Beautiful classical works for guitar

The classical guitar, they say, can sing on its own, without the help of a musician. And in skillful hands it turns into something special. Guitar music has won the hearts of many lovers with its beauty. And neophytes learn classical works for guitar on their own and in music schools, giving preference to certain notes. What compositions form the basis of their repertoire?

Green Sleeves – an old English ballad

This theme is considered an old English folk ballad. In fact, the music was invented to be played on the lute, one of the most popular instruments of that time, but today it is quite often performed on the guitar, since the lute, alas, has fallen out of musical use as an instrument.

The melody of this piece, like many folk songs, is quite simple to play, which is why it is often among the most popular guitar pieces for beginners.

The history of the song’s melody and lyrics goes back more than four centuries. Its name is translated from English as “Green Sleeves”, and many interesting legends are associated with it. Some music researchers believe that King Henry himself composed the song. VIII, dedicating it to his bride Anna. Others – that it was written later – in the time of Elizabeth I, since it shows the influence of the Italian style, which spread after the death of Henry. In any case, from the time of its first publication in 1580 in London to the present day, it remains one of the most “ancient” and beautiful works for guitar.

“Stream” by M. Giuliani

Beautiful works for guitar can be found by the Italian composer Mauro Giuliani, who was born at the end of XVIII century and was, in addition, a teacher and a talented guitarist. It is interesting that Beethoven himself highly appreciated Giuliani’s skill and said that his guitar resembled, in fact, a small orchestra. Mauro was a titled chamber virtuoso at the Italian court and toured many countries (including Russia). He even created his own guitar school.

The composer owns up to 150 guitar pieces. One of the most famous and performed is “Stream”. This most beautiful etude No. 5 of the great master of classical guitar captivates with its rapid arpeggios and wide-sounding open chords. It is no coincidence that both students and masters love to perform this work.

“Variations on a Theme of Mozart” by F. Sora

This beautiful piece for classical guitar was created by the famous composer Fernando Sor, born in Barcelona in 1778. Sor is considered one of the greatest guitar composers and performers XIX century. From an early age he learned to play this instrument, improving his technique. And subsequently he created his own school of playing, very popular in Europe.

Fernando Sor was engaged in concert activities and traveled all over Europe, where he was received with all kinds of honors. His work played a huge role in the history of guitar music and its popularization.

He wrote more than 60 original works for guitar. He also loved to transcribe already known works for his instrument. Such opuses include “Variations on a Theme of Mozart,” where the well-known melodies of another great creator of music sounded in a new way.

Great diversity

Speaking about beautiful works for classical guitar, it is worth mentioning both Francisco Tárrega and the work of Andres Segovia, whose pieces are successfully performed by many musicians and their students to this day. And the last of the above-mentioned authors did a lot to popularize the instrument, taking the guitar from salons and living rooms to huge concert halls to the delight of fans of this genre.