Notes

On this page there are details and relevant information about the music which can be downloaded from the music section, and new recordings.

Valses Poeticos - Enrique Granados

When transcribing piano music for the guitar there are two main problems which have to be answered. The first, where we have little choice, is the range between bass and trebble (left and right hand!) - we can minimise this by exploiting the guitar’s tone colours. The second potential problem is the actual number of notes and in answering this we must escape the trap of putting in as many notes from the original as possible which usually results in something too difficult or awkward to be musically sensible. Here, in Valses Poeticos, the key changes and continuity between each Vals are very important and for this reason I have transposed No. 3 to A minor to avoid tuning the sixth string to D (and back) which really destroys the musical flow - the key change to A minor works well musically. In the beginning of Vals No.7 it is impossible to get the true effect of the original, but at least the guitar has enough range to get the descending shape.

Vivaldi, etc!

“Vivaldi, etc!” is the sixth CD on the JCW Recordings label. The main works are Vivaldi's Concerto op.3 no.9 and “Prelude, Fugue and Allegro” by JS Bach: there are also other pieces by Bach, a beautiful Sarabande by his contemporary S.L. Weiss and the Irish harpist O'Carolan’s “Farewell to Music”.

I first recorded “Prelude, Fugue and Allegro” many years ago; since then I have reconsidered the “shape” of the work, in particular the more positive style established by the Prelude.

I arranged this solo version of the Vivaldi Concerto a long time ago, having first heard it in Bach's arrangement for solo harpsichord played by the Colombian harpsichordist Rafael Puyana. It has remained one of my favourite pieces; so well expressed by the guitar's noble and lyrical qualities.

The Flower of Cities

A few words for the February (2018) release of the CD “The Flower of Cities” by Stephen Goss, which includes “The Light on the Edge” by Phillip Houghton. The most enjoyable part of being a musician is, for me, playing with other musicians and friends and this recording follows from our performances at the City of London Festival and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (Globe Theatre). Both pieces are from easily assembled ensembles (two guitars, violin, double bass, percussion) and (two guitars, double bass, harp, percussion and environmental sounds) - and my hope is that this recording will serve as an encouragement for more performances in chamber music festivals, colleges, etc..
The original version of “The Light on the Edge” included didjeridoo; this revised version has no didj but retains the environmental sounds which can be obtained with the hire of the music.

Hello Francis

“Hello Francis”  is a tribute to Francis Bebey - singer, composer, guitarist, musicologist, writer and dear friend who was born in Douala, Cameroon in 1929 and died in Paris, France in 2001.

The piece is based on the Makossa, a popular dance rhythm from Cameroon often used by Francis, and includes a quote from his piece The Magic Box and a hidden bit of J.S. Bach.

Song Without Words

The tempo marked for this (quarter note = 80) is only an approximate guide. I like it to be very flexible, sometimes almost like speaking and sometimes with an “in tempo” feel - for example at letters D and E. In general I like all notes to ring on naturally. As mentioned in the editorial section I want the pages to look as clear as possible, so I have not been pedantic about rests, etc. The rests which are put in are either for the musical sense or because it looks better - they should be ignored!

Musha Study

This is intended only as a study for ensembles in interlocking rhythmic patterns eg. five + seven quavers (=12) over four x three quavers (=12).