Portuguese Guitarra Lesson (continued)
Selected Bibliography
Anonymous
n.d. A Guitarra Portuguesa: Método Fácil: Para aprender a tocar de ouvido e por música. This was probably published around 1920. It is 16 or17 pages long. It includes preliminary information on tuning and hand position and a few exercises. Its 6 pieces are written in old tunings and have a charming melodic appeal.
Caldeira Cabral, Pedro
1999 A Guitarra Portuguesa. Ediclube (Edição e Promoção do Livro, Lda., Rua da Industria, 4, Alfragide, 2724-517 Amadora, Portugal. The book was originally sold as part of the special video, CD and book collection called Um Século de Fado.
This is a wonderful 399 page book with dozens of full color photos of Portuguese guitarras and extensive original discussion of the origin of the guitarra, its relationship to other instruments, the place of the guitarra in the fado, the constructors of guitarras, the famous guitarristas, the structure of the guitarra, tunings, playing technique, notation, and the repertoire.
Fernandez, Ronald Louis
1991 The Portuguese Guitarra: A Modern Cittern. American Luthiere: Journal of the Guild of American Luthiers, Fall issue. This is my little contribution in English to the discussion of the Portuguese Guitarra.
Oliveira, Ernesto Veiga de
2000 Instrumentos Musicais Populares Portugueses. Lisboa: Fundação Gulbenkian/Museu Nacional de Etnologia. This is a revised version of the 1964 book of the same name. There are 2 sections of about the Portuguese guitarra, one is by the author of the book and the other is by Pedro Caldeira Cabral.
Parreira, Antonio and Maestro Jorge Machado
1999 Notas de Música. Ediclube Edição e Promoção do Livro, Lda., Rua da Industria, 4, Alfragide, 2724-517 Amadora, Portugal. This is part of the collection Um Século de Fado. This is a unique and wonderful book. It contains 120 essential fado melodies which comprise most of the music to which fado poetry is sung. These melodies were collected by Antonio Parreira and written down by Jorge Macahdo.
Salgado do Carmo, J.C.
1929 Metodo Elementar Teorico e pratico de Guitarra Portuguesa. (Ilustrado com 41 fotogravuras). Fotografias de: Lazarus-Lisboa. Sassetti & Ca., Editores, 54-58 Rua do Carmo, Lisboa. The copy I have of this method has 64 pages. The method starts with standard music theory as applied to the guitarra. Then it sets out a number of technical exercises. The third section, "Estudos Recreativos", includes 7 pieces for the guitarra--five pieces include a full written part for the viola (6 string "Spanish" type guitar) and two pieces are presented as guitarra solos. I especially like the traditional sounding variations in the piece entitled "Fado em Ré Menor".
Simões, Armando
1974 A Guitarra, Bosquejo Histórico. Évora. This 251 page book is a wonderful history of the guitarra. It begins in the standard scholarly manner of discussing the origin of the name guitarra and of ancestral instruments. Next, the morpholical features of the early guitarras is handled. Following this is a very informative discussion of the makers of guitarras. The second part of the book handles the variety of ways to string and tune the guitarra, the method books for learning the guitarra, the musical uses of the guitarra, the role of the guitarra in fado music, and the famous players of the guitarra.
Soares, Paulo.
1997 Método de Guitarra Portuguesa: Bases para a Guitarra de Coimbra. Published by Paulo Soares, Apartado 1135, 3000 Coimbra, Portugal. 154 pages. This is a grand contribution to the Portuguese Guitarra. It is focussed on the Coimbra style. It has precise explanations of technique and interpretation and includes very fine transcriptions of a number of pieces: Canto de Amor, Dança Palaciana, Canção, Canto de Embalar, and Melodia no. 2 by Carlos Paredes. Valsa by Gonçalo e Artur Paredes. Estudio 1 by Paulo Soares. O Meu Menino by Alexandre Resende. Aguarela Portuguesa by António Portugal. Balada do Mondego arranged by Artur Paredes. Estudo em Lá Maior arranged by Antonio Pinho de Brojo. Variações sobre o Mondego by Gonçalo Paredes.
Victória, Joao
n.d. "A Guitarra sem Mestre--O Verdadeiro Methodo de Guitarra". This is a method which consists of 4 booklets. The original booklets contain no date of publication. According to Armando Simões in his book A Guitarra, Bosquejo Histórico (1974 page 172), these method booklets were written around 1920. Unfortunately, these booklets utilize obsolete tunings for the guitarra. Consequently, all of the pieces must be transposed to modern tunings before playing on modern guitarras. Nevertheless, any serious student should have a careful study of these little booklets.
This is the end of the Portuguese Guitarra Lesson for the moment.
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