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Classical Guitar Notes.
Francis Cutting (c.1550–1596) was an English musician and composer for the lute. Cutting was employed as a musician for the Howard family which included Thomas Howard, Grand Father of Anne Boleyn and Catharine Howard. Little is known of his early life, but he had ten children with his wife, Elizabeth. Francis Cutting is among the earliest of the English lute composers and several of his forty surviving works appear in William Barley's ' A New Booke of Tabliture' (1596); notable compositions include; "Sir Walter Raleigh's Galliard," "Mrs Anne Markham's Pavan and Galliard." as well as a variation of Greensleeves which he called "Divisions on Greensleeves" My transcription of Greensleeves by Francis Cutting is available as a Notation, TAB or Soundslice edition, all with right and left hand finger guides. Copies and access code for the Soundslice page are available here:
Fernando Sor's Study No.20, Opus 60 for classical guitar. Performance and practise notes.
Not much is known about the life of Emilia Giuliani (1813-1850), the daughter of the Italian guitarist and composer Mauro Giuliani, a figure most synonymous with the guitar and its 19 Century repertoire. Emilia received guitar lessons from her father and like him, became a very accomplished performer and composer. She performed throughout Europe, sharing the stage with pianist Franz Liszt. Her career seems to have ended when she moved to Hungary with her husband - Luigi Gugliemi, a composer and vocal instructor. Her printed legacy seems sparse, with large gaps in the Opus numbers. What has been discovered though is delightful and this piece 'prelude No.3' is one of a set of six. Other works include; Six variations, 'Belliniana'. "Variazioni sopra il tema Non più mesta accanto al foco” based on a famous melody from Rossini’s La Cenerentola and the very virtuosic 'Variazioni sopra un tema del Mo' Mercadante." My transcription is available in PDF booklet format and interactive Soundslice, practise along in real time. Also available are my practise notes and tips for getting the most out of this beautiful piece.
Ferdinando Carulli (1770 - 1841) studied the cello and the guitar in Naples before moving to Paris at the turn of the 19th Century. He was one of the first composer-guitarists and published a method. Carulli was heavily influenced by the Austro-German 'Classical' style of composition and composed a number of programmatic works in keeping with the early Romantics. This Waltz No.22 from Op.241 (he wrote more than 300!) is in G major. P, i, m fingers are the order of the day here, as is visualising the chords, so as to hold the notes for the full value and make the changes as seamless as possible.
Fernando Sor’s complete studies Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections. Each study covers a different learning concept. It's a very musical collection, especially when compared to other composers for the guitar from around the same time. It can be hard to initially see the intent behind each etude. The primary goal though of the collection as a whole I believe is to promote clean legato technique whilst playing through various harmonies/textures. The studies range from grade 1 to grade 7. However the majority of the pieces are around the grade 4 to 5 level. In this video I'm looking at No.19 from Op.60. From Op.60 - his 'introduction to the guitar' No.19 is in the key of G major. The objective it seems is a legato lesson; forming chords and holding the left hand as you play the melody, a similar exercise can be found in No.18 Sheet Music Fernando Sor found fame as a virtuoso performer and composer, creating a great interest in the guitar (Spanish style). To help others learn to play he created music for instructional purposes, organising them into Opus' which move through levels of musical complexity and technical difficulty. Whilst the studies are mainly looked at for pedagogical reasons, many of them do stand alone as useful repertoire pieces. If this has been of use to you then please consider being a general supporter via patreon
Fernando Sor’s complete studies Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections. Each study covers a different learning concept. It's a very musical collection, especially when compared to other composers for the guitar from around the same time. It can be hard to initially see the intent behind each etude. The primary goal though of the collection as a whole I believe is to promote clean legato technique whilst playing through various harmonies/textures. The studies range from grade 1 to grade 7. However the majority of the pieces are around the grade 4 to 5 level. Sheet Music From Op.60 - his 'introduction to the guitar' No.18 is in the key of A minor. The focus of this etude seems primarily to be a legato exercise, forming chords and holding the fingering, as you cleanly play the melody. The key to getting this down smoothly is to practise visualising each chord in isolation, planning the move between them. Taking things slowly to start with is beneficial and make sure you know a section before moving on. Fernando Sor found fame as a virtuoso performer and composer, creating a great interest in the guitar (Spanish style). To help others learn to play he created music for instructional purposes, organising them into Opus' which move through levels of musical complexity and technical difficulty. Whilst the studies are mainly looked at for pedagogical reasons, many of them do stand alone as useful repertoire pieces. If this has been of use then please consider being a general supporter via patreon .
Fernando Sor’s complete studies Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections. Each study covers a different learning concept. It's a very musical collection, especially when compared to other composers for the guitar from around the same time. It can be hard to initially see the intent behind each etude. The primary goal though of the collection as a whole I believe is to promote clean legato technique whilst playing through various harmonies/textures. Sheet Music The studies range from grade 1 to grade 7. However the majority of the pieces are around the grade 4 to 5 level. This study is in the key of C major. The intent seems primarily to be lesson on using the plucking hand. It's really important to know where you're fingers are in relation to the strings. Sor encourages you to think about this with co-ordinated exchanges between the Thumb and i, m, a fingers. Tip, The thumb is used on the down beat and a finger on the up beat. Fernando Sor found fame as a virtuoso performer and composer, creating a great interest in the guitar (Spanish style). To help others learn to play he created music for instructional purposes, organising them into Opus' which move through levels of musical complexity and technical difficulty. Whilst the studies are mainly looked at for pedagogical reasons, many of them do stand alone as useful repertoire pieces. If this has been of use then please consider being a general supporter via patreon. You can find me at: Patreon
Fernando Sor’s complete studies Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections. Each study covers a different learning concept. It's a very musical collection, especially when compared to other composers for the guitar fro m around the same time. It can be hard to initially see the intent behind each etude. The primary goal though of the collection as a whole I believe is to promote clean legato technique whilst playing through various harmonies/textures. Sheet Music The studies range from grade 1 to grade 7. However the majority of the pieces are around the grade 4 to 5 level. This etude is in the key of G major . The intent seems primarily to be lesson on legato playing, co-ordinating the right hand fingers and holding chords for the ir full duration. There is a tricky section in bars - that features left hand slurring, however this is the only 'decoration' in the study and I would suggest that this be a mini lesson practised at a slow tempo. Fernando Sor found fame as a virtuoso performer and composer, creating a great interest in the guitar (Spanish style). To help others learn to play he created music for instructional purposes, organising them into Opus' which move through levels of musical complexity and technical difficulty. Whilst the studies are mainly looked at for pedagogical reasons, many of them do stand alone as useful repertoire pieces. If this has been of use then please consider being a general supporter via patreon .