Napoléon Coste - Barcarolle, Op. 51, No. 1

Описание: Musical Miniatures for the Classical Guitar - Steven Saulls, Classical Guitarist

About the composer and the music...

Napoléon Coste (1805–1883) was a French classical guitarist and composer known for his virtuosity and contributions to the 19th-century classical guitar repertoire. After studying with the Spanish master Fernando Sor in Paris, Coste became France's leading guitar virtuoso. Born on June 27, 1805, in Amondans, France, Coste received his first guitar lessons from his mother, an accomplished guitarist. In 1829, at age 24, he moved to Paris to pursue a career in music. Coste began studying with the renowned guitarist and composer Fernando Sor, with whom he also performed. The two became close, and Sor dedicated his last published composition, a duet for two guitars, to Coste.

After Sor's death, Coste edited and republished his mentor's guitar method, adding new lessons and examples. Coste composed a large body of work for the guitar, including sonatas, fantasies, and works with programmatic themes inspired by nature. His 25 Etudes (Op. 38) is a highly regarded and influential collection that remains a cornerstone of intermediate and advanced classical guitar study. Notable programmatic pieces include La Source du Lyson (Op. 47) and Le Voyage en Chine (Op. 31), which draw on his experiences and the nature of the Doubs region of France. Coste was a prominent performer and composer for the seven-string guitar, which added an extra bass string for extended range. The guitar was a Lacôte model with a "floating" seventh string.

After a shoulder injury in 1863, Coste's public performance career declined, but he continued to teach and compose until a later injury ended his public playing entirely in 1881. He was one of the first composers to transcribe music from the 17th century into modern musical notation, helping to preserve historical repertoire. Despite the instrument's declining popularity in the mid-19th century in favor of the piano, Coste was a steadfast champion of the guitar. Today, Coste is regarded as one of the most important and representative Romantic composers for the classical guitar, and his works are a standard part of the repertoire.

A "barcarolle" is a folk song originally sung by Venetian gondoliers. In classical music, it refers to a piece that evokes the swaying rhythm of a boat on water. Coste's composition captures this mood with its lyrical melody and undulating rhythm. The pieces in Coste's Op. 51 were originally written for a seven-string classical guitar known as a "Héptacorde". Today, however, the Barcarolle is most often performed and learned on the standard six-string classical guitar. The "Barcarolle" is considered an excellent and accessible piece for entry-level classical guitarists. It uses familiar chord shapes and provides a great foundation for exploring musical phrasing and tonal variations.

About the performer...

Steven began studying the guitar at age nine and has attended some of the finest music schools in the world including the Berklee College of Music (Boston), and the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria). He holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University (1980) and a Master of Music degree from the University of Arizona (1982).

Over the past 40 years, Steven has performed hundreds of concerts throughout the United States, Central & South America and Europe. His recordings 'Modern Music for the Classical Guitar', ‘Espressivo’, and ‘Classical Guitarist Steven Saulls Performing Works by J.S. Bach, Manuel Ponce, and Federico Moreno Torroba’ have received wide acclaim both nationally and internationally. In addition to solo concerts, he has performed over 200 chamber works including guitar concerti (with orchestra) by Vivaldi, Ponce and Rodrigo.

About the recording...

Recorded at The Steven Saulls Guitar Studio, Sahuarita, Arizona/Guitar handcrafted by Martin Blackwell.

Copyright© 2023 Steven Saulls, Sahuarita, Arizona