• •

C 1cago guitar
Published by The Chicago Guitar Society in the interests of the classic guitar
Volume l No . 21 22 Ea st Var Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605 March, 1965

THEAPRIL2 PRESTI
& LAGOY
A RECITAL
PROGRAM
Ida Alexandre
PRESTI and LAGOYA

Guitar Duo

Program

I
Divertissement No. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F. Sor
Cantabile
Theme varie
Finale
Andante Variee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. van Beethoven
(Originally for Mandolin and Harpsichord}
Courante )
Sarabande}
Gavotte ). . .. . . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . .. . . J. S. Bach
Bourree )
Gigue )
Chaconne in G Major G. F. Handel

INTERMISSION

II
*Prelude and Fugue in G Minor)
M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco
*Prelude and Fugue in E Major)
*Tarantelle .................................................. P. Petit
Prelude )
Malaguena) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. Albeniz
Zortzico )
Premiere Danse de "La Vida Breve" ........................ M. de Falla

*Dedicated to Duo Presti-Lagoya

This program will be performed who formed their guitar duo follow- their artistry. Said the New York
by Presti & Lagoya at 8:15 p. m., ing their 1955 marriage, have been Times of this French Guitar duo,
Friday, April 2 in the McCormick praised by critics and audiences "The precision and unanimity of
Place Little Theatre, 23rd and the alike. their playing was quite astounding.
Lake Front. The recital is spon- That Segovia attended their 1961 They have proved without question
sored by the Chicago Guitar Society American debut in New York's Town that the acclaim they have received
and S. Hurok. Presti & Lagoya, Hall, is the ultimate testimonial to Continued on page 5

CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965 1

 Program Notes

The Chicago Guitar Societ y has T ickets t o the recital are $1 fo r

moved from the Chicago Stag e Guild nonm em bers. They will be on sa l e
to the Encore The atre , 1419 N. at th e Encore box office the day of
Wells St. , in Chicago's Old To wn th e recital, or they are obtainab le
area. The first prog r am in this by contacting the Chicago Guitar
200 seat theatre will be the Sunday, Society , 22 E. Van Buren St., Chi -
March 7 recital by Patrick Ferreri. cago, WA2-2335.
The program will be at 3:15 p. m. Tickets will be on sale at the
Mr. Ferreri, 25, an accom- Encore the day of Mr. Ferreri' s
plished plectrum and classi c gui- recital, for the April 2 concert by
tarist, is a member of the musicia ns' P re sti & Lagoya in the McCormick
staff of th e Am erican Br oadca st ing Place Little Theatre. Tickets ar e
Comp any. He ha s stud ie d the cl a s- $4, $3, and $2.
sic guitar with Ri chard Pi ck for The next pr ogram the society will
the last six years , and he ma de his give in the Encore Theatre will be
debut in a 1963 r ec ita l in th e Mc - the May 16 recital by Irving Wilkins .
Corm ick Pl ac e Little Thea tre under The time will be 3:15 p.m. So
the auspic e s of the Chi cago Guit a r mark your calendar.
Society. His March program will
include the pr emier per formance of
RECITAL Nine Pr elud es by Ri chard Pick
which have just been published. It is with regret that we leave the
Chicago Stage Guild, our home for
PATRICK FERRERI two years, for larger quarters in
th e Encore Theatre. The warmth
an d charm of the guild was an asset
to our programs and coffee gather -
THECHICAGO
GUITARSOCIETY
AT THEENCORETHEATRE ings . We want to personally thank
Arthur Bushnell and James Krulish
SUNDAY,
MARCH
7, 196S 3:15O'CLOCK for their many courtesies extended
our group. Mr. Bushnell is a co -
founder of the guild, and Mr. Krulish
its resident director.
Incidentally, the guild is cele -
Pieces d' Aylesford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geor ge Fri edrich Handel
brating its 20th anniversary, and is
Chicago's oldest, continuing ama -
1. Sarabande 5. Air
te ur theatrical group. The guild' s
2. Menuets I, II 6. Menuets I, II anniversary performance is the
3. Gavotte 7. Fughetta play "Critic's Choice" being given
4. Passepi ed 8. Sonata
at 8:30 p. m. March 5 and 6. Th e
March 6 performance is the offic ial
-- Short Intermission -- anniversary performance and will
be capped with a champagne recep -
II t ion in the guild's lounge. So, for a
gal a occasion, keep this in min d,
Suite Venezolan a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Antonio Lauro and als o the guild's address : 640
N. Stat e St.
1. Registro 3. Cancion
Tu rni ng our attention to Old Town
2. Danza Negra 4. Vals and th e En core Theatre, we wa nt to
r emin d rec ital-goers, that Old Town
-- Intermission -- offer s many shops for br owsing ,
and int imate pubs where a san dwich
III and liqu id refreshment may b e had
for pri ces t o fit the pocke tbook.
Nine Preludes Ri chard P i ck
Restaur ants with atmos phe r e are
also in abundance. Those att en ding
1. Moder ately - plaintively 6. Moderately
P atrick Ferre ri ' s r ecita l ma y want
2. Very slo wly and quietly 7. With tranquility
to make an af t ern oon of it. In the
3. Mistily 8. Moderate with movem ent
En core The a tre buildi ng, th er e is a
4. Slowly and freely 9. Brightly
coffee shop , a nd, for thos e int er -
5. Moderatel y
ested in wines an d liquors, a pub.

