Voice (or melodic instrument) and 4 guitars
Set in A minor, the voice part would suit a soprano or mezzo, and also lies within the compass of the recorder, flute and violin.
The guitar music all sits on one face of the page and is devoid of fingering, save for a welcome reminder in guitar four that the chord of E needs a different fingering since the bottom string is tuned down. Technically this is really quite a simple quartet but the rhythm is a fierce challenge for beginners. The counterpoint is particularly elegant and particularly weil entwined, meaning that in many of the bars, several of the parts are required to play out of step with each other for extended periods; the slightest hesitation in any of the lines would make it very hard to get the ensemble back in step. The lack of fingerings and dynamics makes it ideal material for school and in particular for a school concert, for which the piece, including repeats is a jolly fine length!
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
