Duration: 16 minutes
Year: 2021
Audio Excerpt
Coming soon!
Program Notes
Commissioned by guitarist Brent Crawford with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Guitar Sonata (2021) is a continuation of my efforts to write for the guitar in various forms and ways. Following from two earlier pieces, Meditation (2014) and Estatico (2015), I have enjoyed the unique challenge that is writing for the instrument. The Guitar Sonata is an amalgamation of techniques learnt from those past works in my attempt to create something that is substantial for performers wishing to perform original Canadian works for guitar.
The work is divided into three movements – akin to classical sonata form – and is structured in a fast-slow-fast format. The first movement is a wide and expansive exploration of the octave as theme. By retuning the lower string to D, I was able to utilize a wider palette of notes to facilitate this exploration. The second movement is an Adagio that is centered on the contrast between stillness and motion. The finale or third movement is a frantic and moto perpetuum piece that brings back themes from the first movement and ends the work with some guitar pyrotechnics.
Score
Full Score – $20 CAD
Payable via Paypal. Score sent to buyer within 48 hours of purchase.
Roydon Tse 