Guitar Sonatas

The Julian Bream Guitar Library Volume 2: The Classical Era contains works by Mozart, Cimarosa, Giuliani and Diabelli scored for classical guitar together with a reference guide to the symbols used. / Instrumental Music / Recueil / Guitare

Classical Guitar Solos - Favorite Sonatinas. In this book, guitarist and music historian David Grimes presents 20 ?small sonatas? or sonatinas, complete with detailed performance notes and bio sketches of each of the contributing composers: Leonhard von Call, Matteo Carcassi, Ferdinando Carulli, Mauro Giuliani, Francesco Molino, and Antonio Nava. While flexible, the early 19th-century sonatina form usually consists of 2 - 4 contrasting movements, here in guitar-friendly keys, making these pieces ideal for performance by intermediate-level students. In all but the most challenging passages, Grimes has intentionally kept fingering to a minimum to allow students to form their own concept of this critical skill. Then, as many bass notes in these pieces are played on open strings, the player must develop a sense of when to selectively damp dissonant tones or observe a rest? exposing and overcoming yet another shortcoming in the education of many guitarists. Most classic guitar teachers are familiar with the easy didactic studies by Carcassi, Carulli and Giuliani; Favorite Sonatinas offers more highly developed, but not yet virtuoso pieces by the same Italian triumvirate? plus three more composers in a similar vein? promoting confident, enjoyable sight-reading by guitarists of all levels.

Scarlatti's (1660-1725) 'Veinte Sonatas' transcribed for guitar. Scarlatti demonstrated virtuoso technique in these sonatas employing numerous ornaments rapidly repeated notes hands crossing over one another and wide jumps across the keyboard. Scarlatti's sonatas can be either bright and exuberant or introspective in styles that translate well for solo guitar.

Born in the Italian city of Naples Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) was one of the few Baroque composers to transition into the Classical period. Scarlatti composed operas cantatas symphonias andliturgical pieces but his 555 keyboard sonatas are most well-known; a vast collection of single movements in binary form. Lily Afshar's arrangement of Sonata K. 11 (a favorite of Segovia) utilizes staccato articulationreminiscent of the harpsichord and othertechniques including cross-string trills and minimal slurs. The pair of sonatas work well together written in E minor and E major.Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750) wasthe most accomplished Lutenist of the Baroque period and the most prolific composer of Lute music writing over one thousand pieces for the instrument. The four pieces arranged in this book show the beautiful polyphony andfantastical writing of Weiss. Afshar utilizes campanella (cross-string) fingerings throughout to emphasize the musical line and produce a fuller sound on the instrument.