This is Classical Guitar

Performance and Lesson for Study No.15 in E Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

Although more difficult than Study 10-13, I would still place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.14 in E Minor, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

Although more difficult than Study 10-13, I would still place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Unruhe by Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856). From Bardenklänge, Op.13, Héft (Book) 2, No.2. PDF sheet music for classical guitar. Includes both a notation-only edition and tab edition. The level is late-intermediate to early-advanced (grade 8) depending on the tempo. This is a PDF Download.

PDF Sheet Music (Free until Oct. 20th, 2021)

• Unruhe, Op.13 by Mertz (Free PDF)

This exciting work is from Mertz’s Bardenklänge (Bardic Sounds) collection. Unruhe translates to restlessness. Mertz was very influenced by the great composers of his day, in particular Liszt, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Schumann. In this work I really hear more of the rhapsodic nature of Liszt. It’s amazing how well this work technically sits on the guitar while sounding quite extroverted. Video Lesson Link.

Sheet Music and Tab Samples and Promotional Cover

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Fantastic! The Walls by Sergio Assad featuring Yo-Yo Ma on cello. This project was a collaboration by Sergio Assad, Yo-Yo Ma, 60 guitarists from around the world and the excellent Uros Baric. The video and info quote below comes via Uros Baric’s YouTube channel (go subscribe). 20 minutes of music in 5 movements. You’ve probably seen the wonderful work by Baric with the Virtual Guitar Orchestra which I’ve featured a number of times. In this independent project we get to hear some of the world’s greatest guitarists, the amazing Yo-Yo Ma, and Baric’s top notch video and audio work. I can’t even imagine the work and time that went into this project, bravo!

Music has the power to pass through seemingly impenetrable walls. It can bring people together across physical, social, economic, cultural, and religious barriers. In this spirit, Sergio Assad composed The Walls, as a lament for the human divisions that inspired their creation, and as an aspiration to a future without walls. Originally written for solo guitar with guitar orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma asked his friend Sergio to adapt it for solo cello. In this recording, Yo-Yo Ma is accompanied by leading guitarists from across the globe, representing the diverse geographical and cultural areas portrayed in this evocative piece.

Cast in five movements (“Great Wall of China”; “Hadrian’s Wall”; “Berlin Wall”; “Middle Eastern Walls”; and an epilogue, “No More Walls”), the piece draws our attention to these man-made barriers, ancient and contemporary. They stand as testaments to humanity’s inability to bridge cultural divides. And the ruins of the Chinese and Roman walls, in all their grandeur, show how all walls might someday become obsolete. Today, more separation walls exist around the world than when the Berlin Wall fell. In the near future, economic disparities and climate change will likely cause large human migrations across the planet, causing the pace of their construction to accelerate. It is our hope that people will learn to seek alternative solutions to our challenges, inspired by music’s ability to inspire communication and connection.

Music by Sergio Assad

Produced by Uros Baric

Cello Solo: Yo-Yo Ma

Guitar: Bokyung Byun, Shanshan Chen, Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Ekachai Jearakul, Li Jie, Thu Le, Yenne Lee, Xianji Liu, Takuya Okamoto, Meng Su, Tengyue Zhang, Wang Yameng, Giampaolo Bandini, Carlotta Dalia, Aniello Desiderio, Mark Eden, Stephanie Jones, Lucio Matarazzo, Matteo Mela, Lorenzo Micheli, David Russell, Richard Savino, Laura Snowden, Chris Stell, Uros Baric, Artyom Dervoed, Zoran Dukić, Antigoni Goni, Paola Hermosín, Tilman Hoppstock, Jérémy Jouve, Mateusz Kowalski, Judicaël Perroy, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, Pavel Steidl, Ana Vidović, Thomas Viloteau, Badi Assad, Odair Assad, Sergio Assad, Daniel Bolshoy, Tariq Harb, Alexandra Iranfar, William Kanengiser, Kamal Abdul-Malak, Adam Del Monte, David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, Elodie Bouny, Yamandu Costa, Eliot Fisk, Pablo Garibay, Dale Kavanagh, Fernando de Lima, Douglas Lora, Martha Masters, João Luiz Rezende, Berta Rojas, Cecilia Siqueira, Scott Tennant, Ben Verdery Bass: Clarice Assad Yo-Yo Ma recording by Jody Elff Video supported by Knobloch Strings, Guitar By Masters, Doberman-Yppan Composition co-commission: The Augustine Foundation, Bonner Meisterkonzerte Klassische Gitarre Thank you: William Kanengiser, Thomas Offermann, Aniello Desiderio.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.13 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

