Description
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The “Arrangements for Cello and Guitar by Kazumasa Ishizuki” is finally republished. Ishizuki is the famous guitarist who led the guitar world in Japan. The publication contains numerous masterpieces by great composers from the Baroque and Classical periods, and these pieces are sure to become an important part of the repertoire for guitarists and cellists alike.
Table of Contents
Fr. Couperin: 5 Pièces en concert
A. Vivaldi: Sonata in E minor, Op. 14, No. 1, RV 40
G. Ph. Telemann: Sonata in E minor, TWV 41:e5
G.B. Sammartini: Sonata in G mino,r IGS 22
F. J. Haydn: Adagio (from Cello Concerto, No. 2 in D major, Hob.VIIb:2)
L. Boccherini: Sonata in A major, G. 4
J.-B. Bréval: Sonaa in G major, Op. 12, No. 5
W.A. Mozart: Sonata in B-flat major, K 292/196c
L..v. Beethoven: Andante con Variazioni in D major, WoO 44b
F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy:Song Without Words, Op. 109
C. Saint-Saëns: Le cygne (from “Le carnaval des animaux”)
P.I. Tchaikovsky: Sentimental Waltz, Op. 51, No. 6)
G. Fauré: Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1
Preface by Kazumasa Ishizuki
While it is common practice for the solo violoncello to be accompanied by a piano or harpsichord, there are a number of works that are well-suited as duets with guitar; namely, repertoire written in the Baroque and Classical eras. Unlike the piano or harpsichord, accompaniment with a guitar offers the possibility of employing slurs and portamenti in the same manner and quality as other string instruments. With sensitive discretion for overlapping registers and resemblance of timbre, this ensemble proves to be an attractive choice for performance. I transcribed for violoncello the works of G. Ph. Telemann, W. A. Mozart and L. V. Beethoven, written for viola da gamba, bassoon, and mandolin, respectively, and the guitar parts have been adapted from the original harpsichord, piano, or violoncello.
Kazumasa Ishizuki was a Japanese guitarist, gambist, composer and arranger born in Nagano, Japan in 1933. At the age of sixteen, he began playing the guitar and composing through self-study. In 1969, he won First Prize in the competition of Oscar Ghiglia’s Masterclass. He studied with Kohgoro Mizobuchi, Yasuo Abe and Oscar Ghiglia. Throughout his lifetime, he devoted himself to elevate the status of the guitar in classical music. His instrument was Hermann Hauser III, a German-made guitar.
As a performer, along with solo performances, he played many chamber music works involving guitar, including Japanese premieres of Guitar Quintet by M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Symphony with Guitar Obbligato by L. Boccherini, and Guitar Concerto by L. Boccherini (arranged by Gaspar Cassadó), among others.
He established the Society of Guitar Chamber Music in 1961, during a time when chamber music groups with guitarists were a rarity across the globe. In 1983, he organized the chamber ensemble Boten der Kammermusik, whose main repertoire was music of the Rococo and Classical periods. Along with his compositions and arrangements, his publications include his editions of chamber works, most notably Selected Works for Chamber Music with Guitar (Zen-On Music), and the well-received Selected Works of Mauro Giuliani (Zen-On Music).
He passed away in 2003 in Tokyo.