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In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included many significant works for guitar that have been hidden from view for decades. Many of these works are by neglected composers whose names are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

Neue Schreibart – 19th Century Guitar Music from Austria and Germany It gives me great pleasure to launch this new series dedicated to 19th century music for guitar from Austria and Germany. The term “Neue Schreibart” (new style of writing) dates back to Simon Molitor (1766-1848) and the preface to his Sonata Op. 7 (1806), in which he demands this new approach to composition, orthography, and music notation leading to a “solid” playing style. Molitor, a composer, guitarist, and musicologist from Neckarsulm, wanted to bring the latest developments in harmony and counterpoint to the relatively new idiom of the 6-string guitar. This series aims to introduce many of the wonderful, but as yet little-known, works for guitar from 19th century Austria and Germany. It will provide a platform to offer critical performance editions to today’s guitarists, and create a new impulse for the extension of today’s repertoire for our instrument. Adam Darr – a Franconian composer Adam Darr was born in Schweinfurt, in the north of Bavaria in 1811, where he first started to play the violin and flute. Aged 18, he picked up the guitar, which would become his favourite instrument. Before long, he had success as a touring musician in countries across Europe: Russia, Sweden, France, Belgium, and Holland. After 16 years of extensive touring, he returned to his native Bavaria, where he started to work as a composer and music-teacher. During this time he undertook many successful regional tours in a duo with the guitarist Friedrich Brand. In addition to his work with the guitar, Adam Darr is also the author of one of the most important methods for zither. His broad musical knowledge, across several instruments and as a composer, grant him a special role amongst guitar composers. He can be considered more as a composer than as a guitarist. Adam Darr, most likely due to a complicated relationship with his fiancée Carolina Lierheimer, committed suicide on 2nd October 1866. He drowned himself in the waters of the Wertach and Lech river, which meet in the city of Augsburg.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

In 2009, a large collection of guitar music from the Gitarristische Vereinigung München (‘Munich Guitar Society’) was rediscovered in an attic in Munich. The collection included numerous significant works for guitar that had been long inaccessible with many by neglected composers who are deserving of exploration and revival. Wilhelm Schmoelzl’s Introduction und Variationen exists on the threshold between Classicism and Romanticism, while Adam Darr’s perfectly realised Sonata is notable for its striking use of Alpine folk music. The programme concludes with Carl Kamberger’s witty and surprising Grand Fantasy, with its multitude of quoted themes and unconventional techniques.

9 Studies for Guitar by Josef FranzThe 9 Studies by Josef Franz aim towards intermediate players and offer some haunting melodies and joyful character pieces, reminiscent of typical romantic composers such as Schubert or Mertz. Some studies, not all of them, have names like “In the woods” (“Im Walde”) or “Fantasy Study - on the Meadows”(“Fantasie Etüde – Auf den Fluren”). The connection to nature was an important topic for romantic German speaking poets and composers, and is a practice we find e.g. in Schubert’s songs, in the oeuvre of Schumann or in poems by Eichendorff. The guitar takes an interesting role in the romantic context, it can actually be seen as an instrument of empowerment. The citizens could take it with them on walks through nature, they could have private concerts. In a way, they became more independent and were no longer obliged to go to mass or public events in order to experience music. In comparison to the piano and most other instruments, the guitar revealed itself a more affordable alternative, but at the same time capable of accompanying songs or other instruments. Very effective during private social gatherings. The studies by Josef Franz aim exactly towards this type of use. Not too difficult to play, beautiful to listen to and rewarding. Today, these pieces could be played by students, that want to work on their interpretations of romantic music, I believe they would work well as encores or as openers, when an audience needs to get used to the sound of the guitar. When played well, they can be charming, delightful and engaging. There are two manuscripts of the studies, one that contains all nine of them, probably in the order, that Franz intended. Then there is a second one, in which one study, number three, is missing. Some of the studies have been published around the year 1904 as part of the monthly selection of the “Free Society for the Promotion of Good Guitar Music” (“Freie Vereinigung zur Förderung guter Guitaremusik”) based in Augsburg.

