A classical guitarist living in rural Lewis County follows a lifelong passion in the formal music in which he was trained, while also adapting his performances to today’s interests in the types of music that many prefer to hear.
Curtis Johnson speaks knowingly of the various types of Old World and modern guitars in a way that seems to bring each one forward from its cultural roots and the influences that led to its style, symmetry and sound.
“A guitar can bring out the heart of the music, much like a conductor does,” Johnson said. “It’s like having an orchestra in a box, just as Beethoven said when he called the guitar ‘a miniature orchestra in itself.’”
Originally from Yellowstone County in Montana, Johnson, now in his early 40s, first picked up a guitar when he was 16 and later studied classical guitar and music education and performance at Montana State University.
“I fell in love with the classical guitar. You can play virtually anything on it; it’s a universal instrument,” Johnson said.
He wanted to learn more.
Working odd jobs for a few years while at the university, he saved enough for extended classical music study abroad, primarily in Salamanca, which is known as “the golden city of Spain.” Classical guitar music was spread worldwide by Andrẻs Segovia (1893-1987), the Spanish composer and musician considered as the father of the modern guitar movement.
Many professional classical guitarists today were either students of the virtuoso Segovia or students of Segovia’s students. Segovia himself performed in 5,402 concerts, primarily in Europe and the Americas during his 78-year career. He revived the Renaissance classics played on guitar as a portal to a lost world, which later guitarists such as Johnson would help to keep alive.
While in Spain, Johnson studied under a master who had learned from a direct Segovia student, and he practiced daily under the same Renaissance arches where classical guitarists had performed for centuries.
Returning to the U.S. several months later, Johnson taught classical guitar at the university and performed locally. In 2016, he and his wife Mary and preschool daughter moved from Billings, Montana, to outside Toledo to be closer to family.
Since then, Johnson has performed as a side gig at area art events, pubs, festivals and private gatherings. Realizing that classical music from centuries ago often didn’t hold the interest of some audiences today, he found a way to merge his formal learning with the more popular Celtic, contemporary and Americana music.
Appalachian folk songs, for example, had their roots in Renaissance classics from Europe. Modern romance songs originated from similarities found in Baroque music.
“The guitar lets me perform traditional music in a way that can resemble American folk songs, for example,” Johnson said. “I can vary how it’s played, as needed, depending on who I’m performing for, while still retaining the heart of the music.
“When I go out and play now, I interweave classical with modern. It’s about building community and sharing the music, a sense of doing this for the greater good,” he said.
Meant to be played as a melodic or acoustic instrument, the classical guitar usually has gut or nylon strings and is smaller than a standard guitar. Its design has a huge impact on the sound, enabling the musician to add rhythm such as percussion on the wood body.
Small Baroque-era guitars of the late 18th century led to the creation of parlor guitars of the late 1800s to early 1900s and the introduction of steel strings. These instruments were designed for concert hall performances, whereby Segovia brought classical guitar music to the U.S. and made it popular in the public eye.
As music continued to evolve, U.S. inventors such as the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Ltd., began making larger guitars. Elvis Presley introduced his version of rockabilly while playing a Gibson “Jumbo” guitar.
“Times have changed. Many people don’t know who Segovia is any more,” Johnson said.
He has practiced nearly every day for the past 20 years, sometimes alongside quiet streams or in area parks. He continues to improvise, compose, and collaborate, saying to perform classical music is to interpret.
“It’s important to play the music of our ancestors, although I don’t see myself as a gatekeeper, as my focus is on being able to play through the heart,” said Johnson, adding, “I plan to play throughout my life — to just do it, for the beauty of it.”
Johnson will be performing at a free community art show on Friday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Morgan Arts Centre, 190 Plomondon Road, Toledo, during “When the Stars Come Out,” set for noon to 8 p.m. that day and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 6.
The art show is held by five area artists to benefit the Toledo Neighbors food pantry and the Winlock-Vader Food Bank, which also serves Toledo and Ryderwood. A total of 25% of art sales will benefit the two food organizations.
Five pieces of original art have been donated as raffle prizes, currently on display at Gallery 505 in Toledo. Tickets may be purchased there until 4 p.m. on Dec. 6, or during the show, with the drawing at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket holders need not be present to win. For more information, contact Eileen Eddleman, 360-807-3940.
