Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (April 4, 1640 (baptized) – 1710), better known as Gaspar Sanz, was a Spanish composer, guitarist, and priest who was born into a wealthy family in Calanda in the Comarca Bajo Aragón, Spain. He studied music, theology, and philosophy at the University of Salamanca, where he was later appointed professor of music. He wrote three volumes of pedagogical works for the Baroque guitar, which today form an important part of the classical guitar repertoire and which have greatly informed and enlightened modern scholarship on Baroque guitar techniques.
His date of birth is unknown, but he was baptized on April 4, 1640, in the church of Calanda de Ebro, Aragon, as Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma, later adopting the first name “Gaspar.”
After completing his theological studies at the University of Salamanca, Gaspar Sanz traveled to Naples, Rome, and possibly Venice to further his musical education. It is believed that he studied with Orazio Benevoli, the choirmaster of the Vatican, and Cristofaro Caresana, the organist of the Royal Chapel of Naples.
Sanz learned to play the guitar from Lelio Colista and was influenced by the music of Italian guitarists Foscarini, Granata, and Corbetta. When Sanz returned to Spain, he was appointed guitar teacher to Don Juan (John of Austria), the only recognized biological son of King Philip IV and María Calderón, a well-known actress of the time.
In 1674, he wrote his now famous Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española, which was published in Zaragoza and dedicated to Don Juan. A second book, entitled Libro Segundo de cifras sobre la guitarra española, was printed in Zaragoza in 1675. A third book, Libro tercero de mùsica de cifras sobre la guitarra española, was added to the first and second books, and all three were published together in 1697 under the title of the first book, eventually appearing in eight editions. The ninety works in this masterpiece are his only known contribution to the guitar repertoire and include compositions in both the punteado (“plucked”) and rasqueado (“strummed”) styles.
In addition to his musical abilities, Gaspar Sanz was also known as a poet and writer in his day, penning several poems and two books that are largely forgotten today. His outstanding translation of the famous L’huomo di lettere by the Jesuit Daniello Bartoli was first published in 1678 and reprinted in 1744 and 1787. He died in Madrid in 1710.