Enjoy this wonderful collection of acoustic Holiday music that is never loud or fast but always soft and soothing!The Story Of The CD…by producer Darren Curtis SkansonIt has again been a very busy fall at CCM both in the recording studio and at the label. We have been working on this new Christmas CD and we finally finished it. It is called Acoustitherapy
“The Holidays: A Guitar Collection”. We would have had it ready for Thanksgiving weekend if it had not been for mister obsessive-compulsive here not being able to let it go until everything was juuuuuuuuuuuust right! Sorry about that.
I have so many wonderful musical friends, especially in the guitar department. So we decided to pool our talents and create a holiday CD that not only featured the guitar but also stayed with the Acoustitherapy theme of “Always Soft and Soothing”. So looking for songs in that vein, I had always wanted to do Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” or you might know it as “Chestnuts Roasting By An Open Fire”. So myself and Tom Capek my producer and Wayne Templeman, one of my cellists, did that one. Then I also worked up a great medley with my guitar duet partner Gregg Hansen. We took “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and put them into a six minute epic version that not only plays both songs but also combines them over the top of one another. Whew! That took us 3 months just to get that arrangement! Continue Reading
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Nov 28th, 2007 by skanson.com
Choros by Villa-Lobos was the first in a series of “Choruses” written for a wide variety of instruments. Choros was origianlly written for solo classical guitar, the violin and cello parts were additions by Darren Curtis Skanson, his producer 
Tom Capek, and cellist Wayne Templeman. Villa-Lobos was the most famous and most prolific of all Brazillian composers and is also one of Darren Curtis Skanson’s personal favorites. As heard in Choros, Villa-Lobos‘ complexity of rhythms and harmonic colors are always so delightful. Please Google him to check out all his compositions!
The Choros #1 was written in 1920 and is the first of fourteen. This is a stylized version of the original genre of Choro, which sets in its forefront the amusing character that defines the style, using fermatas and unexpected accelerandos.
Harmonically, the
Choros #1 follows strictly the popular pattern
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Nov 27th, 2007 by skanson.com
Brazilian Samba Caliente - “Lively, fun and passionate, this
Brazilian Samba guitar composition will make you get up and dance.
Brazilian Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil and is widely viewed as Brazil’s national musical style.
Brazilian Samba developed as a distinctive kind of music at the beginning of the 20th century in Rio de Janeiro (then the
capital of Brazil) under the strong influence of immigrant black people from the Brazilian state of Bahia. When
Brazilian Samba first originated, it was thought to be scandalously provocative because of its sexual nature. This “Hot”
Brazilian Samba was inspired by Darren Curtis Skanson’s good friend and wonderful guitarist Russell Donnellon.”
Brazilian Samba History - The roots of samba dance and music come from Africa. The samba festival or carnaval comes from Brazil’s mother country Portugual where carnaval was in the form of an “entrudo”
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Nov 25th, 2007 by skanson.com
Malagueña has been performed by everyone from Roy Clark to flamenco master Carlos Montoya and is a classic guitar selection. A folkoric type of song in its origins, the Malagueñas became one of the traditional styles of the flamenco style in the 19th century. In true translation, A Malagueña is actually a woman living in the Spanish port city of Málaga, on the southern coast of Spain, in the province of Andalucia, but the Malagueña evolved into a dance form of Flamenco music more than a specific piece. However, people have come to recognize certain elements of Malagueña as a specific piece of music.
For the guitar solo of Malagueña, Continue Reading
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Nov 16th, 2007 by skanson.com
Ave Maria sheet music with guitar tablature (TAB) for classical guitar solo, classical guitar with violin, classical guitar with cello, and classical guitar trio. The sheet musics that are featured here are arrangements of both the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and the Shubert Ave Maria. You may be familiar with Ave Maria because it is a wedding music favorite right along side
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Nov 11th, 2007 by Timeless Tuneworks
Song History - The Holy City is a traditional Christmas Carol by Stephen Adams. The chorus and the verse of The Holy City are remarkably different, as the tempo decrease remarkably for the Chorus. As, with so many tunes, the Chorus is better known than the verse, The Holy City is often thought of being called “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” as these are the opening words of the hymn’s Continue Reading
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Nov 7th, 2007 by skanson.com
Fur Elise by Beethoven for Classical Guitar - “Beethoven is the greatest of all Classical composers. Surprisingly, Fur Elise lies pretty well on the classical guitar. Some of the faster passages in Fur Elise had to be altered because of range considerations, but all in all, I think maestro Beethoven would approve! The classical guitar arrangement of Fur Elise has the famous melodies but also the two development sections which are equally as spectacular and fun as the main melody sections.” - Darren Curtis Skanson
History - Fur Elise was written in about 1810. Beethoven scholars and critics are not entirely certain who “Elise” was, but he most reasonable theory is that Beethoven originally titled his work Continue Reading
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Nov 7th, 2007 by skanson.com
About this arrangement of Angels We Have Heard On High - For the recorded version by Darren Curtis Skanson, string orchestra with classical guitar makes this arrangemant of Angels We Have Heard On High truly unique. However, 
the guitar arrangement was designed to stand by itself. Darren always has a knack for maintaining motion and interest in his solo guitar arrangements. Angels We Have Heard On High is an example of just that!
