Chansons of the 16th Century for Classical Guitar

Chansons of the 16th Century for Classical Guitar
Author: Richard Metzger
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2011-02-24
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1609744438

A collection of chansons printed in various collections between 1529 and 1543 by Pierre Attaingnant, the inventor of single-impression printing. the arrangement of chansons for lute or keyboard was an important source of instrumental music in the sixteenth century. the chansons in the present anthology, the fruits of a particularly rich period in French music, are modern arrangements for guitar or lute made in accordance with procedures found in French prints of the time. the musical styles range from the serious, imitative Franco-Flemish chanson of northern composers to the charming, light-hearted, and often ribald chansons that furnished musical entertainment in early sixteenth-century Paris. Although the arrangements are instrumental, text translations are furnished to aid in interpretation of the music and to amuse the modern reader as they amused the listener in the 1530s and 1540s. Standard notation only.

Guitar Music of the 16th Century

Guitar Music of the 16th Century
Author: Keith Calmes
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2010-10-07
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1609740386

A comprehensive collection of solos written early in the evolution of the guitar. These are not lute transcriptions but actual early guitar pieces. Written in standard notation.

Nicolas Vallet Le Secret des Muses

Nicolas Vallet Le Secret des Muses
Author: Paul Mascott
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2021-09-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1513459546

This book of 53 intermediate-level guitar pieces is derived from Le Secret des Muses, a two-volume collection of lute tablature by Nicolas Vallet (c. 1583 – c. 1642). Born in France, by 1614 Vallet had relocated to Amsterdam where he established a dance school and was active as a composer, lute teacher and leader of a consort that played at weddings and festivals. Le Secret des Muses is among the last published collections of French lute tablature intended for the 10-course Renaissance lute, which was ultimately supplanted by the larger 13-course Baroque model. Most of these pieces consist of traditional European dance forms, but also contains a few settings of popular lute themes and longer works suitable for concert performance are included. Written in standard notation only with occasional drop-D tuning, these pieces make excellent sight-reading and warmup material as well as historically significant concert selections.

The Lute Music of Robert Johnson

The Lute Music of Robert Johnson
Author: Steven Watson
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2021-02-19
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1513459880

Robert Johnson (c. 1583 – 1633) was the last of the great English lutenists; he served Prince Henry and was later a prominent figure in the court of Charles I. He wrote music for many plays and masques of the time, including several by Shakespeare. Decades after Johnson’s death, in a “Dialogue between the Author and His Lute” within Musick’s Monument and the persona of the Lute, writer and lutenist Thomas Mace described John Dowland and Robert Johnson as “Two famous men; Great Masters in My Art”. Despite such high praise and the fact that much of Johnson’s music is well-suited to the guitar, few guitarists play it. This comprehensive collection of solo lute works, transcribed for guitar in standard notation, is an attempt to remedy this shortcoming. It includes music for the beginner as well as the advanced player. The book’s 23 pieces range from Johnson’s delightful almains, galliards, masques and a single coranto to the somber intensity of the pavans and a fantasie. Dropped-D and lowered third-string tuning (F#) are frequently used to better approximate the tuning and range of the 9 or 10-course Renaissance lute.

Classical Guitar Solos - Favorite Sonatinas

Classical Guitar Solos - Favorite Sonatinas
Author: David Grimes
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2021-01-14
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1513455923

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.

The Guitar Transcriptions of Francisco Tárrega

The Guitar Transcriptions of Francisco Tárrega
Author: Paul Ballam-Cross
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2020-06-24
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1513455141

This publication presents a lightly modernized, fully corrected, reliable edition of Francisco Tárrega’s more idiomatic transcriptions and arrangements for the classic guitar. Tárrega, who was also an able pianist, chose works by diverse composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Robert Schumann to arrange for his own guitar performances, greatly expanding the concert guitar repertoire of his time.This publication provides today’s players with a dependable edition of these works that can be seamlessly incorporated into any modern concert program. Written in standard notation only for the intermediate to advanced guitarist, this collection features pieces that were less commonly heard on the guitar and sound remarkably fresh to this day.

John Dowland for Classic Guitar

John Dowland for Classic Guitar
Author: Stephen Siktberg
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2012-03-02
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1619112272

For years, classical guitarists have enjoyed playing the lute music of the English composer, John Dowland (1563-1626). Forty of his beautiful compositions are included in this volume. the book is intended for the guitarist with intermediate to advanced fingerstyle technique, and can be played on both nylon and steel string instruments. In order to help capture the unique character of Dowland's music, renaissance lute tuning (capo on the third fret with the G string tuned to F sharp) is used throughout. the pieces progress more or less in order of increasing difficulty, and special care has been taken to be sure any group of consecutive pieces can be played with satisfying results. Standard notation only. Includes FREE downloadable companion audio files.

The Art of Lute Playing

The Art of Lute Playing
Author: Laudon Schuett
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2022-04-18
Genre: Music
ISBN: 151346910X

This book will prove to be a treasure trove to any aspiring lutenist or afficionado of the lute and early music. Instead of attempting to create a comprehensive lute method, the first section covers topics that students often ignore, while the second offers a fresh repertoire of newly revised and edited original music for the intermediate or advanced player. On a broader scale, vocalists and students of any instrument would do well to take note of the book’s musical and interpretive concepts. The author not only offers his own insights to technique and performance, but also provides a glossary of period musical vocabulary and includes comments on general musicianship from authentic Renaissance and Baroque resources. These include John and Robert Dowland, Jean-Baptiste Besard, Nicolas Vallet, Thomas Mace, and other historic lutenists and theorists. If early music specialist Laudon Schuett had been born during the Renaissance, he would have been the court lutenist and possibly the jester in some kingdom or principality. Written in French tablature for the 6-course Renaissance lute and in standard notation for the classic guitar with the 3rd string lowered to F#, the author provides 30 original compositions in the contrapuntal polyphonic style characteristic of the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Ancient Chant Hymns for Guitar

Ancient Chant Hymns for Guitar
Author: Gerard Garno
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2018-03-27
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1619117959

ÊThis is the first book to publish an extensive collection of pre-Renaissance music transcribed for guitar! Gregorian Chant melodies -- enormously popular in recent years -- form the basis for this volume. Inside, Garno argues that this music of the first 1500 years of Western history should no longer be ignored by guitarists. In support, he presents copious notes along with a myriad of single and multi-movement works, and concludes that such music is appropriately played on the guitar. A pioneering work that should be in every serious guitarist's library. Notation and tablature. Intermediate to advanced level. Includes access to online audio.