Montsalvatge - Variaciones sobre...Farnaby for guitar and piano (sample pages)

Xavier Montsalvatge Variaciones sobre La Spagnoletta de Giles Farnaby for Guitar and String Orchestra

Guitar and Piano Reduction

Editor’s Note Xavier Montsalvatge composed the original version of this work, for violin and piano, for the distinguished violinist and conductor Rafael Ferrer, who also supplied the cadenza for what would become one of the Catalan composer’s most popular instrumental works. It was first performed in December 1946 at the British Council in Barcelona; perhaps the venue inspired the choice of an English keyboard piece (albeit in a Spanish style) as subject for the variations.

Some 45 years later, the Chamber Orchestra of l’Empordà, based in the northernmost part of Catalonia, were compiling a CD of Montsalvatge’s works for string orchestra and, realising that there would be free space on the disc, the guitarist Jordi Codina asked the composer to write a concertante work for his own instrument. It seems that Montsalvatge was too busy to commit to completing a new piece, but instead suggested an arrangement of his old Farnaby Variaciones. He then recast the piano part for strings and asked Codina to both adapt the violin part for guitar and compose a new cadenza. The whole work was also transposed up from G to A minor to better accommodate the tuning of the guitar. It received its first performance at the annual Castell de Peralada Festival on 9 August 1991 with Jordi Codina as soloist, conducted by Carles Coll.

Although Jordi Codina has occasionally performed this version of the work in Catalonia, it was never prepared for publication during the composer’s lifetime. For this reason, perhaps, the manuscript sources are somewhat lacking in dynamic and articulatory detail and there were also a number of other fairly minor details that needed clarification. Happily, I was able to call on the expertise and first-hand experience of Professor Codina himself and he was able to decisively answer most of my queries. He also proved invaluable in spotting or corroborating questionable details and inconsistencies. Balancing a solo guitar with any kind of ensemble is, of course, always a challenge and both he and I felt the need for a few supplementary dynamics to aid the clear projection of the solo part. Some of these correspond to adjustments added to the score (almost certainly by the conductor Carles Coll) in the course of rehearsal. These recommended dynamics, as well as an occasional ‘rit.’, are here added in square brackets.

Curiously, comparing this version of the work with the original, there are occasional differences, both melodically and harmonically. The chord before the cadenza is an obvious example, and there are also a number of minor changes to both the bass line and some of the melodic details, particularly in the final variation. However, since these were clearly and decisively written in the composer’s hand before the transposition was undertaken, and since he was present during rehearsals and performances, one can only assume that these were deliberate changes.

It only remains for me to thank Professor Codina for all his generous help and sage advice during the editing process.

—Dr. Owen Leech, London 2016

Full score and set of parts for the guitar and string orchestra version available on rental.

to Jordi Codina

Variaciones sobre La Spagnoletta de Giles Farnaby Xavier Montsalvatge

Andantino semplice Guitar

3 4

p

3 4 Piano

3 4

p

6

13 mf

mf

20

[ p]

Š Copyright 1962, 2018 by Southern Music Pub. Co, Inc. Internatonal Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

4

I. Leggero

6 8

mf

arm.7

sim.

6 8 p

6 8

6

arm.12

12 arm.7

arm.12

17

1

1

1

3

1

4

1

3

6

II. Solenne 6 =D

c f

c mf

c

4

8

[

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[ p]

7 12

16

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20

24 3

[

p]

3

9

III. Tempo di Siciliano

6 8

6 8 mf

[

6 8

5 p espressivo

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10

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p

10 15

19

23

26

rit.

3 8

3 8 pp

3 8

12

IV. Deciso

2 4

f

f

2 4 mf

2 4

5

10

15 mf

13

20 p

p

25

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30 cresc.

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