(Five) When I realized that my instrument lacked brilliant musical works corresponding to it, my heart fell into deep sorrow. The piano, in terms of the breadth of its repertoire, is luckier than any other instrument and is the most neutral and pure one. It is like a crystal-clear container for water when it comes to music; the tone color of the violin or cello adds a layer of human warmth to the music written specifically for them; the music played by the orchestra is like a colorful downpour. And the guitar's ability to concentrate and elevate music is like distilling hundreds of fragrances from the forest and storing them in a small vial.
The predicament of the guitar drove me to seriously seek a path for it, making its "language" deeper and more universally expressive, surpassing the limited "dialect" of its time. Thus, when people need to express broader thoughts and emotions through it, it will be able to handle them with ease due to the great increase in the depth and breadth of its technical space.
Through my friendship with Louis, I met Rafael de Montes, a young nobleman from Seville. He mostly lived in Germany and, more extravagantly, studied piano under Di Albert. That was indeed extravagant from the perspective of those lessons. Although he had remarkable talent and sensitivity for music, he lacked perseverance and thus could not endure the monotonous training and ascetic suffering process required for long-term achievements. His performance was almost a textbook example of inconsistency. He always gave up halfway, especially on difficult passages and casual phrases, treating them like a butterfly skimming over flowers. Moreover, he valued showing off his dexterity more than demonstrating his abilities, eventually exhausting the patience of his audience. However, to be fair, his critical insight into music was very accurate, making him an authority among us immediately. Another undeniable point is that he was very familiar with the interpretations of every famous artist, as he took pride in having many personal friendships with them. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that he had an innate good taste.
Mr. De Montes, upon hearing my performance at Louis' house, immediately encouraged me with enthusiastic reasons to leave Cordoba, and perhaps even Spain in the future. His advice and invitation brought me many sleepless nights. Before that, the people who had condescended to come to Granada and Cordoba to hear me play were all my friends or acquaintances, and their evaluations of my efforts lacked sufficient persuasiveness. Generally speaking, I enjoyed bringing them pleasure, and when I felt they didn't enjoy my performance as much as I hoped, I tended to question my own abilities as an artist rather than doubt the musical appreciation of my impromptu and small audience group. Besides, they always couldn't resist making some slight mockery of the guitar when praising me. They all did this.
So this matter caused a deep disturbance in my mind: I wanted to hear the friendly judgment of a musician living abroad, who, despite being young, held a certain social position and authority, without any derogatory remarks about my instrument. A belief welled up in my heart: no artist, no matter how dedicated, can succeed without such faith. I decided to become the messenger of the guitar before God, or more accurately, her husband, and vowed to give her everything she needed so that in the future, the whole world would respect her and welcome her with the honor she deserves... Beyond all this, I would remain loyal to her for life...