WEEK 2: La Guitarra Espanola! 
Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of our musical Journey to Spain!! This is the place to share submissions of the second week! 
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
If you want to describe your process (optional), feel free to use the following template.
- Things you found easy:
- Things you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
- (Optional:) questions
↓ HAPPY PRACTICING, HAPPY SHARING ↓
-
Sor's Study in Bm is a classic and has been with me for a looooong time. I first heard it, like so many songs I fell in love with, from a Segovia cassette I had back in the 90s.
Even though the song with has been with me for a long time - and I have even made piano accompaniment for a live performance of it - I continue to apply new techniques that I'm learning - from even last night - to my performance of it. It's such a simple piece, which allows you to go deep and constantly be learning from it.
This version has a guest appearance by a passing ambulance!
As I listen back to this, I think one improvement I could make is going a little easier on the accompaniment notes - letting the melody notes shine out a bit more.
-
Jack Stewart thanks!
-
Steve Pederson wow - great playing - I love that piece so much !
-
Olli Thanks!
-
Steve Pederson our all time favorite. Excellent playing. Beautiful tone. Enjoyed every moment of it.
-
joosje thank you! That's very kind. Glad you enjoyed it!
-
Steve Pederson Bravo! As said Eric, you played it very beautifully, with really nice phrasing and dynamics. And the ambulance was a master touch! =)
-
Thanks Moyses Lopes !
-
Steve Pederson great take on this piece Steve, that sounds pretty good. And wow... the ambulance has the right timing... awesome!
-
Steve Pederson Well played Steve - another one that I intend to finish sometime. You have a really nice tone.
-
Steve Pederson beautifully played Steve...a pleasure to hear this melody in your hands. Have you heard that this was the first piece Julian Bream played in front of people when he was 12 ? And Atahualpa Yupanqui called this piece "La gota de agua", "The water drop", continuously dropping down... the Fsharp....
-
-
For my next selection, I have decided to work on a piece inspired by the Spanish composer, Antonio de Cabezón and written by the great Mexican composer, Manuel M. Ponce. The work is entitled the "Variations on a Theme by Cabezón." This was Ponce's last work and was concluded on February 8, 1948. Ponce died on April 30th of that year. Antonio de Cabezón was born in Burgos, Spain and lived from 1510 to 1566. Cabezón wrote for the organ and clavichord in the renaissance style of the time. The Theme that Ponce's uses for his Variations is thought to be based on a theme of Cabezón, however the exact piece has not been identified. Nevertheless, Ponce knew Cabezón music, possibly from the time Ponce studied the organ as youth. Ponce wrote the Variations on a Theme by Cabezón as a theme with six variations and a fugue. I have decided to work through this piece variation by variation and to start by posting simply the theme. I will then build upon that by adding each variation as I work through them. I have used for the cover photo, a photo I took inside the famous Burgos Cathedral, which was built in 1221, undoubtedly a place where Cabezón performed.
-
Dale Needles What a wonderful choice for this challenge! I have never heard it before, so I look forward to hearing your progression. Great photo too!
-
Eric Phillips Thanks. A very beautiful piece, a dirge to Cabezon and Ponce himself. The six variations are coming along nicely. The only challenging movement is the fuga, but I hope to conquer it before the end of the month, if my consulting work does not interfere.
-
Dale Needles great job! I wasn't expecting that D# in the bass towards the end. Almost gave it a bit of a jazz feel. Maybe Ponce was way ahead of his time?
-
Dale Needles I just found the piece on YouTube. It is very nice with a wonderful fugue at the end. Great piece to work on.
-
Steve Pederson Thanks and good catch. Ponce uses that D# in many of the variations and I agree it is unexpected and creates some good tension.
-
Jack Stewart Yes, there are a few nice recordings of this piece on Youtube. Check out the 1978 Nonesuch recording by Baltazar Benitez. I first heard this recording back in 1980. Baltazar is from Uruguay and studied with Abel Carlevaro. The piece was published in 1982 by Tecla Editions out of London.
-
Dale Needles wonderful composition. I didn’t know it. Beautiful playing.
-
Dale Needles like Eric has said, great choice. I remember a friend playing it a long time ago, and the fugue is so beautiful. What edition are you working with, I'm interested in learning that work at some point.
-
Dale Needles Beautiful Dale. Looking forward to hearing the rest.
-
Blaise Laflamme Thanks. The edition that I am using was published by Tecla Editions out of London and edited by Miguel Alcazar. It was published in 1982
-
Dale Needles ok great this is the same than I have if I recall, and according to what I see they sell it as PDF on their website, thanks!
-
Dale Needles beautiful!!!
-
Dale Needles very nice Dale! thanks for sharing! and you have always those beautifull stages.......
-
-
Sor - Cantabile Op 42 No 1
For the next few days, I'll play some pieces by Sor that are new to me. Perhaps the biggest reason I love Sor so much is that I'm always discovering more. He wrote so many very high quality pieces at every technical level. No matter where you are in your guitar journey, there is something by Sor to discover and enjoy.
In this great little piece, there is a double-slurred figure in measure 15 that I struggle with. The score is in the picture below and it occurs at 1:25 in the video. Anyone have any tips about executing this better?
If you want to hear this piece played much better on an 1835 Lacote, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNtK9Jx7TFY. But please watch that video at least an hour before or after you watch mine, so you won't compare!
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