Neue Schreibart – 19th Century Guitar Music from Austria and GermanyIt gives me great pleasure to add another composition to this new series dedicated to 19th century music for guitar from Austria and Germany. The term “Neue Schreibart” (new style of writing) dates back to Simon Molitor (1766-1848) and the preface to his Sonata Op. 7 (1806), in which he demands this new approach to composition, orthography, and music notation, leading to a “solid” playing style. Molitor, a composer, guitarist, and musicologist from Neckarsulm, wanted to bring the latest developments in harmony and counterpoint to the relatively new idiom of the 6-string guitar.This series aims to introduce many of the wonderful, but as yet little-known, works for guitar from 19th century Austria and Germany. Most of the works stem from the collection of the “Gitarristische Vereinigung”, held by libraries in Augsburg and Munich. It will provide a platform to offer critical performance editions to today’s guitarists, and create a new impulse for the extension of today’s repertoire for our instrument

Neue Schreibart – 19th Century Guitar Music from Austria and GermanyIt gives me great pleasure to add another composition to this new series dedicated to 19th century music for guitar from Austria and Germany. The term “Neue Schreibart” (new style of writing) dates back to Simon Molitor (1766-1848) and the preface to his Sonata Op. 7 (1806), in which he demands this new approach to composition, orthography, and music notation, leading to a “solid” playing style. Molitor, a composer, guitarist, and musicologist from Neckarsulm, wanted to bring the latest developments in harmony and counterpoint to the relatively new idiom of the 6-string guitar.This series aims to introduce many of the wonderful, but as yet little-known, works for guitar from 19th century Austria and Germany. Most of the works stem from the collection of the “Gitarristische Vereinigung”, held by libraries in Augsburg and Munich. It will provide a platform to offer critical performance editions to today’s guitarists, and create a new impulse for the extension of today’s repertoire for our instrument.

Georg Luckner (1882-1918) was a Munich-based composer, that we know very little about today. One of the most important sources is an article in the club-magazine of the Gitarristische Vereinigung “Guitarrefreund”, which the composer and journalist Wilhelm Memke wrote after Luckner’s sudden death. According to the article, the reason for Luckner’s early passing was the flu. It is highly likely, that he was one of the ca 25 million casualties of the Spanish flu pandemic, that was ravaging around Munich from 1918 onwards. Other famous victims of the disease were painter Egon Schiele and sociologist Max Weber. Luckner was a great admirer of the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. His Sonata for guitar won the second prize at the composition contest of the Gitarristische Vereinigung, (not first, due to the length of his sonata). 

Sigismund Thalberg (1812–1871) was one of the most prominent virtuoso pianists of the 19th century and at the time was considered the equal of Franz Liszt. Like Liszt he made many opera paraphrases and fantasies that would showcase his own pianistic abilities in performance. The composition Memories of Straniera after Thalberg by Kühnel could be seen as the second version of such a rearrangement that the initial opera La straniera by Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835) underwent, turning the opera’s themes into a virtuoso instrumental solo piece. The first version being Thalberg’s Fantaisie sur des motifs de l’opéra La straniera de Bellini, op. 9.Kühnel’s work is an excellent example of a successful musical recycling process. It adapts Thalberg’s ideas and transfers them to the guitar where possible. Where this is not possible, Kühnel composes his own passages, which imitate the musical emotions that are trying to be conveyed. Kühnel has an exquisite and elegant way of arranging Thalberg’s virtuoso piece for guitar, he must have been an expert at playing and arranging for the instrument. The result of his expertise is a state-of-the-art composition of the highest difficulty and density that achieves the quality of original Romantic masterpieces for guitar by, for example, Regondi or Mertz.

The original title of the work by Franz Zwerger is: “Tonmärchen: eine sorgfältig gewählte Sammlung gemüthlicher aufheiternder Stücke für zwei Guitarren” (“Fairytales of sound, a carefully selected collection of cozy uplifting pieces for two guitars”). The collection was published in Augsburg by the editor Anton Böhm, around the 1860’s.

This work is one of three held by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, as part of the collection of the Gitarristische Vereinigung München. The other works are an arrangement of a famous waltz by Joseph Gungl (1809-1889) called “Träume auf dem Ozean” and a piece in form of theme and variations. The Grand Fantasy by Kamberger is a composition based on many opera themes, a lot of quotations stem from “Alessandro Stradella” by Friedrich von Flotow, which was premiered at Stadttheater Hamburg in 1844. According to a historical journal found at the scientific department of the city library of Mainz, it was first played there on 13.9.1845. More performances followed on 20.9.1845, 3.12.1845, 25.1.1846 and 16.4.1846.