Spanish Romance (Romanza) – Free PDF sheet music and TAB for classical guitar, including left-hand fingering, a performance, and a complete video lesson. This famous anonymous work is an intermediate-level piece (approximately Grade 5–6) requiring some larger chord shapes, mild stretches, barre technique, and upper-position playing. My edition comes with both a notation-only edition and a separate tab edition.
Spanish Romance (Romanza) – Spanish Romance is one of the most recognizable works in the classical guitar repertoire. Its composer remains unknown, and the piece appears under many names, including “Romance Anónimo” (Anonymous Romance), “Estudio en Mi de Rubira” (Study in E by Rubira), “Romance de España”, “Romanza” and “Romance d’Amour” and more titles. Here is my YouTube Performance & Lesson link if you want to watch it there. Below you’ll find my free edition along with practice advice, lesson videos, and information about the work.
My Free PDF Sheet Music or Tab Edition
Download my free edition of Spanish Romance for classical guitar. The PDF includes a standard notation edition with fingering and a separate TAB edition in the same pdf.
Also Find This Work in My Grade 5 Repertoire Lessons Book
Classical Guitar Repertoire Lessons Grade 5 – Includes a dedicated lesson for this work plus the below video.
How to Play Spanish Romance
See the video lesson above – In the video I perform the piece and give a lesson for context and fingering tips.
Play the melody on its own. The melody to Spanish Romance is the most important element in the piece. You want to practice the melody on its own and get the phrasing and dynamic shaping to be as high quality as possible. Then, when you add in the accompaniment you try to keep the legato melody as high quality as possible despite of the chord changes and fingering. The melody is the upper voice as shown on the first two lines below.
Balance the Voices. You want the melody to be the most prominent. The melody should pop out of the texture without interference from the bass or accompaniment. The bass voice is the next most important and can be fairly present so it can sustain through the measure. It’s quite far away in register from the melody so it won’t interfere much. The accompaniment should be the softest. Try to under-play it so it never interferes with the prominent melody.
Practice the chord shapes on their own. Getting comfortable with the chord shapes is another aspect of the piece that will need to be practiced. You can do this by practicing the combined notes in a measure or quarter note beat.
Score Comments: The use of the E in measure 19 and 20 is used as a pedal point but feel free to play an F sharp with a barre at the 2nd fret if you prefer.
Another Video
Some History on Spanish Romance
The origins and composer of Spanish Romance (also known as Romanza or Romance Anónimo) remain uncertain. The piece is generally associated with the late 19th-century guitar tradition and has circulated under numerous titles and attributions. Its simple lyrical melody, continuous arpeggio accompaniment, and contrasting minor and major sections are characteristic of Romantic-era salon or parlour music.
Over the years, Spanish Romance has been attributed to a number of guitarists and composers, including Antonio Rubira, Francisco Tárrega, Fernando Sor, Daniel Fortea, Vicente Gómez, and Narciso Yepes. None of these attributions has been conclusively established. Early sources are particularly interesting: versions of the piece were already circulating by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including sources associating it with Rubira and an unsigned manuscript marked “Melodía de Sor.” These sources demonstrate the age of the piece but do not provide definitive proof of authorship.
It is highly unlikely to near impossible that the piece is by Sor. It is simply outside his compositional styel and era, but Tarrega would not be a huge stretch. Though, if it was by any legit composers I would imagine the piece has been altered overtime to simplify it and make it more pleasing for mainstream consumption.
Narciso Yepes became strongly associated with Spanish Romance through his performance of the music in René Clément’s 1952 film Jeux interdits (Forbidden Games). The success of the film helped make the melody internationally famous, although versions of the piece existed decades before Yepes’s recording and arrangement.
Given the conflicting early sources and lack of a definitive manuscript by a known composer, the most accurate attribution remains Anonymous. Whatever its origins, Spanish Romance has become one of the most recognizable and widely performed works in the classical guitar repertoire.
