Minuet and Trio

Classical Guitar Excellence By Diabelli

"The minuet and trio eventually became
the standard third movement in the
four-movement classical symphony..."

When writing this piece I wonder just how much Diabelli was influenced by the master musicians of his day of whom he mixed with on a personal, social and musical level.

Indeed, the greats such as Beethoven, Hayden, Schubert, Czerny, Strauss and Giuliani could be considered friends. It is inevitable then that some of their "magic" must rub off.

Even such an easy piece as this displays Diabelli's musical class and sophistication and his intimate knowledge of the guitar. This piece could be viewed as very "guitaristic", meaning that although played in higher positions at times, it really sits well on the instrument and sounds good.

By way of example I mean the effect of the legato sound you can produce say when in the 2nd bar you play the thirds on the second and third strings at the 7th fret. It really produces a "warm", pleasing tone and even feels good underneath the fingers.

This little piece has got an array of mini lessons contained within it. For instance, there's the afore-mentioned thirds but there's also the dotted rhythms, the 16th note runs, the half barre's, the slurs, triplets, grace notes, higher fret position playing, the quick key shifts and modulations to the sub-dominant key. Boy, this little piece has got it all, jam-packed full of musical treats and delights.

And what about the subtle rubato played for instance in the 3rd and 4th bars. It's not marked but you can definitely hear it and play it! This sort of writing is "within" the man himself and a result of all he learned and absorbed. You can really tell he was a guitar player himself.

Here's a video of the Minuet and Trio...

Antique Guitars I

Art Print
Gibb, William
9.5 in. x 13 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

You can download a copy of the Minuet and Trio here...

To download your free Minuet and Trio just right click and "Save Target As" for windows or click on the link and print the PDF file in the new window. There is both normal notation and tablature for those that want/need it.

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