Although more difficult than Study 10-12, I would still place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.12 in G Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

Although more difficult than Study 10 and 11, I would still place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Lorenzo Micheli plays Kleine Variationen über Schuberts Wiegenlied für Gitarre-Solo (1940) by Ferdinand Rebay (1880-1953) on a guitar made by Miguel Simplicio, Barcelona 1934. This comes via Micheli’s fantastic YouTube channel. Wonderful playing by Micheli with both beautiful phrasing but also amazing clarity to articulations and voicing. Here’s his YouTube blurb:

Ferdinand Rebay (1880-1953) was a viennese pianist, choir conductor and composer. He studied music theory under Robert Fuchs from 1901 to 1904, and was appointed to the faculty of the Wiener Akademie in 1920.

On April 13, 1940, Rebay completed this short cycle of Variations on Franz Schubert’s “Wiegenlied” D 498. Schubert’s music is a frequent source of inspiration in Rebay’s solo and chamber music for guitar.

Movements and Video Times

• Thema. Langsam 0:00
• I. L’istesso tempo 1:10
• II. Lento – Sarabande 1:57
• III. 2:52
• IV. Langsam 4:00
• V. Flüchtig bewegt 4:54
• VI. Markig 5:35
• Coda. Ganz langsam und leise ausklingend 6:17

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Q&A Lesson on Practicing Music. Thanks to all my Patreon supporters who submitted questions. The rest of the questions will be answered in next week’s video. You can visit my Support Page if you enjoy these free lessons and want to help out. Here’s the YouTube link if you want to watch the video there.

Times & Questions

• 00:00 – Intro
• 0:34 – Warmup Misconceptions (Tal)
• 4:06 – Time Management in Practice Sessions (John & Gordon)
• 8:17 – Practice Length (Jonathan)
• 10:31 – Strategies for Practicing Longer Repertoire (Juan)

PART 2 coming next week!

Previous Q&A Lessons

• Q&A Lesson: Practicing Music & Reaching Higher Levels
• Q&A Lesson: Classical Guitar Technique
• Q&A Lesson: Nails, Tone, & Sound
• Q&A Lesson: Performance Anxiety
• Q&A Lesson: Presenting and Interpreting

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Canadian guitarist Michael Kolk performs the first movement, Allegro deciso e molto rítmico from Sonata No.1 Para Guitarra by Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000). This comes via his excellent YouTube Channel with audio and video by Henderson. Wonderful performance by Kolk with beautiful flowing lines, refined phrasing, articulation, and plenty of forward momentum. It doesn’t get any better than this! Kolk is one of the best players today so be sure to subscribe to him and check out his below album.

The complete sonata can be heard on his fantastic album 20th Century Guitar Sonatas, available through his website or on streaming platforms. I did a review of it back in 2020 if you want to learn more. Also see his previously posted videos of the Jose Sonata and the Rabey Sonata.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.11 in G Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Samuel Hines plays the 3rd movement, Preludio e toccatina from Aquarelle by Sergio Assad (b.1952). This comes via his YouTube channel. This is first time I’ve featured the excellent American guitarist, Samuel Hines. Great playing with some beautiful phrasing in the prelude and some very exciting virtuosity and dynamic control in the toccata. Aquarelle is a good piece and works well despite its obvious difficulty. The work also has a concise and modern 1st movement and beautiful 2nd movement that is also worth checking out. You can find the sheet music via SMP: Aquarelle by Assad.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.10 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson if you want to watch it there.

