they represent one of the most incredible opportunities for us to explore an entire world of music almost lost to the centuries. Descend into a world of kings and queens, warring empires and court musicians, and understand how the history of classical music begins with a vocation most reminiscent of today's singer-songwriters.

In this lesson, Jose Antonio Escobar talks about the history of the music and the composer, the original tablature notation, and even includes the lyrics of the singing line above the melody you will learn on the guitar to help you visualize the song this piece evokes. When combined with his performance tips, this work's technical approachability becomes the gateway that invites us in to explore.