| Site Sponsors |
|
Images of the Coast
Art prints for your Studio, Home or Office
|
|
Place your Your Multi-line Image Use the contact form for additional information. |
| Savannah Classical Guitar |
|
Guitar Repertoire - Works that rival Romance,
by Anonymous (anonimo)
also know as 'Spanish Romance'.
Spanish Romance is a charming piece has enchanted many listeners and guitarists for years. In fact, it has inspired many to pursue a study of the guitar. A few years ago, I posed the following to the Classical Guitar Mailing List and the listing below is the result. It has been suggested that the first widely heard version of the piece was used in the movie Jeux Interdit (1951, Also Known As Forbidden Games). The MIDI version available as part of this web page was provided by Jesuo de las Heras I also created a PDF version of Spanish Romance (standard notation with some chord symbols, no fingering is provided, however, the piece is typically played using the 'a' finger from the melody with 'm' and 'i' taking the inner harmonic parts.)
| What pieces rival the beauty, simplicity and audience interest the the "Spanish
Romance" (also called simply "Romance") by anonymous? This is a universally
'known' piece (at least amongst guitarrists) but I would like to have more pieces that I
could offer or suggest to students. Suggested information format/conditions: 1. the piece should be no more difficult than a 'simple' version of "Romance" - the piece should not require virtuosic feats for a successful presentation 2. the piece should be widely available 3. the piece should have listeners asking/saying, "What was that? It was beautiful..." 4. After a few days (or until the thread dies) I will compile the suggestions and place them on my web site for future reference... 5. Please include publication info as well as meter & tempo markings with your suggestion (the idea is to be able to find these things and have an idea what the piece will be like.) |
| Study # 12, from the 25 Etudes Esquisses for Guitar, by Gerald Garcia | 1995; Mel Bay Publications, $9.95. Meter 3/4, Tempo "Lento piacevole". | The forward describes the piece as, "a study for balancing chords under a melody". Reality suggests that it is one of the most lovely short pieces for the guitar; one the audience would ask for if they knew of it. (I was not aware of these studies until I read about them on this list some months back... Thanks Group!) (WebMaster's suggestion) |
Suggestions from list members as of 11/30/98:
| Estudo n° 9 by Fernando Carulli is better than Romance (music by Carulli) |
| "An Malvina" from "Bardenklange" Op. 13, No. 1 by Johann Kaspar Mertz (music by Mertz) |
| Study No. 1 by Frederic Hand (music by Frederic Hand) |
| "Mouvement de priere religieuse" from Op. 31, No. 23 by Fernando Sor (music by Sor) |
| "Tarleton's Resurrection" by John Dowland (transcriptions of music by Dowland) |
| "Julia Florida" by Agustin Barrios (music of Barrios) |
| Prelude from BWV 1007 (1st cello suite) by J. S. Bach (transcriptions of music by Bach) |
| Two suggestions are Packingtons Pound by Anon and Dance of the Washerwoman by Newsidler. Both are relatively easy and get peoples's attention. Both are readily available on Renaissance Music by Allan Alexander and ADG publications |
| I would suggest Carcassi No. 3 from Opus 60. (music by Carcassi) |
| I forgot to mention Ana Magdalena Bach's Menuet, Tarrega's Estudo n° 1 and Luis Milan's Pavanas (well, these are not exactly so simple) (music by Tarrega and transcriptions of music by Milan) |
| I vote for "Se Ela Perguntar" Valsa by Dilermando Reis and Jorge Cardoso's "Milonga" from the 24 Piezas Sudamericanos. (music by Cardoso) |
| I would suggest Pavanas by Gaspar Sanz (the one Bream pairs with Canarios). Also Gavottes I & II from the Sixth 'Cello Suite by J.S. Bach (transcriptions of music by Sanz and Bach cello suites) |
| Another beauty, 'Registro' from Suite Venezolana by Antonio Lauro (music by Lauro) |
| My personal favorite alternative to "Romance" is "Plegaria" by Guillermo Gomez. This delightful little piece is technically easier than "Romance", is in e minor, 3/4 time (a gentle waltz), and was published in the GFA Soundboard in 1993 ( if my memory serves me correctly.) I do remember that the Soundboard in question has a bright yellow cover, I just am not certain of the year. |
| "Sound of Bells", of Pernambuco? (music by Joao Texeira Guimaraes Pernambuco) |
| played two simple pieces by Bartholome Calatayud - a Bolero, and El Majo. They loved both of them (on the other hand, maybe they were just being polite. |
| What about Sor #5. It's simple and beautiful but be warned: I read somewhere that Elliot Fisk has trouble playing it because his hands are just too big for the Bm chords. (However, for the rest of us, I'm sure it's just fine!) Two others are Montemayor by Torroba (transcribed, edited, and fingered by Jim Ferguson through Guitar Solo Publications in San Francisco, USA) and Etude in Em by Giuliani. (music by Torroba and Giuliani) |
| I'll vote for Gymnopedie #1, from "the Student Repetoire Series, Vol.2" by Lawrence Ferrera. Actually, there's a bunch of good stuff in that book. |
| I cast my vote for Romance by Nikita Koshkin. It is in a romantic vein and similar in style to the anonymous Romance at about the same level of difficulty. It even begins with an E minor melody on the 1st string B, and is written in A-B-A format with a middle section in E major, then back to the minor, just like the anonymous Romance. It is published by Cambridge Music Works, 1996. (Music by Koshkin) |
| I would like to suggest "Gavota I/II" from Alessandro Scarlatti, and John Dowland's Melancholy Galliard. For the record, the Gavottes in question are most likely the ones composed by Manuel Ponce, included in the Ponce Suite for guitar in D Maj., Copyright 1967 by Peer International. I have a few copies of some old "Scarlatti" editions that had been "transcribed" (most likely from a misleading (lying) Segovia album, or, perhaps, John Williams first album. Often transcribed to E instead of D. Nice pieces... (transcriptions of music by Scarlatti - Domenica and Alessandro) |
| I also would like to suggest Tarrega's "Lagrima" and "Adelita" - two very easy pieces, but also very rich, soft and enyoable. |
| I would like to add "Kleine Romanze" by Luise Walker to the list. In fact, I mentionned this piece on the recent gig-thread as a nice alternative for "Romance/Jeux Interdits". Published by Edition Hladky - Heinrichshofen's Verlag - Wilhelmshaven - nr. 1603. Another one I like very much is "Ejercicio in E-minor" by José Ferrer. I haven't got the publisher-info at hand, but I've seen the piece in a few anthologies (one by Trinity College of Music, I believe) |
|
