Isaac Albéniz

Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (29 May 1860–18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his contemporaries and younger composers. He is best known for his piano works based on Spanish folk music idioms.

Transcriptions of many of his pieces, such as Asturias (Leyenda), Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, Córdoba, Cataluña, and the Tango in D, are important pieces for classical guitar, though he never composed for the guitar.

Asturias (Leyenda), named simply Leyenda by its composer, is a musical work by the Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz.

The piece, which lasts around six minutes in performance,was originally written for the piano and set in the key of G minor. It was first published in 1892 as the prelude of a three-movement set entitled Chants d’Espagne.

The name Asturias (Leyenda) was given to it posthumously by the German publisher Hofmeister, who included it in the 1911 “complete version” of the Suite española, although Albéniz never intended the piece for this suite. Despite the new name, this music is not considered suggestive of the folk music of the northern Spanish region of Asturias, but rather of Andalusian flamenco traditions. Leyenda, Hofmeister’s subtitle, means legend. The piece is noted for the delicate, intricate melody of its middle section and abrupt dynamic changes.

梨渦淺笑

 

 

The song title is The Smile of the lady which composed by Hong Kong singer/songwriter Sam Hui in 1970’s. This Cantonese song is described a man who fall in love with a lady smile to him but the lady doesn’t mean that way. I arranged it in jazzy style with some jazz harmony and substitute chords. The first and last sections is in free tempo and the centre part I choose a Bossa Nova-like rhythm and modulation for uplifting spirit.

Cavatina – Stanley Myers

 

 

Composer Stanley Myers and guitarist John Williams combined to create a memorable soundtrack for the 1978 Vietnam war film directed by Michael Cimino.

The most famous piece of music to feature in The Deer Hunter, which stars Christopher Walken and Robert de Niro as prisoners of war forced to play Russian roulette, is Stanley Myers’ classical guitar piece ‘Cavatina’.

However, despite becoming synonymous with the film and often referred to as the theme from The Deer Hunter, ‘Cavatina’ was not written specifically for it. In fact the first time it appeared in a film was eight years previously, when it was featured on a film called The Walking Stick.

Originally written for piano before classical guitarist John Williams persuaded Myers to rearrange it, ‘Cavatina’ has become a much-loved entry in to the classical guitar repertoire, and one of the defining moments in 1970s film music, but the soundtrack to The Deer Hunter wasn’t released until 1990.

Agustín Barrios

Agustín Pío Barrios was born in southern Paraguay on 5th May 1885, and died on 7th August 1944, in San Salvador, El Salvador. To many, Barrios was the greatest of all guitarist/composers. In view of this, it is curious that his music lay undiscovered and unappreciated for over three decades after his death. In the mid-1970s comprehensive editions of his music appeared, making it possible for guitarists of a younger generation to study his music, augmenting and complementing more traditional repertoire. The revival began in 1977 with a release by John Williams of an entire recording of music by Barrios, bringing overdue recognition to this forgotten Latin American guitarist. Today Barrios’ music is frequently performed by major concert artists and is appreciated by audiences worldwide.For more about Agustín Barrios you can read the book “Six Silver Moonbeams – The life and times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré” by Richard D. Stover.