Rock a Bye

Guit. I-IV, cb.

This is an ensemble piece for guitarist of varying standards. The players would have to be musical but not necessarily advanced. Each guitar part stakes out its own territory, and a layered effect is achieved by the repetition of short rhythmic phrases. Reproduced on the cover is an attractive modern realisation of a guitar in bright colours, the parts are published separately, with a master score. Guitar 1 is anchored in position VIII on a small range of notes. Guitar 2 plays in first position using mainly selected notes on string 6 and 3. Alto and guitar 1 is written in unison, providing safety in numbers. There is an easy part for the contrabasse, which mirrors guitar part 4, the standard required varies between grade 6 /4, with the position of the notes affecting the level of difficulty, The easy vocal line doesn't start until bar 12, and the text is taken from the traditional nursery rhyme Rock a Bye Baby. All the parts together would produce an interesting cacophony of sound with a pounding beat set against the contrasting sound of the vocal line. The whole would sound effective despite inaccuracies as long as the groups play their parts with conviction. He doesn't specify an age group, but if they were teenagers I feel that a competitive element might kick in and add to the excitement with everyone propelled towards the winning line. This is a participation piece requiring team effort, and very suitable for school aged players.
Sandra Hambleton Smith (Classical Guitar Magazine)