A hard-hitting Flamenco guitar arrangement for Fandango de Huelva based on standard traditional themes. The Fandango de Huelva is a relatively fast and rhythmically strict Fandango compared to Fandangos from other regions in Andalusia (Granada, Ronda, Málaga, Almería) that are often slower and without a steady rhythm (sans mesure). Rhythmically, Fandango de Huelva consists of a repetition of a six beat phrase, that Flamencos refer to as a compás, with accents on the third and fifth beats (1 2 3 4 5 6). This is notated in the score as a repeated sequence of 4/4 and 2/4 measures with the first beat of the compás falling on the third beat of the first 4/4 measure. The first accented beat in the compás falls on the first beat of the following 2/4 measure and the second accented beat falls on the first beat of the 4/4 measure following. This asymmetrical distribution of accents in the phrase gives the Fandango a kind of choppy almost stop-and-go flow. Note the number of holds that occur in the melodic passages. These are signs of a feature of the Fandango that is used much more in the slower versions where the singer or guitarist can vary the rhythmic flow at will. The melodic passages in the piece are based on traditional songs for Fandango de Huelva, much as Brahms? Hungarian Dances were based on traditional romani melodies from Hungary. The piece ends with a so-called Macho, a finale, in Verdiales, a fast Fandango rhythm from the region of Malaga. The Verdiales runs in standard 3/4 measures.I learned the Fandango de Huelva rhythm in my studies with Juan González ?Triguito? in Madrid in the late 1960?s. I gathered further rhythmic and melodic material working with other Flamenco guitarists and singers, especially in El Mesón de la Guitarra just off the Plaza Mayor, during my years in Spain.The Fandango de Huelva is a fast and lively style (palo) of Flamenco with lots of good old-fashioned strumming (rasgueados) together with long continuous melodic passages. There is quite a bit of tapping on the face of guitar (golpes) in combination with the strumming and left hand legatos. Some passages are played with the thumb in alzapúa, meaning that the thumb strikes in triplets down, up, and down again in rapid sequence in combination with glopes. The alzapúa and tapping really add to the gitano-andalusian flavour of the piece. The last measures of the finale in abanico (fanning) rasqueado style are a powerful sendoff. Audiences have always enjoyed the positive spirit and energy that the Fandango de Huelva radiates.

ISBN 9781609743260. This collection is drawn from the Portefeuille Guitarre-Spieler series and is intended for intermediate to advanced guitarists.The works in this collection:Fantasy on themes from Don Giovanni, Op. 28Don Giovanni has long been famous among enthusiasts of fretted instruments for Mozart's sublime use of the mandolin in Don Juans' aria Deh, vieni alla finestra. Mertz himself took note of Mozart's 'mandolin serenade' for he employed as a catalyst a brief quote of the mandolin introduction in his Op. 28 for a modulatory transition based upon the theme. Mertz also included a simple arrangement of the aria as number 76 in his Kukuk, a 'musical panorama' of 136 short pieces.Martha, Op. 16Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond by German composer Friedrich Flotow (1812-1883) was first produced in Vienna in 1847. In the second act of Martha Flotow incorporates 'Tis the Last Rose of Summer (Qui sola, verginrosa), a traditional Irish melody to which the poet Thomas Moore wrote lyrics. It was one of the most popular songs of the nineteenth century. In addition to Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Thalberg, guitar composers to produce works based upon the famous song include Giuliani, Ferranti, Holland, and Foden. Preceding Ah! che a voi perdoni Iddio in his Op. 16, Mertz quotes a brief passage from his Elegie.The Prophet, Op. 21Giacomo Meyerbeer was the leading composer of French grand opera during Mertz's professional career. Following studies in Italy, the German composer was chiefly active in Paris and Berlin, although he traveled Europe extensively producing his operas. Le prophete premiered in Paris in 1849 after a long delay due to casting problems. Mertz's Op. 21 was published shortly thereafter.Nabucco, Op. 62 and Rigoletto, Op. 63Giuseppe Verdi's first major triumph as an opera composer was with the biblical opera Nabucodonosor (more commonly known as Nabucco). The opera was premiered in Milan in 1842 and its subsequent revivals throughout Europe spread Verdi?s fame at an astounding rate. Consequently, Verdi was commissioned to compose 14 operas in the following decade. Among these operas was Rigoletto, first produced in Venice in 1851. Mertz frequently turned to the music of Verdi for his operatic fantasies, producing no fewer than four distinct works based on themes from Rigoletto alone.