Freelance musician collection / Ceremonial music, vol. 2

Freelance musician collection

Every professional guitarist will lmow that to be employed as a freelance musician you need to have ready the right repertoire for the right occasion.
TIle selection ill this book is primmily for use at ceremonial occasions: weddillgs, funerals etc. They are an'anged as duets, sometimes ill ml undeveloped or shortened form, sometimes no sooner started than finished. Different instruments can be chosen to play the melodies, but the an'anger's favoured illstrument is the violin.
The music is mostly taken from orchestral works, or famous pimlo pieces, but there are two songs, which appear with words. TIlere is a useful pullout booklet of tile melodies, and tlle music is clearly printed and easy to reacl. He writes the chords above the second part, so you can strum if you want to. TIle guitar part is left blanl{ witllOUt any fingerings or positions, and the standard stmis at grade Ill. and becomes progressively harder up to around grade VII. 11le guitm' is used as an accompanying instrument playing flowing arpeggios and blocked chords. In performance amplillcation would help to keep tlle balance between tile instruments.
The cover has an abstract design in deep reds, purpies and blues witil the lettering standing out in white against this colourful background. TIlis is a book you can have fun witll, and there is a strong appeal about taking some of the world's greatest melodies written for other instruments and enjoying them on the guitar. It is also a useful book lor formal occasions, as sometimes the general public is not always appreciative of Oliginal guitar repertoire, and only wmlts to hem' what is already li:llniliar, played on the guitar as their illstrument of choice.
This publication is about taking some of the world's greatest melodies and distilling them into a miniature version for the guitar and another instrument. In a way this becomes a sort of homage to some of the world's greatest composers, who could supply a fully orchestrated piece of music on request. That tllere remains such an appealing piece of music after the orchestration has been stripped away is a huge uibute to the genius of these composers.

Sandra Hambletan Smith (Classical Guitar)
This book will allow guitarists to propose to their clients a variety of pieces in duet (or little ensemble) that are well-known to the audience. It will be easy to sight read them on the guitar, or simply read the chords that are placed above the guitar staff. This second option allows any harmonic instrument (piano or harp for example) to play the accompaniement from the same score. The forms are simple, short and the arrangements are focused on the main musical theme (sometimes the developpment has been excluded from the arrangements).
The serie of arrangements for guitar and violin (or any other melodic instrument) that I propose in this book has been thought of as the perfect tool for professional musicians aware of the need to accomodate easily and quickly the requests of people needing music performances in a ceremonial context.
David Jacques

Table of Contents

Amazing Grace - Trad.
Andante - F. Mendelssohn
Berceuse - W.A. Mozart
Concerto no 1 - P.I. Tchaïkovsky
Étude opus 10, no 3 - F. Chopin
Le cygne - C. St-Saëns
Marche funèbre - F. Chopin
Moonlight Sonata - L.V. Beethoven
Nocturne - F. Chopin
On Wings of Song - F. Mendelssohn
Pomp and Circumstance - E. Elgar
Sanctus - F. Schubert
Traümerei - R. Schumann
Trumpet Tune - H. Purcell
Trumpet Voluntary - J. Clarke
Water Music - G.F. Handel