Waltzes by Carulli for ukulele

How many waltzes did Ferdinando Carulli write? I keep discovering new waltzes arranged for the ukulele by those who have played them on the guitar. I am the newest of the lot, for my fingers remember a waltz I played on my first nylon string guitar when I was a teenager on Okinawa.

It seems wrong or even confusing to keep the same title for a transposition. The Waltz in E minor for classical guitar transposes well on the ukulele in a different key. Should we now call it Waltz in A minor? How do we know it’s the same piece? That’s where Opus comes in. But an Opus could refer to a collection of pieces, such as in a guitar method book.

I’d like to see a one-to-one mapping of pieces for guitar, transcribed, transposed, and arranged for another instrument, such as the ukulele. Does such a mapping exist anywhere?

Why is such a catalogue important? It would save time and effort in transposing and transcribing. Carulli’s Waltz in E minor for guitar transposes to A minor for ukulele. I transposed my own version from the guitar score in a one-page PDF landscape for readability on screen, before I discovered the version by Roger Ruthen, who retitled it as “Valse Allegretto” (2-page PDF).

Notice I used a small e in my title. Small letters can denote a minor key. It’s not the same as the waltz in E, for capital letters denote a major key. Without opus numbers, it’s easy to jump into the conclusion that they are the same piece.

In the same book by Jeff Peterson, there’s another piece simply called “Waltz” with no opus number or key, in Grade 1 (video recording starts at 01:05).

The “Easy Waltz” is not a name that Carulli wrote. It’s easy for the ukulele in this particular key but where did it come from? What was its original name? Ilona Virokannas has arranged many other short and fun pieces, including a more challenging Waltz by Carulli.

Another version of the above Waltz in D is found in Paul Mansell’s new book “Classical Gems” which I played and recorded along with Waltz in F, both for high G ukulele.

Similarly, I’d like to know the original name of the following piece arranged for low G ukulele. Roger Ruthen entitled it “Op. 121 No. 1” (3-page PDF).

This type of inquiry is but one of the many research questions I have in my quest for music for the ukulele — music that’s fun, interesting, and enjoyable to play on the ukulele. It’s part of the bigger picture of instrumental ukulele, fingerstyle ukulele, and chord melody arrangements.

Just after giving my second chord melody class, I discovered two more waltzes of Carulli, nicely arranged by Samantha Muir in her 31-page book “The Little Book of Carulli, Book 1.” I love sliding my left hand and fingers up and down the neck. Do you have to be a good ukulele player or guitarist to be able to arrange what’s enjoyable and fun to play for ukulele players?

Samantha Muir has recorded 10 waltzes from Opus 122 by Carulli (see video).

Chord Melody class in Zoom is offered twice a week, from 2nd and 3rd May 2022.