Notes on Composers Continued

Manuel Maria Ponce (1882 – 1948)

Ponce was a leading exponent of musical nationalism in Mexico, and it would not be unreasonable to proclaim him Mexico’s greatest composer.

Ponce labored several years on the set of Twenty-Four Preludes, completing them in 1929. Due to global economic depression, only the first twelve found their way into publication in 1930. Nearly half of a century later, the Mexican guitarist Miguel Alcázar found most of the remaining pieces among the composer’s manuscripts. The set appear to have included one piece in each major and minor key. Unable to find a prelude (No. 3) in G among Ponce’s manuscripts, Alcazar substituted a piece of variations on a theme by Cabezón. The prelude on this program (No. 6) is an inventive and lyrical piece evocative of Spain.


Leo Brouwer (b.1939)

The composer, guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer Mezquida was born in Havana, Cuba in 1939 into a family of musicians. Brouwer went on to specialize in composition, studying at the Julliard School. It is possible to divide Brouwer’s compositional career into three periods. The first started in 1954 with a series of pieces that explored the resources of the guitar in works that combined traditional classical forms with Cuban nationalistic inspiration. In the 1960’s, after the Cuban revolution, he became familiar with the work of avant-garde composers such as Penderecki and Bussotti while attending the Warsaw Autumn Festival in 1961. Brouwer was the first Cuban composer to make use of various modern techniques including elements of post-serialism, aleatory, and open forms.

The late 1970’s brought a third period described by Brouwer as hyper-romanticism, a return to Afro-Cuban roots coupled with traditional technique and minimalism. Paisaje Cubano con Campanas is a fascinating piece from his third period and is in four parts. Brouwer uses repeated fragments, harmonics and some special effects, such as simultaneous tapping of the fingerboard with both the left and right hands, to create a unique atmosphere.


Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946)

Manuel de Falla was a true Andalusian who was born in Cadiz and settled in Granada in 1919. While many of his pieces have been arranged for guitar, Homenaje is his only original guitar work.

After the death of Claude Debussy in 1918, Falla was asked to write an article for the memorial issue of Revue musical. He did so and added a piece of music, the Homenaje, which simultaneously satisfied guitarist Miguel Llobet’s earlier request for a work. Falla had no detailed knowledge of the workings of the guitar but he borrowed one and, after only two weeks, he produced this work. While brief, this habanera, as guitarist Julian Bream has said, gives the feeling of being much longer than it is, such is the spell it casts. Near the end, Falla inserts a quotation from Debussy’s Soirée dans Grenade, a memory of his evening meeting with its composer in that city. Homenaje is a landmark of 20th century guitar repertoire not only due to its musical integrity, but also due to the fact that nearly every note in the score has a particular articulation or effect placed upon it.

Stan Funicelli

At present Funicelli’s catalogue numbers over 500 original works, including 6 Symphonies, 7 Sonatas for Unaccompanied violin, 5 Sonatas and 7 Sonatinas, 14 String quartets as well as numerous other works for solo guitar.

During a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, I had a chance to catch up with my father in 2000 for the first time in over a decade. During this trip, as a young guitarist, I discovered the vast musical career he had achieved. Prior to this meeting, the subject and scope of his musical endeavors were somewhat unclear to me. I discovered that his native instrument was the guitar, and that he had composed a wealth of great music for it. I have played a number of his works, all indelibly stamped with his artistic voice and technical knowledge of the instrument. This particular Etude has obvious merit for a concert setting. While exploring arpeggio technique and exploiting the textural resources of the instrument, it also programmatically invokes the imagery of a storm in terms of color and power.

Dusan Bogdanovic (born 1955)

Born in Yugoslavia, he completed his studies of composition and orchestration at the Geneva Conservatory with P. Wissmer and A. Ginastera, and in guitar performance with M.L.São Marcos. Early in his career, he received the only First Prize at the Geneva Competition and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital in Carnegie Hall in 1977. He has taught at the Geneva Conservatory and the University of Southern California and is presently engaged by the San Francisco Conservatory.

A richly gifted composer, improviser and guitarist, Dusan Bogdanovic has explored musical languages that are reflected in his style today- a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic music. . He has over fifty published compositions ranging from guitar and piano solo works to chamber and orchestral ensembles, as well as close to twenty recordings ranging from Bach Trio Sonatas to contemporary works. His theoretical work for guitar, at Berben Editions, includes Polyrhythmic and Polymetric Studies, as well as a bilingual publication covering three- voice counterpoint and Renaissance improvisation with a structural analysis of motivic metamorphoses in composition and improvisation.


Phillip Houghton (b.1954)

Originally trained as an artist, Houghton began music studies at the age of 20. As a guitarist Phillip toured extensively and was recorded by the ABC before deciding in 1980 to leave performance and concentrate on composition.

As a composer Phillip is self taught and his compositions reflect the influence of many styles: classical, jazz, rock, ambient and world music. His early influences include the music of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Gryphon, Gong, Miles Davis, Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Riley, Crumb and Eno, while his work continues to reflect a strong interest in art, mythology and the environment.

At the 1990 Adelaide Festival, John Williams premiered Houghton's work for guitar solo 'Stele'. This performance was recorded and televised by ABC Tv. This piece appears on the John Williams CD 'The Guitarist'. Stele is inspired by the Grecian landscape and Greek mythology and in particular by various forms of classical sculpture.