2 CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965

Patrick Ferreri

REVIEW The intention of this piece was to But there is always the danger,
musically illustrate the changeabil- as in any nationalistic music, that
(This is the second in a series of
ity of the weather; the sudden com- the composer will, in his artistic
articles analyzing the guitar pieces ing and going of small whirlwinds confinement, repeat himself. That
of the pianist-composer Joaquin
common in the fall, and which, after in itself is not bad, but if carried
Turina. Fandanguillo was discussed stirring up a lot of dust and leaves, beyond a reasonable point, it is rath-
in the last issue. Ed.)
suddenly dissipate themselves. er difficult to refrain from viewing
This programmatic element must each piece in the light of those which
be injected by the performer in order preceded it.
Ra.faga (copyrighted 1930 by B. for the piece to amount to anything I get the feeling thru hearing this
Schott's Sohne, Mainz). Ra.faga is at all. Tempo and dynamics indica- piece performed, and especially in
a very difficult pie ce to play due tions on the printed page are, as in performing it myself, that I am go-
largely to the fact that Turina takes all music, very vague approxima- ing over too familiar, and not too
a more linear approach than he did tions of what the composer may interesting territory. Tho there
in the Fandanguillo . have had in mind. To perform this are some new and uniquely Turina
The ideas are spread out over piece literally would be disasterous. passages, the piece lacks distinc-
long, single note lin es in whi ch the Unlike the Fandanguillo, the essence tiveness of character in relation to
melody is often harmonized in par- of the piece is so scant and spread Turina's and other Spanish music.
allel intervals and block chords. so thin, that it constantly threatens This is something that cannot be said
However, it is really a thickened to slip from the grasp of the per- of the Fandanguillo ..
melody and not true vertically con- former. Judged in relation to the The Sonata follows that typical
ceived music. Fandanguillo, it is a considerable format in which the first movement
Because of this it is mu ch easier let down from the hopeful expecta- is rather spirited and follows the
for the performer to drop the thread tions one may have for something sonata-allegro design. The second
and break th e spell should he falter equally significant. movement is relatively slow. And
even slightly. All attention is fo- In performing this piece, one the third and final movement is
cused on that single line as if the can most readily recognize the dif- somewhat more spirited than the
performer were on a tight-rope. ficulty in trying to suit it to recital first. The development section of
The piece begins with an intro- performance. It is so easy to have the third movement can, and does
duction in 4/ 4 time , played Andante it sound puny in a large hall, that it in this case, contain material bor-
and rather expressively and rubato. may be better reserved for per- rowed from the first and second
It contains assorted, seemingly un- formance before small, intimate movements.
related materials which evolve later groups. Sonatas, by their very nature,
in the piece in modified form. The In any case, it is a work which require a different kind of playing
short introductory section lasts for requires careful reckoning at all than is required in shorter pieces.
10 measures , terminating in a double times and in every performance. Tho each movement is a complete
bar which brings with it a change to An inspired rendition could effect a piece in itself, it is usually not as
the time signature of 3/ 8: feeling of pleasant nostalgia. compact as a shorter, single piece,
This change marks the beginning and a single theme can be retained
of the "Allegro vivo" section which Sonata (copyrighted 1932 by B. and developed over a longer period
musically portrays a wild, running Schott's Sohne, Mainz). In the of time.
wind, swirling about in an uncon- Sonata, Turina makes no radical The length and breadth is achieved
trolled fashion. changes or alterations in his normal more from spreading out the devel-
To capture the spirit of a whirl- style or musical language, not that opment of the musical ideas, rather
wind is as difficult a task as to cap- any are necessary. Some devices than giving a continuous deluge of
ture a real whirlwind itself. There such as his use of Andalusian melo- new, short-lived motifs. The per-
is not much tangible to work with, dic passages and harmonic progres- former must pace himself accord-
and there is the ever present danger sions appear rather as Turina' s ingly, so that he will not spend his
that the whole thing will fall flat. personal signature . or the piece's creative energies
The whirlwind motif persists for There is much apparent beauty prematurely, thereby creating an
34 measures , until a beautiful and and logic of form in this sonata, as anti-climax. This pacing must en-
rather gay melody appears, con- is to be expected from a composer velope the entire three movements
sisting of material taken from the of Turina' s stature. In my opinion, as a whole. Since this is a more
second and third measures of the the over-all effect of the piece is difficult task for the performer, it
introduction. This 31-measure not as great as some of the more is also, when performed well, an
section is best performed rubato specific characteristics. experience of a more profound na-
and rather sweetly. An eight- The fact that he could take such ture for the listener.
measure interchange of two chords, highly nationalistic and confining
strummed rasgueado, ushers in the elements as those of Andalusian
whirlwind again, whose excitement music, and shape them into so sub-
is retained thruout the remainder of stantial a structure as a sonata, (A third article in this series
the piece. deserves much admiration. will appear in the April issue.)

CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965 3

 Richard Pick

Mr. Aubin should be further Side Two begins with the second
complimented on the discretion and of the two guitar concertos. This
taste he displays in the clean, un- one, in C Major, is perhaps a bit
cluttered manner in which he uses more serious and lyrical than its
his instrument. In the Concerto for companion piece, and is superbly
Guitar and Strings in D Major, the suited to the instrument. It would
REVIEW tempo feels right. Happily, Mr.
Aubin resists pouring Hispanic syrup
be difficult, however, to choose a
favorite between the two.
into the second Largo movement. The record concludes with a
A. Vivaldi. Concerto for Guitar The pace is excellent and left me en- pastoral suite, "Il Pastor Fido,"
& Strings in D Major; Concerto for joying an expressive slow movement which translated would read "The
Two Horns & Strings in F Major; without feeling I had been dragged Faithful Shepherd." This is in the
Concerto for Guitar & Strings in C thru a steaming swamp. The whole flowing style of Vivaldi's pen and is
Major; Suite from "Il Pastor Fido, " effect was of wholesomely presented music of great lyrical quality done
Opus 13. Christian Aubin, guitar; Vivaldi. with consummate taste on the part
Roger Guerin and Xavier Delwande, This concerto was performed of the ensemble and director.
horns; Sylvie Spickett, harpsichord. twice last December in the Chicago Thruout both sides of the record,
The Collegium Musicum of Paris, area by Irving Wilkins who appeared the tasteful and discreet harpsichord
Roland Douatte, director. Nonesuch with the Du Page symphony conduc- adds a silvery, almost stringent
Records. H-71018 (Stereo). ted by Russell Harvey, an<;:!the work flavoring to all the movements.
is more familiar to me personally. Sylvie Spickett displays exquisite
It is music of immediate appeal taste in her handling of the instru-
with bright, clear lines, and direct, ment.
folk-like themes which dance along The whole aspect of this record-
gracefully. ing is one of taste and artistic pro-
duction, including the colorful art
It is interesting to consider the and design of the jacket cover and
Here is a handsomely turned out status of the guitar during the pe- the copious notes by Edward T.
album for anyone who enjoys Vivaldi, riod of musical development of Canby.
and who doesn't? I recall some which Vivaldi was so much a part.
Vivaldi fan once remarking, "If you The lutes had virtually fallen into
don't like Vivaldi, you just don't disuse in favor of the more mechani-
JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ JJJjJJ
like Spumoni. '' cal and vastly simpler harpsichord . ")

At any rate, this is a delectable The guitar was beginning to be more ")
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disc with flavorful music to please stabilized as to its basic structure ")
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most every palate. Of special in- and form, but was very definitely ")

terest to the guitar enthusiast are in the category of a lightweight con- ")
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two tantalizing concertos for the tender in the realm of serious music. ")

instrument.
The record is superbly Baroque
The guitar concerto is followed
by a Concerto for Two Horns and
")
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")
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GUITAR (,
(,
in spirit and leaves one with the
satisfying conclusion that everyone
in the ensemble understood what they
Strings in F Major, which in its
direct melodic appeal was evidently
designed with a utilitarian purpose.
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MUSIC (,
(,
(,
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were doing, and thoroughly enjoyed This is not in the least to detract GUITAR ALONE
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the music they were performing. from its musical worth, but merely ")
2, 3, 4 GUITARS (.,

