Description
Book SynopsisThe first book devoted to the composers, instrument makers and amateur players who advanced the great guitar vogue throughout Western Europe during the early decades of the nineteenth century. Contemporary critics viewed the fashion for the guitar with sheer hostility, seeing in it a rejection of true musical value. After all, such trends advanced against the grain of mainstream musical developments of ground-breaking (often Austro-German) repertoire for standard instruments. Yet amateur musicians throughout Europe persisted; many instruments were built to meet the demand, a substantial volume of music was published for amateurs to play, and soloist-composers moved freely between European cities. This book follows these lines of travel venturing as far as Moscow, and visiting all the great musical cities of the period, from London to Vienna, Madrid to Naples. The first section of the book looks at eighteenth-century precedents, the instrument - its makers and owners, amateur and professional musicians, printing and publishing, pedagogy, as well as aspects of repertoire. The second section explores the extensive repertoire for accompanied song and chamber music. A final substantive section assembles chapters on a wide array of the most significant soloist-composers of the time. The chapters evoke the guitar milieu in the various cities where each composer-player worked and offer a discussion of some representative works. This book, bringing together an international tally of contributors and never before examined sources, will be of interest to devotees of the guitar, as well as music historians of the Romantic period.
Table of ContentsForeword - Richard Savino Introduction - Christopher Page, Paul Sparks and James Westbrook Eighteenth-century precedents: the role of Paris - Damián Martín Gil and Erik Stenstadvold The Great Vogue for the guitar: an overview - Christopher Page The instrument and its makers - James Westbrook Printing and publishing music for the guitar with Appendix: Matteo Carcassi - Erik Stenstadvold Amateurs and professionals - Christopher Page Teaching and learning the guitar - Erik Stenstadvold Early-nineteenth-century guitars in the saleroom, private hands and public collections - James Westbrook Music for early-nineteenth-century guitars in the saleroom, private hands and public collections - Kenneth Sparr Accompanied song - Jelma van Amersfoort Chamber music for the guitar - Jukka Savijoki Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841) - Mario Torta Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) - Gerhard Penn Fernando Sor (1778-1839) - Erik Stenstadvold Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) - Luis Briso de Montiano Emilia Giuliani (1813-1850) - Nicoletta Confalone Giulio Regondi (1822/23-1872) and Catharina Pratten née Pelzer (1824-1895) - Sarah Clarke Appendix: A note on string-making - Jenny Nex Bibliography
