The term "ornamentation" is associated with the concept of baroque in general, referring to art,
literature and music. In the latter it appears as a characteristic of the instrumental styles
between 1600 and 1750 - not taking into consideration here if these embellishments are an
essential part of the melody, but somewhat artificial, or if they are integrated in the melodic
line of a strict counterpoint.
In Spain the ornamentation of the 17th and 18th century appears as a continuation and
amplification of anterior traditions, partly because of the vast quantity of theoretical texts
already available at the time, but also because the style of this period does not break with
antiquity, but draws inspiration from it and from other influences, like for example the Arabic
culture.
Although the 17th century seems to be a comparatively dark period in the history of Spanish
music - compared to the golden age of Renaissance - it is the very moment when all the existing
theories come to a climax, personified in composers and authors like Correa de Arauxo, Gaspar
Sanz, Pedro Cerone and Pablo Nassarre. These were to mark a style that may be called national,
particularly concerning ornamentation.
Correa's embellishments have no equal, neither among his predecessors nor among his followers.
His quiebros and redobles, especially the especiales, show oriental
influence to a singular degree. On the other hand parallels can be found in the folkloristic
works of Manuel de Falla.
It was Gaspar Sanz who transformed the inheritance of Italian and French music into works for
the Spanish guitar. He did not only turn it into the Spanish instrument par excellence, but also
prepared with his theory of ornamentation an Iberian style yet to come, thereby influencing the
music of the following century, especially for guitar and for harpsichord (as can be seen in the
works of A. Soler).
Scholars like Pedro Cerone, as a bridge between Renaissance and Baroque, and Pablo Nassarre, as
a conveyor of ancient theories in a new idiom, initiated controversial discussions and
traditions that still continue today.