Traumas and Exile, music as an instrument of psychoanalysis

Gerhard was able to create works of great richness that connect distant musical styles, extra- musical narratives, autobiographical references, and abstract musical concepts. The composer lived through extraordinarily tumultuous times, including the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, as an exile in England. Away from his homeland, he maintained a pacifist stance, firmly opposing Franco’s regime. It was Gerhard’s personal connection to the Civil War that may have prompted the BBC to commission him to write incidental music for adaptations of two important books set during the Spanish Civil War. In both compositions,
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The Revenge for Love (1957) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1965), Gerhard decided to include the guitar, an instrument widely associated with Spanish and Catalan culture. The two incidental works provided the basis for his most important compositions for guitar, Fantasia for solo guitar and the chamber work Libra. This lecture will explore how Gerhard’s political views and experience of the Spanish Civil War influenced his approach in composing for guitar. I also examine the profound impact of his guitar music on the repertoire, exploring its influence on subsequent works and the inspiration it provided to many composers into writing for the guitar.