TRACK LISTING

RENAISSANCE (1400 – 1600)
Diferencias Sobre “Guardame Las Vacas” (1535) – Luys de Narvarez (fl. 1526 - 1549)
Go From My Window – Anonymous
Can She Excuse My Wrongs (1596) – John Dowland (1563 – 1626)

BAROQUE (1600 – 1750)
Aria con Variazioni detta “La Frescobalda” – Girolamo Frescobaldi (1687 - 1750 )
Passacaglia – Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687 – 1750)

CLASSICAL (1730 – 1820)
Folia de Espagne (1824) – Ferdinando Sor (1778 – 1839)
Variations on a Theme by Handel (1828) – Mauro Giuliani (1781– 1829)

MODERN (1890 - )
Solitude (1934) – Duke Ellington (1899 – 1974)
Contrafact on Solitude
Varations on an Anatolian Folk Song (1980) – Carlo Domeniconi (1947 -)



DESCRIPTION:

This program is a snapshot of one phase of my life in music. It was recorded on April 8th, 2014 in the Horning Theatre of the Delaplaine Fine Arts Center at Mount St. Mary's University.

The recital explores theme and variation in the classical guitar repertoire, starting at the 16th century with Renaissance music (John Dowland) and traveling all the way to the 20th century with contemporary music like jazz (Duke Ellington).

Theme and variation is a compositional technique which builds on a central music idea: the theme. This can be anything from a sixteen bar tune, a melodic phrase, a harmonic progression, or a bass line. After the theme is stated, it is repeated but with varied rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic material: a variation. This process is repeated for however long, often including a restatement of the original theme or a finale to capstone the piece.

COMMENTARY:

Through working on this recital, I found theme and variation to be transparent in its form. The structure is easily discernable. Even if the audience doesn't have a musical background they can follow the form. The feeling of familiarity with a sense of resolution when the theme returns and excitement with the increasing virtuosity of each variation also makes the form's transparency appealing.

The appeal of theme and variation's transparency for me, however, is that it acts like a window. Theme and variation looks into the compositional process in its purest form: taking a musical idea and developing a composition out of it. I'll even go as far to say that theme and variation is a metaphor for the creative process: taking a small idea and developing it into something greater.

Enjoy the Music!

*Download and receive a Q and A about the program for free!