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Song List: Six Preludes* Solitudine* Allegretto Moderato* Greensleeves* Passacaille* Bourrée
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Born in Florence, Italy, Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853) became one of the leading guitar figures of the nineteenth century. After a career as a concert guitarist, Carcassi settled in Paris, where the Neapolitan guitarist-composer Ferdinando Carulli rivaled him. Carcassi rose to fame incorporating catchy melodies into his compositions and composing beautiful technical studies. The Six Preludes are a taste of Carcassi's ability to compose music that combines technique with didactic (instructional) melodies. In prelude number one (Allegro), Carcassi combines both triplet rhythms and leaps in the right-hand thumb. The leaps are retained in prelude number two (Allegro), but sixteenth-note rhythms are used. Upward arpeggios in prelude number three (Allegro) offer the beginner an essential technique for agility in the right hand. Prelude number four (Allegro) returns to the leap in the right-hand thumb with a syncopated melody in the bass. The time signature changes to 6/8 in prelude number five (Allegro). Fin ally, prelude number six is an exercise of finger alternation in the right hand.

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Luigi Anzaghi was an Italian composer. He produced numerous works, including 24 exercises for guitar, as well as a method book for guitar accompaniment entitled Guitarra d'Accompagnamento. Solitudine is the Italian word for solitude, a state that this piece evokes. This Anzaghi composition presents few challenges for the beginner. The melody is entirely in the bass. The accompaniment in the first section is mainly chords. In the last section, the accompaniment has arpeggios and pedal tones.

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The most famous guitarist from the Classical period, Fernando Sor (1778-1839) changed guitar playing forever with his great musical and technical ability. Originally from Catalonia in the northeast of Spain, Sor eventually settled in France. As a concert guitarist, he toured throughout Europe and even visited Russia. His compositions number in the hundreds, and the difficulty levels vary widely. Fernando Sor's Allegro Moderato fits into the easy level. This beautiful piece presents few challenges for the beginner. Most of the rhythms are similar throughout. In measure six, there is a sixteenth-note rhythm that should not be played too quickly. Care must be taken that the sixteenth notes not sound like the grace notes found in measures 24, 27, and 31. In measure 22, there is also a sixteenth-note pattern that contains slurs. These passages should be practiced slowly and gradually worked up to speed.

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It has been speculated that Henry VIII, king of England from 1509 to 1547, composed this piece, but there is no proof. Greensleeves was popular in Tudor England (Shakespeare mentions it twice in The Merry Wives of Windsor)and still remains a popular piece today. There are many arrangements of it, some of which include words. In measures 19 and 27, there is a difficult part for the left hand. The first finger must play the F# while the rest of the fingers are still planted on the C chord. Playing the top voice a little louder than the accompaniment should bring out the beautiful melody.

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While most guitarists of his day toured Europe in search of fame, guitarist-composer Robert de Visée (1651-1725) had a regular royal gig. As court musician for Louis XIV, de Visée was well-known throughout French and English court circles. It was under his tutelage that Louis XIV learned to play the guitar. Robert de Visée composed many suites for guitar. The Passacaille first appeared around 1686 in a book of guitar pieces. (The French term passacaille comes from the Italian passacaglia: a musical form based on a slow, stately Italian dance in 3/4 time and with a continuous ground bass.) Among the technical challenges in this piece, the most difficult would be rolling the chords. This technique is indicated in the notation by a vertical wavy line placed before a chord. To play rolling chords correctly, the thumb must play the lowest note, followed by a quick succession of fingers one, two, three, and four on the rest of the strings (somewhat of a quick upward arpeggio). The trills in measures 29 and 39 must be played starting on the upper note (grace note); quickly pull off and hammer on to the lower note (main note).

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Johann Sebastian Bach is the most famous composer of the Baroque period. He did not travel much and was not popular as a composer in his day. He was, however, considered a great virtuoso on the organ. After his death, he was virtually forgotten; it wasn't until the nineteenth century that his music was recognized as some of the greatest in the Western world. Today, Bach is recognized as a great polyphonist (polyphony is the combining of two or more melodies). Although not a guitarist, Bach did enjoy playing the lute.