Tuesday, March 7, 2023

A Little Music by Stephen Dodgson and Gilbert Biberian

I mentioned both these British composers the other day. They have both passed away, Biberian just this January, and they both happened to be at one of the big Toronto Guitar Festivals in the 70s and 80s--one in which I presented an early piece for solo guitar in a Stephen Dodgson workshop. Alas, that piece is long since lost!

These are both interesting composers. I particularly got a lot out of working on Dodgson's studies, written in collaboration with Hector Quine. Here is number one:


and number 5, a passacaglia:

He is better known for his Partita No. 1, recorded by John Williams:

Biberian is not nearly as well-represented on YouTube, but here is his Sonata No. 3:

These are just two of a host of British composers writing for guitar that include Benjamin Britten, Lennox Berkeley, William Walton and many others. The inspiration, or perhaps goad, for this came first from Julian Bream and later John Williams.

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