Surface and Synjbol
The Emerald’s weekly arts and entertainment supplement Thursday, January 13, 1977
Photo courtesy at Michael lormer
Baroque music master will tickle your ears
By BOB WEBB
Of the Emerald
Strains of classical and baroque guitar music will
filter through the air of Eugene this weekend when
Michael Lorimer, considered one of the world’s leading
classic guitarists, comes to town for two workshops and a
performance.
Each season Lorimer presents numerous concerts
throughout the United States and abroad. Born in
Chicago, raised in Los Angeles, he began guitar studies
at the age of ten. By 1963 he was taking master classes
with Andres Segovia, with whom he became a favorite
protege.
Lorimer is the first American classic guitarist to be
invited to perform in the Soviet Union. In 1975 he toured
the major cities of the U.S.S.R. to enormous acclaim. He
has been invited to return this season in April.
With special affection for and knowledge about the
baroque literature, he has performed early works on orig
inal instruments — baroque and classic guitar.
Despite the revival of interest in early music and
performances on original instruments, the Baroque guitar
is still little known. It came into popularity at the beginning
of the 17th century, being just the right sort of accompan
iment to the new styles of vocal and instrumental music.
Baroque guitar music was first notated in chord symbols
and the instrument was strummed, in much the same way
as today s folk and popular music. Later guitarists began
plucking individual notes as well as strumming, and by the
end of the century guitar music displayed a refined mix
ture of styles.
Lorimer's instrument is an exact copy (by N.B. van
der Waals, 1975) of a guitar by Jean Voboam, made in
Paris in 1687 for Mile, de Nantes, Duchess of
Bourbon, one of the daughters of Louis XIV.
The Baroque guitar was followed by a classic instru
ment which Lorimer also plays. It has six single strings
rather than the five double strings of the Baroque. The
Classic guitar appeared at the end of the 18th century at
the same time musical style was changing, the Classic
era succeeding the Baroque. Soon the guitar attracted
some fine composers who were themselves guitar vir
tuosos: Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, and Fernando
Carulli, among others. They abandoned traditional guitar
tablature in favor of staff notation, and adopted the har
monies of their time. If these sound conservative, the
melodies are nevertheless rich in invention and the music
varied in its rhythms. Sor and his contemporaries com
posed for the guitar as if it were a small orchestra.
As the 19th century progressed, composers like
Francisco Tarrega succeeded in adapting their national
idioms to the guitar's special resources. Ultimately, the
guitar reflected the myriad styles and idioms of twentieth
century music.
The program for Friday evening’s concert will include
selections from both the baroque and classical periods,
spanning four centuries of musical literature.
Lorimer begins with Preludio-Allegro-Ayre, written
by Santiago De Murcia. The piece is drawn from a collec
tion of Spanish. Italian and French music collected by
Murcia, Passacalles Y Obras. This is followed by Suite in
C by composer Francisco Corbetta
Turning to a nineteenth century format of classical
music, Lorimer presents Prelude No. 1, by Brazilian com
poser Heitor Villa-Lobos. Later during the show, Lorimer
will perform Etude No. 11, also by Villa-Lobos. Variations
on a Theme of Handel, Op. 107, by Italian Mauro Guiliani
follows. The variations are based on Handel's air, The
Harmonious Blacksmith.
In a contemporary vein, Lorimer next turns to the
work, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, by Francis Tarrega,
who is regarded as the father of the modern school of
guitarists. This particular piece focuses on the guitar's
tremelo technique to suggest a group of guitars rather
than one instrument.
After intermission, Lorimer plays Joaquin Tumia's
Seviltiana, a fantasy based on the Spanish flamenco
dance. Seasons by William Boicom was written for
Lorimer. The movements reflect the seasonal fluctuations
of the Michigan countryside.
The final piece of the evening is Lorimer's transcrip
tion of Capricho Catalan, Op. 165, by Isaac Albeniz
The performance will be in Beall Concert Hall tomor
row night at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the EMU
Main Desk or at the door. Student admission is $2.50,
general is $4.
For the workshops, Lorimer will work in a master
class format with six guitarists from the University School
of Music. Although the performance spaces are filled,
openings are available for 100 observing participants.
The fee is $10, payable at the door. The workshops will be
held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. this Saturday in Room 129
of the School of Music.
For more information on the workshops, contact Jon
Jarvie at 343-2046 or David Case at 342-6826.
The Lorimer appearances are presented by the stu
dent incidental fee and the music steering committees.