“To open the CD A Light Classical Christmas, I was looking for a selection that I could really
get cooking! So I took the traditional hymn Angels We Have Heard On High and swung it. For you non-musicians, that means I made it bounce more by turning it from the traditional 4 beat feel to one that feels more like 12 beats with triplets (a galluping group of 3 notes) on every downbeat. If you count along with Continue Reading
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Nov 6th, 2007 by skanson.com
This arrangement of Away In A Manger is for classical or fingerstyle guitar. The download has regular guitar sheet music in standard notation as well as guitar tablature (tab).
“One of the sweetest of the traditional carols, away in a manger is actually sung to 2 different melodies. This classical guitar version of Away In A Manger features both. I used those 2 melodies for Away in a manger in separate parts of the song and added Brahms Lullaby as an introduction and unifying element. The most familiar Away In A Manger melody constitutes Continue Reading
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Nov 5th, 2007 by skanson.com
“This arrangement of We Three Kings is for classical guitar and starts with the guitar outlining a beatiful minor nine chord. The effect is returned for the cool and mysterious ending. This soft triplet feel creates images of We Three Kings and their journey.
If you are in a quiet place when you listen to the recording of this song, check out the icy shimmer of the violins and cello at the beginning and at the end of We Three Kings. I love those
parts. They are done by a tremolo technique on the violin and cello where the bow is moved rapidly back and forth over the strings and played with a light “flautondo” or floating touch. We also have the very string parts from the record available Continue Reading
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Nov 2nd, 2007 by skanson.com
Darren Curtis Skanson’s arrangement of O Holy Night. Sheet music in standard notation with guitar tablature (TAB) for classical guitar.
Song History - “O Holy Night” (”Cantique de Noël“) is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem “Minuit, chrétiens” by Placide 
Cappeau (1808-1877). Cappeau was a resident of Roquemaure, located a few miles north of the historic city of Avignon. He was a commissionaire of wines, and an occasional writer of poetry. It is said that Cappeau was about to embark upon a business trip to Paris when the local parish priest asked Cappeau to write a Christmas poem. On December 3, 1847, about halfway to Paris, Cappeau received the inspiration for the poem, “Minuit, chrétiens” which later became O Holy Night.
In the carol O Holy Night, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. “Minuit, chrétiens” was translated into English and became O Holy Night by Unitarian minister John Sullivan
Dwight, editor of Dwight’s Journal of Music in 1855 (note the abolitionist reference in the third Continue Reading
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Nov 1st, 2007 by skanson.com
Mary’s Lullaby with classical guitar and cellos is a slow contemplative work that is very peaceful and reverent. It is also my only original composition on the CD “A Light Classical Christmas”. Mary’s Lullaby has 2 distinct sections. The first section I imagine Mary singing softly to the Child about now much she loves him as she gently rocks the cradle to and fro. The second section I imagine her closing he eyes and singing about what He must do when he grows up. Tears of joy and sorrow streak down her cheeks as she rocks the baby slowly in her arms. Did Mary really sing a song like Mary’s Lullaby to the Christ Child? Well, Continue Reading
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Oct 31st, 2007 by skanson.com
Song history of Away In A Manger - First published in an 1885 Lutheran Sunday School, “Away in a Manger” has two major melodies for the song, neither of them with certain authorship. The first two verses of “Away in a Manger” were originally published in a Lutheran Sunday school book in 1885. Two years later, James R. Murray published Away in a Manger as “Luther’s Cradle Hymn” thus creating the misconception that Martin Luther himself had written it. Although some attribute the words to Luther, Away in a Manger is usually considered American anonymous. Some credit the music to Murray; others think he merely harmonized an old German folk song.
This arrangement of Away In A Manger - “One of the sweetest of the traditional carols, away in a manger is actually sung to 2 different Continue Reading
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Oct 30th, 2007 by skanson.com
Song History - We Three Kings of Orient Are is a Christmas carol (technically an Epiphany carol) written in 1857 by
Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who wrote both the words and the music for We Three Kings of Orient Are as part of a Christmas. We Three Kings of Orient Are first appeared in his Carols, Hymns and Song in 1863.
