YoungArts at The Met: Activating The Met's 1993 D'Aquisto Guitar

From Jayson Kerr Dobney, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge of the Department of Musical Instruments:

In 2012, the Department of Musical Instruments at The Met established a partnership with the National YoungArts Foundation, an organization that nurtures emerging musicians. In this Collection Insights series, we present blogs written by six YoungArts alumni with short clips from concerts they presented on our Patrons Lounge series.

The Met's Patrons Lounge Concerts are made possible by The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation.

It is rare to find an instrument that is both an achievement of pure aesthetic and aural artistry, and is also a tool designed to afford a player comfort, ease, and freedom from mechanical restraints. James D'Aquisto's exquisite 1993 Centura Deluxe model is exactly this kind of instrument.

James D'Aquisto (American, 1935–1995). Archtop guitar, 1993. Spruce, maple, ebony, W: 17 in. (43.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Steve Miller, 2012 (2012.246)

Upon viewing the guitar for the first time, I immediately reacted to its unique headstock with its heart-shaped cutout and totally wood construction. My second reaction, however, was entirely more overwhelming in that it informed my perception of the instrument until the very last note of our concert. From the moment the guitar was lifted out of its case, I could actually hear it ringing on its own, seemingly in response to simply being moved in air. It felt as if an invisible on switch had been activated, each note pulsating through the gorgeous honey sunburst body with an undeniable breath of life. This is a supremely responsive guitar that seemed to invite me to engage in a dialogue with it.

This guitar surprised me with its diverse vocal quality, inviting me to enjoy the simplicity of sustaining a single note or to feel the burst of sound in strumming a fully voiced chord. It can support more dexterous linear lines without putting a strain on my fretting hand, and can also provide that percussive punch needed for more wild rhythmic joyrides. Its full, hearty bass register is delicately balanced with the more shimmering tones of its higher strings and it feels balanced throughout the neck.

Detail view of the guitar's headstock

Because it is so playable, the D'Aquisto guitar seems more than just an instrument; instead, it is something akin to a teacher. It is so capable of translating musical ideas into reality that it seems to pose the question, "So, what do you hear?" Without mechanical limitations, the guitar allows the music to flow freely, placing the responsibility on the player to make a musical statement, to which the instrument can respond in turn. Playing D'Aquisto's beautiful guitar is a totally inspiring and exhilarating experience.

YoungArts artist Gabe Schnider plays "Tiger Rag" by Nick LaRocca (1889–1961) on The Met's 1993 D'Aquisto Guitar. Also featured are Marty Jaffe, bass, and Micah Thomas, piano.

The Department of Musical Instruments at The Met devoted their entire 2017–18 season of Concerts for Patrons to performances by six YoungArts prizewinners, all of whom performed on historic instruments from The Met collection. The musicians were then asked to write about their experiences. See the full series here.