CONTEMPORARY SOLO CLASSICAL GUITAR REPERTOIRE
Contemporary Classical Guitar
This page presents contemporary classical guitar music. The collection features a repertoire of new classical guitar pieces and modern guitar repertoire, with a special focus on unique and original guitar miniatures and solo guitar works.
REMEMBRANCES OF JERUSALEM
for solo classical guitar
Duration:
11 minutes
Instrumentation:
guitar solo
Year Composed:
1995
Written For:
William Riley
Premiere Performance:
William Riley
7 November 1999
Boston, MA, USA
About Remembrances of Jerusalem
Remembrances of Jerusalem is an 11‑minute solo guitar work composed in 1995 while you were living in Jerusalem. The piece grew unexpectedly out of a larger chamber work that included guitar; ideas for a standalone solo piece began to surface, eventually forming a prelude followed by a set of variations. These variations do not follow the traditional model of developing a melody over a fixed harmonic pattern. Instead, they grow from fragments and motives introduced in the prelude — small musical memories that reappear in different shapes, much like impressions of a city that return in altered light. The work reflects both the challenge and the fascination of writing for an instrument you do not play, resulting in a piece shaped by intuition, listening, and the atmosphere of Jerusalem itself.
William Riley gave the work its world premiere.
For the Performers
Level: Suitable for professional guitarists, and advanced students.
Programming: Well suited for guitar recitals featuring music inspired by place, contemporary guitar works, or programs exploring memory, reflection, and personal landscapes.
Program Notes
In 1995, while residing in Jerusalem, I was in the midst of composing a chamber work that included the guitar. Ideas for a solo piece started to emerge during this time. Soon, I found myself composing a prelude and a set of variations, a process that was quite challenging for me, as I do not play the guitar. The variations are not to be taken in the traditional sense of melodic development over a fixed form. Instead, they are based on fragments or motives from the prelude.