Classical Guitar

Interviews

Here are some of the interviews I was lucky enough to be able do through the years when I was writing for GI and CG:

Carlos Barbosa-Lima (1984)

Manuel Barrueco (1983)

William Coulter (2002), with his arrangement of Carolan’s Cap

Eduardo Fernández (1984)

John Gilbert (luthier) (1986)

Alexandre Lagoya (1981)

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (1987)

Wulfin Lieske (1985), with his arrangement of a Schubert Menuetto, D 894

Vladimír Mikulka (1983)

David Russell (2003)

David Tanenbaum (1987)

Benjamin Verdery (1984)

Benjamin Verdery (2002)

John Williams (1983) (also available in Spanish))

Arrangements

Bizet: Habanera from Carmen (2 guitars)

The impetus for this arrangement was hearing a version by two flamenco guitarists that I thought was rather unadventurous. This one is perhaps a bit more challenging.

Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses (2 guitars)

I did this after hearing Christopher Parkening’s excellent solo version on Parkening plays Bach…. His arrangement is in his book Parkening and the Guitar, Vol. 2, where it appears in C. The recording is in D; but his secretary confirmed (in 2003) that he does, on occasion, use a capo.

My arrangement is also in C, but has the 5^th string to G and the 6^th string to C. This puts it up just a tone from the B♭ original; I only had to change one bass note to get it all within the compass of the guitars.

Transcriptions

For music from before 1650, see the Early tab.

Bach: Prelude from the 1st ’Cello Suite, BWV 1007

The Prelude has of course been a staple of the classical guitar repertory for decades—since, in fact, the days of Segovia. But Segovia’s version featured an added bass-line by Manuel Ponce that made Bach purists froth at the mouth (you can find Segovia’s version on Andrés Segovia: The Paris Film (1954), on YouTube, at 7'53" in).

Christopher Parkening (a pupil, of course, of Segovia’s) also recorded the Ponce version, with (I believe) a few of the extra notes removed; and, pace the purists, I like his recording.

As far as I’m aware, the Ponce transcription has never been published. But I liked the Parkening version so much that I transcribed it. Here it is. (The fingering—for now, at least—is my own.)

Lennon/McCartney: Yesterday & Norwegian Wood

Jorge Morel (1931–2021) was certainly one of the greatest composers and arrangers in the history of the classical guitar. Many of his compositions and arrangements have now been published; but the two here, from 1982’s Jorge Morel Plays Broadway, seem to have slipped through the net. I don’t believe Jorge would have wanted them to disappear.

Tárrega: Lágrima (3^rd part)

Not many people seem to know that Francisco Tárrega wrote a 3^rd part to Lágrima. I found it decades ago, in the old B.M.G. (Banjo • Mandolin • Guitar) magazine (specifically, it was, along with an accompanying article by Jack Whitfield, on p. 198 of the April 1960 edition).

Here it is.

External Resources

B.M.G. Magazine

This British journal, devoted to the banjo, mandolin and guitar, ran from 1903 to 1976. You can find an archive of most of those issues here, and an index to all the music for classical guitar therein here.