There seems to be a most infectious to emphasize the remarkable facility ,,

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VOICE AND GUITAR

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gayety about the total production of which Vivaldi possessed to write ,,

") (,
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the recording. music which satisfied pedagogical ") CHAMBER MUSIC WITH GUITAR
I.
(.,
Guitarist Christian Aubin gives a as well as artistic needs. These (,

scholarly and musicianly rendition two objectives are unfortunately not (,

1965
(,
of both guitar concertos by concern- often realized in one composer. CATALOGUE (,
(.,
ing himself more with the total en- Teaching materials are often so far (.,

semble effect than with detached removed from musical value, that it (,

virtuosity. This is in keeping with is a wonder any really artistic talent c. F. PETERS CORPORATION
(,
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the style of the period, particularly survives these barren lands. Horn 373 PARK AVENUE SOUTH (,

Vivaldi's, when the soloist was more players Roger Guerin and Xavier NEW YORK, N. Y. 10016
(,
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often a member of the ensemble Delwande give an excellent straight (,

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than an "imported" personality. forward performance. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrc

4 CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965

PROGRAM
Continued from Page 1

in Europe, Africa, India, and Aus-

tralia has not been bestowed without
reason."
The New York Journal-American
said, "Ida Presti and Alexandre
Lagoya have a rapport and a con-
summa te skill that should delight
audiences for years to come. The
concert was more than entertain -
ment: it was a musical evening with
two expert musicians completely at
home in their artistic medium."
For tickets to the recital at $4,
$3, and $2, write or call the Chi-
cago Guitar Society, 22 E. Van (In the last episode, Mr. Meda As I approached the table, Meda
Buren St., Chicago, 60605 WA2- left Mr. Pick with the startling sug- waved me to the seat opposite him.
2335. ' gestion that they go off to the ski I was pretty jittery, I can tell you.
slopes for a guitar lesson . Ed. ) My first reaction was to glare at
his hands, but to my immense re-
The Guitar Guild's Feb. 14 pro- **** lief I could see only one thumb on
each hand. Meda apparently was
gram included guitar solos by Hilary The next time 1 saw Mr. Meda
was not on the slopes, butone even- able to conceal his second thumb in
Johnson, M. Davini, and Lloyd
ingfor dinner which he called to ar- the palm of his hand, or so it seemed.
Moon, and chambe r music per- "Ah, good evening, sir," Meda
formed by G. Parravanno on the range a few days later. His dinner
greeted me with reassuring cordi-
guitar, E. Nordman , viola, and proposal came as a surprise. Some-
ality. As usual his uncanny ability
Jennifer Ward, flute. The program how, it never occurred to me that
of anticipating my anxiety was ap-
was given in the Willia m Hall library, he might have other objectives on
parent for he added, "Please don't
Edgewood, Rhode Island. Earth besides his guitar lessons. I
be concerned because no one in this
LarryVogtwaspre sentedin a re- vaguely assumed that he spent the
general vicinity will be able to see
cital by The Belmonte Art Gallery time between lessons on his own
me as anything but a normal human
and George Nicho ls Classical Guitar planet. being."
Studio, Sacramento, Calif., on At any rate, my curiosity was
Feb. 7. Mr. Vogt performed works peaked to discover how Meda would I was used to being surprised at
by de Vissee, Roncalli, Weiss, carry off his masquerade in posing Mr. Meda' s abilities to control his
Bach,. Carcassi, Giuliani, Rodrigo, as an Earthman. I had become al- environment, but this new display of
and Villa-Lobos . most accustomed to his alien char- his powers made me feel a bit
acteristics. They didn't startle me, queasy. The thought occurred to
at least not as much as they used to. methatifthisalien could make him-
Mr. Meda, too, no longer seemed self be seen only as he wished, per-
as concerned to conceal his marked haps I was also seeing only what
cat-like attributes, nor attempted Meda wished me to see.
to camo uflage his strange and re- What did he really look like?
markable abilities. Meda looked up and with an enig-
Nevertheless, I cautiously made matic expression said, "Don't be
certain to suggest dinner at a more alarmed, sir, I am exactly what I
dimly lit dining room with the vague seem to be."
Well, this really took me aback.
notion that this might reduce the
What did that mean? "I am exactly
probabilities of Meda being too easi-
what I seem to be." It seemed to
ly observed. What concerned me
say everything---and yet---well
most were those light-gathering nothing. '
eyes and two thumbs.
At this point, while I was mulling
Well, when I arrived Meda was
things over, the waitress arrived
nonchalantly seated at a booth in-
and took our order without the least
tently studying a menu, looking for
hint of seeing anything unusual about
all the world like any well-turned
Mr. Meda. But she did look a little
out businessman. The only thing
oddly at me, subtly suggesting that
different about his general appear-
a cup of coffee might be just the
ance from what I was used to were
thing. Well, it was, and I gradually
~ome heavy horn-rimmed glasses
started settling down. Meda also
Flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya he wore which I noticed were tinted
helped the situation by bringing up
comes to Orchestra Hall at 8:30 enough to hide the slit pupils and
my favorite subject.
p. m., March 19. glowing eyes.
Continued on page 6

CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965 5

E"V""e:n..iis Ca1e:n..da:r
Following is a calendar of events that will be of interest to the classic
guitarist:

MARCH 7 Recital by Patrick Ferreri at Encore Theatre, 3:15 p. m.

19 Carlos Montoya at Orchestra Hall, 8:30 p. m.

APRIL 2 Presti & Lagoya at McCormick Place Little Theater, 8:15

p.m.

MAY 16 Irving Wilkins recital at Encore Theatre, 3:15 p.m.

*************************************
MEDA
Continued from page 5 "You said it!" I saidwithempha-
sis, "and for the longest time I
fought and struggled, made excuses.
Tried to rationalize and built up the
"You were so intrigued by the most elaborate complex about this
prospect of skiing the other night, " new system and how unnatural it
said Meda good humoredly, "I' 11 was.
wager you hadn't considered how I "But the plain unalterable fact
would have passed muster with all was I couldn't do any of the beautiful
the other people either on the slopes maneuvers all the newly schooled
or in the lodge. This certainly skiers could do. I felt left out sim-
would not have been the time to be ply because I couldn't open my mind
distracted when your attention should ---swallow my pride---and---well
be on your downhill ski!" ---when I finally achieved a degree
Of course, I had to agree and ex- of humility and sanity, I went after
pressed my appreciation for his this new idea with a vengeance."
consideration. I began to feel con- "I can begin to see why you draw
siderably more at ease realizing so many parallels between the gui-
that Meda was again in complete tar and skiing," said Meda. "The
control of the situation. learning processes are much the
"I'm sorry to have taken up so same no matter what new skill is
much time babbling on about my ski being learned. The first ingredient,
lessons "I said to Meda, "but I felt however, seems to be an attitude of
'
so exhilerated ..
about finally arnvmg desire to learn and a realization
at a semblance of mastering a new that one of the chief ends of living is
skill." learning."
"A new skill?" asked Meda. "I "Exactly so," I replied, "I really
thought you were skiing when you CHICAGO GUITAR is the of-
think that each new skill adds a new ficial publication of the Chicago
were five years old back in your dimension. And spe:i...
1dr.g of sor.1e-
home state." Guitar Society, 22 E. Van Buren
thing new, wasn't it your intention st., Chicago 60605, a non-profit
"Ah, yes," I answered with a bit to take me to the ski slopes for a
of nostalgia, "but then there w~s a organization devoted to the clas-
guitar lesson? As I recall you pro- sic guitar. Suzanne Avery is
long period of years between the time posed such an idea at your last les-
I left Minnesota and took up skiing editor. Regina Martinez is soc¾-
son. It left me a bit puzzled, I can ety president; Richard Pick,
again. During the long years be- tell you."
tween, an entirely new technique board chairman. Society mem-
"Well," said Meda, "hearing you berships at $8 for 12 months cov-
had evolved and I was much cha- wax so enthusiastically about paral-
grined, to put it mildly, when I pro- er an eight-issue subscription to
lels between skis and the guitar, I
ceeded to fall all over the place, and, CHICAGO GUITAR and free . at-
assumed that certainly a ski lesson
to make matters worse, in front of tendance at regular society pro-
was part of your guitar course." grams. Memberships are open
a class of beginners. " I got the distinct impression that to anyone interested in the clas-
Meda was secretly laughing at me,
sic guitar. Non-members pay a
but I kept a straight face, and de-
"I see," Meda said with amuse- $1 donation for attendance at
termined for once to have the last
ment, "you were really worse off each of the society's regular pro-
laugh on him.
than a novice because you had to grams, and may subscribe to
dissolve old habits before acquiring eight issues of CHICAGO GUI-
new ones." (Surely Mr. Pick can't best Mr. TAR for $2.
Meda, can he?}

6 CHICAGO GUITAR • MARCH, 1965