We get so much sheet music sent to us by various publishers year ’round—literally hundreds of pieces in every setting imaginable (solo guitar, multiple guitars, guitar-flute, guitar-harp, etc.)—but we don’t have the space to write about the great majority of them in our four quarterly issues each year.
So, just as we occasionally write about classical-guitar album releases regularly in this online space, we also occasionally announce recent print music releases. As with the CDs, these are not reviews per se (some will be reviewed in the magazine, but frankly most will not), but we think it’s important to at least get the word out about what’s being offered to guitarists out there. Where possible, we’ve linked the titles to the publisher’s website or some other outlet where it can be purchased, and stated the degree of difficulty (if provided by the publisher or it’s obvious). —Blair Jackson
Pascal Jugy
Adios Latinos
Editions Combre, 5 pp.
This appealing advanced piece by French composer Pascal Jugy (b. 1964) does, as the title implies, have a strong Latin undercurrent, however the delicate mid-section, with its harmonics and other effects sounds more Asian. The publisher says the piece “conjures tango, flamenco, and malagueña” and utilizes arpeggios, unusual scales, campanella, and rasgueado.” I like this piece a lot!
Andreas Hiller, one of the dedicatees of the piece, plays it on a 10-string guitar. It is designed to be played on a 6-string or 10-string, though in the video I don’t see any significant utilization of strings beyond the first 6.
Advertisement
Guinga
The Music of Guinga
Fingerprint, 48 pp.
Brazilian guitarist/composer Guinga (born 1950 as Carlos Altheir de Souza Lemos Escobar) has backed up many of the best-known Brazilian singers, and his guitar-playing and songs are known throughout the country. This generous book, aimed at advanced players, consists of transcriptions of all the songs on two of his most recent albums on the Acoustic Music label, Cançao da Impermanêcia and Roendopinho. Watch him glide through the sumptuous title track of the latter album below.
Mauro Giuliani
Rossiniana No. 2 Op. 120
Ut Orpheus, 28 pp.
With editing by Fabio Rozza, the latest urtext version of this well-known piece by Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829) from Italian publisher Ut Orpheus Edizioni includes commentary on the piece and indicators in the score of which Rossini operas and which specific scenes/arias Giuliani tapped for this work (Otello, Armida, La Cenerentola, and La gazza ladra.) The version below, played by splendidly by Italian guitarist Sara Gianfelici, might not conform exactly to this version, but will give you a feeling for the piece.