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Thomas Viloteau performs Variations on a Theme of Scriabin by Polish composer Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986) and was written in 1972 for Andres Segovia, after the Prelude, Op. 16, No. 4 by Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915). This comes via his fantastic YouTube channel. Wonderful performance by Viloteau with virtuosity, superb phrasing, and some lovely delicate moments.

Some info via Graham Wade on this Naxos recording:

The Polish composer, Alexandre Tansman, having been introduced to Andrés Segovia during his stay in Paris in 1921, was persuaded to write for the guitar. His compositions include operas, ballets, nine symphonies, concertos, film scores, vocal and chamber music and works for piano and other solo instruments. In the 1920s and 1930s he toured the United States, Europe, the Middle East and India, appearing as the soloist in his own piano concertos. He became a French citizen in 1938 but the war forced him to move to the United States where he established close friendships with composers such as Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Milhaud. He returned to France in 1946.

Variations on a Theme of Scriabin, dedicated to Segovia, was written in 1972. The theme, Prelude, Op. 16, No. 4, in E flat minor (for piano), was arranged by Segovia in B minor for guitar (publ. Celesta Publishing Co., New York, 1945). This melody has a haunting quality with poignant accompanying chord progressions, though Tansman has at certain points reworked the original harmonization of the theme. The composition has six variations, the first being a transference of the theme to the bass line, with an accompaniment in the treble. Var. II, slightly faster, explores the harmonic potential of Scriabin’s melody, while Var. III is a virtuosic Vivo episode in semiquavers. Var. IV changes the tonality and explores some ingenious harmonic modulations. The fifth variation, Allegretto grazioso (quasi Mazurka), is the composer’s homage to Poland, presenting the national dance with a dash of humour and elements which evoke the music of J.S. Bach. The last variation is fugal, a contrapuntal working out of the melodic implications, which gives way to a final, slightly modified, gentle statement of the theme itself.

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Xuefei Yang plays her own arrangement of one of Guang Ren’s 任光 (1900-1941) best known orchestral works. Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon (彩云追月, Cǎi Yún Zhuī Yuè) was composed by Ren Guang in 1935 for a Chinese instrumental ensemble. This comes via her great YouTube channel. I haven’t featured Xuefei for awhile but I’m always super impressed with her creative playing, arranging, and guitar orchestration. I saw her perform years ago and was shocked at her unique and virtuosic performance. One the greats of our day. As she mentions in her YouTube description: “The leisurely and graceful piece develops a poetic scene of clouds chasing the bring moon in the vast night sky. The piece uses folk melodies from China’s Yangtze delta.”

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Adam Cicchillitti (Guitar) and Lara Deutsch (flute) perform Toward the Sea (海へ, Umi e) by Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996). The work is divided into three sections: The Night, Moby-Dick, and Cape Cod.  This comes via Cicchillitti’s YouTube channel. I always enjoy Takemitsu, happy to see this nice performance by Cicchillitti and Deutsch. Takemitsu’s interest with the subject of water was an ongoing theme in his works, dating back to his 1963 electronic work, Water Music. Takemitsu composed three versions of Toward the Sea, the first for flute and guitar, then harp and string orchestra, and then flute and harp. Here’s the YouTube writeup by Cicchillitti:

