Pièces caractéristiques pour guitare, Op.123 (1964) by Belgian composer Jean Absil (1893-1974). Performed by Bradford Werner. I’m trying to feature more music by modern and contemporary composers and external publishers on the site and this is a great piece to start with. I’ll be adding all ten movements to this post over the next few weeks so check back often. The sheet music is by Editions Henry Lemoine.
Jean Absil (1893–1974) was a Belgian composer, organist, and teacher known for his modernist style blending neoclassicism with modal and polytonal techniques. A student of Paul Gilson, Absil composed symphonies, concertos, and choral works, and served as a professor at the Brussels Conservatory, influencing generations of Belgian musicians.
Jean Absil wrote a good number of guitar works primarily for Nicolas Alfonso, a prominent Belgian guitarist and pedagogue. Alfonso was one of the leading classical guitarists in Belgium during the mid-20th century and collaborated with several composers, including Absil. I suspect this work was also written for him but I haven’t found any additional information yet.
Pièces caractéristiques Op.123 (Pieces and Youtube Links)
- I. Prélude
- II. Invention
- III. Pastorale
- IV. Humoresque
- V. Valse
- VI. Cantilène
- VII. Scherzo
- VIII. Chant du soir
- IX. Pavane
- X. Tarentelle
This video was performed on a Marcus Dominelli classical guitar with Augustine Regal strings and a GuitarLift Ultimate support. All my gear here. Subscribe to the free membership newsletter and if you’re enjoying the site you can consider supporting it.
It may be the pieces or the performance style or a combination of both but there seems little musically to distinguish the compositions. They’re quite plodding and not a little dull. Best perhaps to choose the best of the lot and leave the rest as student studies.
Well, maybe it has to do with a bit of personal preference. The compositional style is within the context of the composer and era, I find the compositions very contrasting though. The only issue I have with them as a whole is that the form of the pieces, with the exception of the 2nd work, are all A-B-A form which gets tedious as a whole. Individually though, I really like them and the character of each one.
So impressed by these pieces. I’m a big fan of Hans Haug’s Alba. Another non guitarist writing great guitar music. Thanks for posting.
Yes, I think these are, on average, much higher quality than many classical guitar works in the main repertoire. The form is almost always A-B-A which is a bit much but otherwise it’s great to have this compositional style and harmonies for the guitar at a level that is not too too difficult. When I found them I couldn’t believe they are so underplayed.
Excellent performance!