Guitar Talk V. Ted Scooter has no choice

Not long after the 66th Tokyo International Guitar Competition in 2023 ended, the artistic sweat shed by the musicians on the stage contrasted romantically with the cold weather.
The designated song for the second round of the competition is "El sueño de la razón" (The Sleep of Reason, the Devil in the Heart) composed by Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 – 1968). produce monstruos). The song is selected from a collection of etchings by Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746 – 1828) called Los Fantasia. caprichos, 1797 – 1798) was inspired by the 24 Caprichos de Goya para la guitarra (op. 195); “When reason sleeps, the devil arises” is one of the most famous and quite beautiful. No. 18, the music format is a Chaaconse dance.

Of course, this whole set of music is not only unique in "Reason Slumbers, Demons Are Born", but every "sound painting" is a re-creation of Tedesco's tribute to Goya's outstanding art, but instead of using a paintbrush, he uses musical notes.

In addition to "Reason Slumbers, the Demons of the Mind Arise", another passacaya that is like a sibling to the Chaconne, No. 12 "No hubo remedio" (No hubo remedio), is also a classic.

In addition to showing the same beautiful harmonic progression and brilliant variations and counterpoint techniques, Tedesco used the famous Gregorian hymn "Dies irae" (Dies irae) from the European Middle Ages in the bass part of Passacaya. Name: Day of Wrath/Doomsday), echoing the title:

"Is it true that on the day when the end comes, everyone will be judged, and the wicked will have no choice but to be heard together even if they die?"

Mentioning "The Day of Wrath": "The Day of Wrath" and La Folía (La Folía) and "Caprice no. 24" by Niccolò Paganini (1782 – 1840). 24 in A minor) and other songs, which can be regarded as popular songs by classical music composers for centuries. It seems that if they are not used as material, they will not keep up with the trend and become outdated. Composers who used the tune of "The Day of Wrath" as creative material include Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869), Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886), Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) ), and Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) are too numerous to list; even famous film scorers include the Italian composer Ennio Morricone who passed away a few years ago. Morricone, 1928 – 2020) and American composer John Towner Williams (b. 1932), who composed the soundtracks for popular films such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park, also like to use the melody of "The Day of Wrath". When watching a movie, looking for "The Day of Wrath" in the soundtrack is really like looking for Easter eggs.
It is worth noting that John Williams was one of Tedesco's most famous students, and it is wonderful to think that both master and disciple were fascinated by the same material.

As for another John Williams, our immortal guitar prince John Williams (John Christopher Williams, b. 1941), when he performed with the SKY band, he also released their version of "The Day of Wrath of God". This is another What a beautiful coincidence.

"Day of God's Wrath" will continue to appear in our unexpected music in the future!

Liu Mingrui, classical guitarist, composer, educator

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