Toward the Sea is a three-movement work by Toru Takemitsu, written for the Greenpeace “Save the Whales” campaign in the 1980s. The word S E A is spelt out throughout the course of the work using the motive (Eb E A). Takemitsu is known for evoking nature through his use of musical silence and rest – all three movements feature this dialogue of sound and silence, where gestures culminate in periods of complete rest. Takemitsu also chose the guitar and flute likely as an evocation of the native shakuhachi and biwa instruments, which are of traditional Japanese origin. The use of folk instrumentation, evocation of nature, and Debussy-esque harmonies are typical of Takemitsu’s writing style in the later part of his life.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.9 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 3 level depending on your tempo. Keep in mind that this study is the same chord progression as No.8 but now with a more active texture. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.8 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 2 level depending on your tempo. Keep in mind that this study is the same chord progression as No.9 so, although easier, it sets you up for success in No.9. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Thomas Viloteau plays Etude No. 1 from Ten Études by Giulio Regondi (1823–1872). This comes via his fantastic YouTube channel. Wonderful performance by Viloteau on a Lacôte-inspired guitar made by Mark Usherovich for the Peabody Institute. The Regondi etudes and works are a set above much of the repertoire of the time so always nice to hear it. I like his handling of the upper section and chords near the end, a little more exciting than most performances. I’ve been wanting to put an edition of the ten etudes but haven’t found originals for all ten just yet. The Ophee edition is the standard though which you can find at Sheet Music Plus.

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Drifting by Aaron Larget-Caplan
Vol.3 of the New Lullaby Project
Aaron Larget-Caplan, 2021.
New Lullaby Project

Another fantastic volume from the New Lullaby Project by Aaron Larget-Caplan. The New Lullaby Project actively commissions new music lullabies by contemporary composers. It’s amazing he’s already on Volume 3, what a monumental amount of commissions and performances. He’s also been publishing the sheet music as he goes (see below). With wonderful performances, beautiful compositions, and the scores allowing you to perform your favourite works, this is a must-follow project.

Buy or Listen to Samples: bandcamp, Spotify and more.

From the Liner Notes via bandcamp:

The requirements were simple: a beautiful 3-5minute guitar solo in the genre of a lullaby… a malleable definition. So simple and yet after 65 premieres by over 55 composers in nine countries, no two lullabies sound the same.

The New Lullaby Project began in 2007, and the 15 guitar solos featured on this album were written between 2010 and 2020. In the debut album New Lullaby (2010) the compositions can be divided into warm and safe versus dark and foreboding. Nights Transfigured (2020) highlights a wealth of compositional languages and extended techniques, while the lullabies are tinged with melancholy.

In Drifting, some plead to or reflect humanity, while others testify to a memory and affirmation of a time passed by. There are lullabies born from an improvisation (Rivchun), patience and hope in love (Turner), a nod to Francisco Tarrega (Pence) and sleeping beauty (Drozd). One was written while I gave a lecture (McDonald), and others inspired by a nodding head (Green) and a dancing baby (Veloso). Some tell us to let the day be (Scharf), others acknowledge the troubles that await outside of our dream world (Schreiner), and then we hear a prayer and plea (Odriozola/Warren) and touches of love and friendship (Trester/Wiese). All the time a gorgeous 12-tone lullaby (Mashak) sits quietly to be discovered. The compositional language leans tonal and the tuning remains mostly standard, but don’t worry, harmonics still abound.

Repertoire

• The Sleeping Guitar by Tim Pence
• Counting Backwards by Anthony R. Green
• Canción de Niñez by Frank E. Warren
• Lullaby For Children Of The New World by Ricardo Odriozola
• Drifting by Stefanie Lubkowski
• White Potatoes by Charles Turner
• Lulubye by Jacob Mashak
• Seeketh Not Its Own by Ian Wiese
• Lullaby For Letting The Day Be What It Is by Scott Scharf
• Upward by John McDonald
• Dreams by Boris Rivchun
• Little Dancer by Michael J. Veloso
• Dreamcatcher by Francine Trester
• Le Belle Addormentate by Gerard Drozd
• A Lullaby In Restless Times by Martin Max Schreiner

HUSHED – SCORES of the New Lullaby Project Anthology, Volume 2

Music of the New Lullaby Project, Volume Two
Sixteen 21st-century works for solo guitar.
Commissioned, curated, and edited by Aaron Larget-Caplan

The scores for the second volume of lullabies are available via the American Composers Alliance. You can also buy it along with other releases via his bandcamp merch store.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.7 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 3 or 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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