Publications
Music for Guitar, Lute and Vihuela
Through the Ages
Volume 3 - The Baroque Guitar
Recalling for a moment the first volume of this series, ‘Strings of the Renaissance’, the guitar made its initial appearance, holding its own from the mid-16th century with topical dance arrangements, variation rounds, song settings and weaves of fantasias. Little would the instrument’s composers then have envisaged what their successors were soon to unleash at the fingerboard. Striking out, breaking ties with musical currents in sway, guitarists of the of the 17th century set to, forging robust chord progressions. It seems by their nonchalant displays, arms angled, fingers whisking, they were now happily content in merely strumming song and dance sequences.
Yet those first-heard soundings were soon to accrue refinements. Fully-fledged compositions flourished, melodically rimmed, chordally bolstered and ornamented. Even so, as we observe and also hear from forthcoming sound clips, guitar music still retained its idiomatic identity, enlivened with thrusts, glimmering harmonies and novel sound effects. Such are brought to bear in Spanish genres, the movements of French and Italian dance suites, song settings and ensemble participations. Moreover, are those eccentric compositions that could only have been conceived at the hands of guitarists from this time. These and a miscellany of other compositions come to light as the repertoires of the instrument are tracked across the landscape of the musical Baroque.
128pp PDF Format
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