Also check out more info on the piece via Wikipedia.
Spanish Romance FAQ
Who composed Spanish Romance?
The composer of Spanish Romance is unknown. The work has been attributed to a number of guitarists and composers over the years, but no attribution has been conclusively established.
Is Spanish Romance the same as Romanza?
Yes. The piece is known by many titles, including Spanish Romance, Romanza, Romance Anónimo, Romance d’Amour, and Romance de España.
What level is Spanish Romance on guitar?
I recommend Spanish Romance for intermediate classical guitarists, approximately Grade 5–6. Although the arpeggio pattern is straightforward, the piece requires barre chords, some mild stretches, position shifts, and control of melody and accompaniment. I highly recommend working your way up to some of my grade 4 and 5 works before attempting the work.
Does the free PDF include guitar TAB?
Yes. The download includes both a standard-notation edition and a separate edition with guitar tablature all in the same pdf.
Why are there different versions of Spanish Romance?
Because the composer and original source are uncertain, numerous versions of the piece have circulated. Different editions may therefore contain different notes, fingerings, bass notes, and other details.
Sample Media
Check out my educational book series
- Classical Guitar Method – Vol. 1, with Video Lessons, 100 pages, Free PDF
- Classical Guitar Method Vol. 2, with Video Lessons, 89 pages.
- Ten Classical Etudes – Progressive etudes for intermediate level.
- Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, & Arpeggios – Hundreds of exercises and tons of video lessons. Notation.
- 20 Favorite Exercises, Technique book includes notation and TAB, Video lessons.
Je suis débutante et il y a de signes comme le # devant que je ne comprends pas est ce qu’il faut décaler d’un fret plus haut ou plus bas
You may wish to start with one of my method books during the beginning of your practice session in order to start filling out your knowledge in a gradual and organized way. The # symbol is a sharp which raised the pitch one semitone or up one fret on guitar.
Where can I get the classical guitar tab book Warner guitar editions. Amazon and all the other sites I’ve checked are out of it and say it’s not currently in print
That book is now out of print but all the pieces are still available on the site and in my other hardcopy books.
Thank you for your excellent advises about this piece. I have a question concerning bar 19 & 20. The bass note on many edition is a low F# which needs a complete II barré. You play a low E on an open string. Can you explain to me this difference : which is the «good» one ?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Rémi Lapointe
Since there is no original copy of this work (it’s anonymous), there are many different versions of it out there. So the E in this version is a pedal tone (a repeated bass note over which chords are played that either create tension or release). But if you prefer the F# version, go with that. Both work.
Thanks for a great site…I´m presently practicing this piece and have come across some things I don´t really understand.
In bar 7 it says BV6, should it possibly be BV3?
The BIX3 in end of bar 24 shouldn´t it start in bar 25?
And the BII5 in bar 29 should possibly be in bar 30 instead?
Thanks
/Mans
Hi,
All this measure are correct and intentional as far as I’m concerned.
In measure 7 the BV6 allows you to move it up to the BVII6 that immediately follows allowing you to not have to release the previous barre which might create a hiccup in the music.
In Measure 24 the barre in needed to play those notes with the high D and then continues in the next measure.
In measure 29 and 30 you barre (BII5) for both measures since it is the same chord.
Hi, thanks for the explanation, I now see the reason for it noted this way. Great experience!
One thing though is the 29/30 barre, I think the reason for my question is that I previously studied this piece from an old sheet of mine (by Daniel Fortea) where it is not the same chord in these two bars. In this sheet bar 29 is noted with B and G# instead of D# and A. I guess there is no right or wrong here as the origin is unclear?
Thanks anyway for the clarification, much appreciated.
/Mans
Absolutely correct, there is no definitive version out there so you can choose to use whatever version you prefer.
