Music and memory are intricately connected. The last classical guitar solo piece I loved playing in my teenage years was one by Carcassi in 3/4 time in a minor key. The nylon string guitar my mother bought from a music shop in Okinawa is long gone. Yet, my left hand can still vaguely finger the frets though I don’t remember the title. When I overheard someone playing it in a Zoom lesson recently, I desperately wanted to play it again. What is it called and where is the sheet music?
In my desperation, I searched the book shelves and took out all the beginning level guitar books I could find.
Was it really Carcassi (1792 – 1853) ? Or was it Carulli (1770 – 1841)?
I searched on IMSLP.org, the free classical music website, my trusted go to place for classical sheet music. As it’s a short piece, perhaps it’s part of a bigger study or studies. No, it’s not in Op. 60 the progressive studies.
After sightreading through several books, I finally found the piece on page 23 of “Guitar Level 2 Repertoire and Etudes” of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Prgoram (Canada). It was Waltz in E minor by Ferdinando Carulli. Here’s a nice performance of it with a free download of the sheet music and tabs.
So why did I think it was Carcassi? How were the two composers different from each other? Do classical guitarists get them confused, the way nonmusicians get Bach and Beethoven confused? Handel and Haydn? Chopin and Shostakovich?
Since I started teaching music through the ukulele, I have been looking for music that’s easy and enjoyable to play on this little and light instrument. If I can’t find it, I transcribe it myself. Most of the ukulele music I have found are transcriptions and arrangements, that is, not originally written for the ukulele.
While playing the guitar, I noticed a joyful abundance of music well-suited for the guitar. The notes feel just right. It’s a pleasure to read the notes and let my fingers find them on the strings of my guitar. Does music for the guitar translate seamlessly for ukulele? Paul Mansell has transcribed many in his books for ukulele (2kulele, Classical Uke) and more recently published a book of his original compositions.
Inadvertently, in my search for that long lost guitar piece, I heard music in my head that had to be written down. At first I called it Etude 1, an intention to write pieces for the students in my Classical Ukulele course. This first one makes use of pedal tones, triplets to break the monotony and scale riffs for endings. After playing it a few times, I started to wonder where and if I had heard the music before.
Unknowingly, I had come across two andantinos that were very similar. Click on the extract (image) below to get the full version (PDF).
and this one from Carcassi’s method book Op. 59. Click on the extract to get the notes and tabs. Here’s another version.
Much to my delight, I found an arrangement of Carcassi’s Andantino for low G ukulele in Jeff Peterson’s new book which I received in the post yesterday.
Now that the music of Carcassi and Carulli (and other great guitar composers such as Sor and Giuliani) are out of copyright, I would imagine it would be a lucrative exercise to borrow ideas and combine them in new ways.
Would the result be a composition or a juxtaposition? What’s the difference between transcription and arrangement? Subject of another blog?
CALL FOR MUSICIANS
Newly named New England Guitar Orchestra, formerly known as Boston Guitar Orchestra, is calling for performers of classical guitar, electric guitar, and ukulele to rehearse for recording for performance at the annual Boston Guitarfest in June. Two new transcriptions for guitar orchestra: JS Bach’s Little Fugue for organ and Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Please register your interest to be contacted.