Les rues de Marciac

Set in shuffle rhythm, this piece will quick­ly separate guitarists with an innate sense of rhythm and the ability to «feel the beat» from those (dare I say more «classical» players) who regard the score as a fixed list of timed jobs, and who should look away now. We’re left with those who love a bluesy, big-band saunter through the score. We’re in for some fun. Guitar 4 starts off with a jazzy little mo­tif that invites Guitar 5 to join in an octave lower. Metallic discords, with a punchy staccato, give a due that there’s more on the way, and it arrives, courtesy of Guitar 1, shadowed a sixth below by Guitar 2. And here is the basic orchestration - a tune and harmony line together, rich chords built by Guitars 3 and 4, and a bassline that is partly chord-based and partly a walking bassline. There are glissandi starting on the offbeat, and the mix of missing beats and lugubrious triplet quarter notes over normal quarter notes make this a feast of fun rhythms. The music - just 99 bars - has no repeats, so this runs for almost exactly three minutes at the marked metronome speed. How hard is it? It needs players who feel the beat, and if pared back to one player per part, every player has to be able to play a pizzicato solo in the finale, so it’s confidence more than ability that is needed. A mixed ability ensemble between Grade Three and Six will enjoy it.
-Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)