Although you have it in your grade 5 book, thank you for this free edition. Enjoy your site, I am going to become a patron doner, I feel guilty watching, using and printing all your free stuff. 🙂
Dave
No worries, glad you are enjoying the site, please use it guilt-free!
Why is the intro so rarely performed and printed as a score?
What intro is that? Since the work is anonymous I imagine there are tons of editions with added material.
Brad you have really good site and you play very well thank you rob
Thanks so much Rob!
In the video, you say that c## (double sharp! is there “because that’s how the harmony works out”. Why? It is a melodic line, which is chromatic in this case so that d# goes down to d, which is not a part of E major scale, but… neither is c##.
Wy question is, why did you write is as c##? Is it because for that short part the piece modulates to another scale? If so what scale is it (the one I mentioned before doesn’t match)? Or what roman numeral would you put to that chord so it works out like that?
I’m just trying to understand why. It doesn’t help there are so many different variations out there, some with E, some A, F# or even B or in the bass.
I guess it’s some kind of ii chord (F#m7/E?) in your case. If you write c##, that would be F#m7(#5)/E, right?
But it’s easier to say the piece modulates to E Mixolydian, which has F#m7 chord, and the melody is using D natural which is in that scale.
Sorry if I’m talking nonsense, I’m self-taught and trying to figure it out, might be I’m missing something obvious.
C double sharp is the lower auxiliary to D sharp. Writing it as a D natural would be incorrect. Not every note in a piece is from the key or scale, chromatic notes will come into play in many different circumstances. In this case, it’s just a non-chord tone and a spicy chromatic lower auxiliary to the D sharp. Nothing to overthink and it does not get analyzed as part of the chord. Furthermore, there is a pedal low E in the bar which is also not part of the chord. Actually the whole section functions as a dominant chord (with secondary dominants) that lead to E major. In short, it’s all tension leading to a resolution in E.
Why c## in bar 20? That would make the chord something like E(##6) in Lydian #2 # 6 mode, which seems way over complicated. Why not a simple Em7 with D natural?
Any tips for how to practice the quick barre transitions like 20->21 or 26->27? Also getting F# to sound properly in 10 is quite hard. I must have a long way to go in my barre technique.
There appears to be a small error in the sheet music. Bars 19&20 have an E in the bass, but F# is typically played as seen in the video (second position).
I prefer it as a pedal E in the bass for the beginning of that section. Sounds more stable and is a cooler musical device. But whatever sounds best to your ears….
Completely down to preference of course. I just don’t think it’s what learners will expect to find in those bars. It is less traditional and less harmonically stable, but as you say, whatever sounds best to your ears.
There is an interesting article on Narciso Yepes ( 1927-1997 ) and “Jeux interdits ” (Romanza )
by Rafael Andia in Guitare Classique ( #52, March-May 2011). Yepes would have revealed in 1982 on Spain National Radio that he composed the Romance on his 7th birthday as a gift to his mother. The piece is the soundtrack of the movie Jeux Interdits ( 1952 ) and is often given that title in French. A note: on the free PDF for which I am very grateful there is a typo in measure 19 which was no doubt already brought to your attention.
Bar 19 is not a mistake, it’s just a preference for the ‘e’ to be closed and played on the 5th fret 2nd string. It just sounds better to my ear when it resolves to the d#…
Narciso Yepes was not the author of “Romance”. Sheetmusic and old historic recordings of the work exist, from before Yepes was even born!!
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_%28guitar_piece%29#Disproved_origins
Thanks. Interesting and informative.
I was playing this in 1948 as a very young girl. It was composed by Vincente Gomez, and includes a very beautiful beginning which none of the other renditions contain.
To my knowledge, neither the Yepes or Gomez claim can be verified with evidence. However, The earliest recording of “Romance” is on a cylinder (from the “Viuda de Aramburo” label) featuring guitarists Luis and Simon Ramírez, made in Madrid sometime between 1897 and 1901.
Some people speculate that the author was none other than Andres Segovia.