Under the tutelage of his famous father Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach studied harpsichord and clavichord during his early years and eventually adopted the piano as his primary instrument. A prolific composer, producing over 200 works, C.P.E. Bach wrote symphonies, sonatas and other instrumental works in the Rococo and early Classical style of the 18th century. This style of writing is marked by lyric phrases and light ornamentation that put aside the polyphony and thorough bass of the late baroque composers. The ideas for interpreting and ornamenting the sonatinas in this collection are taken from "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" by C.P.E. Bach. They transpose quite well for solo guitar and are a refreshing alternative to compositions by guitarists of the classical era like Sor and Giuliani.

In this book, guitarist and music historian David Grimes presents 20 “small sonatas” or sonatinas, complete with detailed performance notes and bio sketches of each of the contributing composers: Leonhard von Call, Matteo Carcassi, Ferdinando Carulli, Mauro Giuliani, Francesco Molino, and Antonio Nava. While flexible, the early 19th-century sonatina form usually consists of 2 - 4 contrasting movements, here in guitar-friendly keys, making these pieces ideal for performance by intermediate-level students. In all but the most challenging passages, Grimes has intentionally kept fingering to a minimum to allow students to form their own concept of this critical skill. Then, as many bass notes in these pieces are played on open strings, the player must develop a sense of when to selectively damp dissonant tones or observe a rest— exposing and overcoming yet another shortcoming in the education of many guitarists. Most classic guitar teachers are familiar with the easy didactic studies by Carcassi, Carulli and Giuliani; Favorite Sonatinas offers more highly developed, but not yet virtuoso pieces by the same Italian triumvirate— plus three more composers in a similar vein— promoting confident, enjoyable sight-reading by guitarists of all levels.

The guitar lessons of Julio Sagreras are among the most universally used collections of guitar music and represent a milestone in didactic guitar literature. This book, which includes the first three volumes of the original six-volume series, is an ideal introduction to classical guitar playing as well as to LatinAmerican guitar music. Text written in English and Spanish with French and German translations in an appendix at the back of the book

A three-movement work. The greatest Barrios composition for solo guitar.

Sonatina is the grand-prize winner of the 2010 Boston GuitarFest Composition Competition. While the designation “sonatina” typically suggests simplicity or reduced scale, the musical and technical demands that pervade this fifteen-minute work suggest a far more ironic meaning. Written in three-movements in a conventional sonata form, it was conceived as a recital or competition tour-de-force for Serbian-American virtuoso Nemanja Ostojic.

Editions Durand

Originally compiled and edited by Louis Kí_hler, this edition contains some of the most popular keyboard sonatinas, rondos and other works (including symphonic transcriptions) of Beethoven, Clementi, Haydn, Kuhlau and Mozart, among others. In clarifying this edition, editor Allan Small has removed impractical fingerings and unnecessary accidentals found in other editions.