The composer of this piece is not known, explaining why part of the name is “anónimo,” “anonymous.” It was probably composed first as a solo guitar piece by either a Spanish or Latin American guitarist, and noted guitarists from Fernando Sor to Narciso Yepes have been considered as the composer, but no clear evidence exists proving it’s authorship.
This arrangement of the Romance Anónimo is made for bass and piano. The original guitar version has descending arpeggios throughout over bass notes, making the first note of each beat clearly the melodic note. The bass plays these notes individually while the piano completes the arpeggio, creating a simple but beautiful melody over harmonic and rhythmic support.