Guitar Performances

“Granadinas” by Tomás Barrbera and Raphael Calleja, arranged by Patrick Russ Performed by Andrew Leidenthal, baritone and Andrew Brig Urias, guitar (4:00) “Granadinas” is a duet that showcases the technical and expressive capabilities of both singer and guitarist. In this Spanish song written by Tomás Barrbera and Raphael Calleja, the singer expresses his remorse for having to leave the beautiful city of Granada, and for the death of his beloved. This arrangement for the guitar is not a direct transcription of the original accompaniment. The introduction is drawn from a granadinas recorded by Sabicas, the renowned flamenco guitarist. The granadinas is a traditional flamenco form, originating in Granada and made notable by its clearly defined melody, modulations, and dark tone. It makes frequent use of a technique known as rasgueado, which is a fast strumming technique played with the back side of the fingernails. Flourishes of chords on the guitar correspond with a high point in the melodic line to make for a climactic finish. The text of the song is as follows: Farewell Granada, my Granada, I\u27ll never return to see you again. Ay, what pain! to live far from your plain and from the place where rests the body of my darling. Toll, bell; bell, toll, as your sad sound carries me across the waves, to those black hours when in the coffin I saw her, and felt the cold whiteness of her lips on mine. Toll, toll, bell. “Koyunbaba” by Carlo Domeniconi Performed by Cody Noriega (5:00) This piece is very unique for the classical guitar. It\u27s called “Koyunbaba” (The Shepherd) written by the Italian guitarist/composer Carlo Domeniconi. Although the composer was born in Italy, he grew up in Istanbul; hence the Middle Eastern flavor of the piece. But the real uniqueness of this composition lies in the fact that the entire guitar is tuned to a C-sharp minor chord. In fact there is only one string which remains at normal pitch, and that\u27s the first “E” string. This is very likely the style or flavor of music that Jesus Christ would have heard during His lifetime here on Earth. “America” from a traditional folk tune, arranged by Philip Lester Performed by Wesley Park (2:45) This anonymous melody first appeared in its present form in 1744 and has been used in a variety of patriotic songs, including My Country \u27tis of Thee written by Samuel Francis Smith after he came across the melody in a German songbook that was given to him by a friend. As the story goes, Smith was so impressed with the melody that he wrote the words in 30 minutes on a scrap piece of paper. He then gave a copy of the lyrics to a music teacher who decided to teach the song to some children. Smith was given the surprise privilege of hearing this beautiful song performed for a first time by a children\u27s chorus in Boston, Massachusetts on July 4th, 1832. This arrangement was done for the guitar by Philip Lester