Bach for Christmas - 6 Guitar Quartets by Johann Sebastian Bach Guitar Ensemble - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1318180

These arrangements are for performance and are very precise. Transcribing for the guitar from other instruments is always fraught with peril through the frequent requirement to change octave from the original. If it is not done carefully the main melody or most important line can be obscured by other parts. To get the best results I have often made use of the highest octave on the guitar taking the part in question above the 12th fret. This is not so much of a problem for the player if there are no accompanying bass lines or chordal voices in the same part but it is challenging and will need practice. Guitar quartets are enormous fun, especially as there is so little ensemble music for guitar. Some of these are easy to play, some a little harder but all are rewarding for both performers and audiences. The technical level of each guitar part is not challenging for In Dulci Jubilo BWV 368 and Joy To The World so on a good day you could get something worth listening to in an hour. In Dulci Jubilo BWV 608, Air On A G String BWV 1068, Sheep May Safely Graze BWV 208 and Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring BWV 147 are a little more demanding. They are also intended to support my books The Art Of Accompaniment On The Guitar available from Amazon, which will help you to play them if you are unsure of some of the techniques involved. Joy To The World isn't Bach but then it isn't exactly Handel either. I've included it in this publication because it's really good fun to play. They are also not all entirely 'Christmas' but are so often associated with those festivities that the title seems justified. These are the scores so do not contain any technical guidance, if you buy the parts, which are sold separately there is instruction on how to approach the more demanding moments. They can also be bought individually with parts.