Index Fronimo N° 105, Jannuary 1999 |
Encounters:Interview with Michel Cardin
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The Studies for guitar by Mauro GiulianiThis article examines the didactic works of Mauro Giuliani. As we are dealing with a quite extensive and multifaceted topic, the article has been divided into three distinct sections which will appear in successive issues. The article opens with some general observations regarding the study of didactic works - whether by Giuliani or other composers - in a teaching setting, a situation which unfortunately is very often experienced as pure coercion rather than the learning of an artistic skill. However, the Studies by Giuliani actually include numerous gems that deserve the greatest attention not only of teachers and students, but also of concert performers. The first part (Nr. 104, October 1998) goes on to define and elaborate the epistemological and historical aspects. At the basis of any analytical-musicological analysis is the definition of the field of research; in the current study the choice was made to focus on the following works: 1, 48, 50, 51, 98, 100, 111 and 139, which together constitute a substantial corpus of 162 pieces. The reasons behind this choice are of an aesthetic and historical nature. As regards the latter, an interesting finding has been the real date of opus 139: thanks to the acquisition of previously unknown data and information, this collection could be backdated by twelve years, namely 1828 instead of 1840. The second part of the article (Nr. 105, January 1999) deals with the analysis of characteristics of style and form, including the research and identification of the whole range of stylistic devices of composition Giuliani applies in his Studies: from accompanied melody to polyphony, from vocality to instrumentality, from allusions to chamber music to allusions to orchestral works and opera, etc. Through the presentation of numerous musical examples the Studies of Giuliani are scrutinised to reveal not only their purely idiomatic-instrumental aspects (e.g. the various techniques used specifically in Giuliani’s music) but also their musical peculiarities (interval pattern of the melody, harmonic structure, rhythm, etc.). After the second part, which, due to its length and detail, forms the core of the article, there will be a third, final section of a fairly different, and in some respects, "lighter" nature. The discovery of various identical passages in a number of Studies has aroused considerable curiosity, which has resulted in a systematic listing of the numerous self-quotations from other works by Giuliani that can be found in the Studies. This detailed list contains many interesting surprises |
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The exams go on for everIn the last 20 years the results achieved by the Italian guitar school have been of considerable quality. The artistic improvements accomplished by the last generations of guitarists are partly due to the study and examination programmes of the Italian conservatories, which stimulate a wide-ranging cultural education without cutting down on the knowledge of the repertory. Francesco Biraghi, a conservatory teacher with nearly 20 yearsı experience, provides a useful guide to help guitar students find the most profitable approach to the preparation of their exams. |
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New guitar strings. An improvement?The use of a new material, CARBON, a fluorocarbon polymer, in the manufacturing of the high strings for guitar offers new solutions to some of the problems encountered by guitarists. This type of string has led to substantial improvements in the instrumentıs sonority - a more flexible and sparkling sound, especially of the third string - and in the choice of string tension, providing new combination options even within the same set of strings. |
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