instrumentation: Guitar
ISMN: 9790801507969
illustrations: Małgorzata Flis
editor: Marcin Kowalczyk, Jadwiga Kubieniec
number of pages: 28
contents:
1. Variations with Waltz
2. Variations with Oberek
3. Variations with Swing
4. Variations with Waltz Brillante
5. Variations with Bossa
6. Variations - Fantasia
The Album with Variations is intended for intermediate level guitarists. I have used children’s songs and Polish folk tunes (appearing in the last series of variations, Fryderyk Chopin’s song A Maiden's Wish, also has folk origins) as themes, whose conciseness and simplicity encourage exploration in terms of composition. I have approached the themes liberally, so that each series contains a stylised dance (waltz, oberek, mazurka) or music genre (bossa, swing, fantasia, nocturne), as indicated in the composition titles. Even though I sometimes stray far from the original version, the melodies remain clear, and the formal discipline is maintained. I believe the variations featured on this album will become a valuable addition to the guitar teaching repertoire. They will, hopefully, serve not only to hone performing skills and develop musical awareness, but also to whet the students’ artistic appetite. Meticulously planned fingering, especially for the right hand, makes it easier to follow the notation.
Tatiana Stachak
