1.) Prelude and Allegro ……………………….. Santiago de Murcia 
2.) Sonata in A Major, L. 483 ……………… D. Scarlatti 
3.) Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Gavotte, and Rondo
…………………………………………………… J. S. Bach 
4.) Lute Suite No. 3 …………………………….. J. S. Bach
5.) Four Preludes …………………………………. M. Ponce 
6.) Barcarole and Danza Pomposa ……. A. Tansman 

Program Notes
Santiago de Murcia was a Spanish guitarist and composer of the Baroque Period. These two pieces were written in tablature for the Spanish Baroque guitar, and capture the regal spirit of the composer. 

Domenico Scarlatti wrote nearly 600 sonatas for the harpsichord. Many of them have a Spanish tinge because he lived in Madrid for many years. It is thus natural that some of them should prove suitable for the guitar. 

This famous transcription of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is performed in C Major, which enables the guitarist to include the entire melodic bass line as well as bring out the full sonority of the guitar. The guitar seems well suited for adaptations of the music of both the violin and cello, its pitch lying between the ranges of the other two instruments.  Gavotte en Rondeau have become standards in guitar music.

Bach composed four suites for solo lute, however  the Third Lute Suite was composed originally for cello and transcribed, by the composer, for the lute. The suite consists of six Baroque dance movements, and represents the profound side of Bach. 

Manuel Ponce was a pioneer of Mexican music who fused local folklore with European musical tradition. These preludes, from a group of six, illustrate Ponce’s great gift for capturing the essence of a musical idea within a few phrases. 

Polish composer Alexander Tansman dedicated all of his guitar music for the great Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia. The serene Barcarole contrasts with the rhythmic and vital Danza Pomposa.