According to tradition dating back to medieval times, the 3 kings names were Balthasar, Gaspar (or Casper), and Melchior. They are often depicted as representing the three races although the song title We Three Kings of Orient Are suggests they are only from the orient. However, this was a common reference to anything east of the Holy land at the time the lyrics were written. So the Bible says they came from the East, but from where is not known. Arabia, Babylon, and Persia are popular choices. According to one tradition, Balthasar was king of Continue Reading
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Oct 28th, 2007 by skanson.com
Song History - “O Holy Night” (”Cantique de Noël“) is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem “Minuit, chrétiens” by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877). Cappeau was a resident of Roquemaure, located a few miles north of the historic city of Avignon. He was a commissionaire of wines, and an occasional writer of poetry. It is said that Cappeau was about to embark upon a business trip to Paris when the local parish priest asked Cappeau to write a Christmas poem. On December 3, 1847, about halfway to Paris, Cappeau received the inspiration for the poem, “Minuit, chrétiens” which later became O Holy Night.
In the carol O Holy Night, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. “Minuit, chrétiens” was translated into English and became O Holy Night by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight’s Journal of Music in 1855 (note the abolitionist reference in the third Continue Reading
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Oct 27th, 2007 by skanson.com
Joy to the World Song History - ”Joy to the World” is one of the best-known and best-loved of Christmas carols. Joy to the World contains a message of joy and love replacing sin and sorrow. Though the triumphant words “Joy to the World” exemplify the Christmas feeling, this familiar text is actually a translation based on five verses from Psalm 98 in the Old Testament. The hymn is significant for its widespread use throughout 
Christian denominations and for the musical stature of the people who created it.The scripture-based
words for Joy to the World are by Isaac Watts. If this carol brings you a true sense of joy, it may be because the music is drawn from George Frideric Handel’s inspiring Continue Reading
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Oct 25th, 2007 by skanson.com
Song History - Carol of the Bells (also known as the “Ukrainian Bell Carol”) was adapted from “Shchedryk” by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych, which was first performed in December 1916 by students at Kiev University. Carol of the Bells was a part of
the Ukrainian National Chorus reportoire during its 1,000-plus concert tour around Europe and the Americas and was introduced to American audiences on October 5, 1921 at Carnegie Hall. Although “Carol of the Bells” has become a popular tune during the holidays, the original lyrics Continue Reading
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Oct 23rd, 2007 by skanson.com
Angels We Have Heard On High - Song History
Angels We Have Heard On High is a Christmas carol based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos Campagnes. Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick and is most commonly sung to the hymn tune “Gloria”, as arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. Angels We Have Heard On High’s most memorable feature is its chorus: Gloria in Excelsis Deo! (Latin for “Glory to God in the highest”) where the sung vowel sound “o” of “Gloria” is fluidly sustained through a lengthy rising and falling melismatic Continue Reading
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Oct 22nd, 2007 by skanson.com
We Wish You A Merry Christmas Song History - In the days of Olde England (16th century ), groups of traveling singers would entertain for food or pay. These groups were called “waits” and were extremely popular at Christmastime. 
We Wish You A Merry Christmas is one of those tunes that was sung by the “waits” who would afterwards demand a nice drink and some fig pudding! We Wish You A Merry Christmas had its origins as a popular secular carol from West Country of England. It is one of the few traditional holiday carols that Continue Reading
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Oct 19th, 2007 by skanson.com
Song History “What Child is This?“ - The tune of “Greensleeves“, which is the underlying melody for What Child is This , is a product of the sixteenth century. Greensleeves is an example of folk music in the truest sense of the phrase. Webster defines folk music as the “traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of the people in a
community.” It is an excellent “quick and dirty” Continue Reading
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Oct 18th, 2007 by skanson.com
For Silent Night, Darren Curtis Skanson mixes Christmas music with classical guitar and New Age synthesizers for an incredibly unique rendition of the timeless classic.
This digital song download of Silent Night on classical guitar is in standard tuning with Synthesizer Choir, Strings, Bells, and Percussion
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“Check out the choir that accompanies Silent Night. Although it is Continue Reading
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Oct 17th, 2007 by skanson.com
The First Noel is a traditional English carol from the 16th or 17th century. The First Noel is also known as Carol For The Epiphany. This combination of tune and lyrics first appeared in the early 1800s. The melody os The First Noel is unusual among English folk melodies in that it consists of essentially the same musical phrase repeated three times, and ending on the third of the scale. The French word Noël meaning “Christmas” comes from the Latin word natalis (”birth”).
“This version of The First Noel was done on solo classical guitar with guitar tuning of a drop “D”. Sometimes an arrangement is about capturing the sweetness of a melody as opposed to Continue Reading
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Oct 12th, 2007 by skanson.com
O Little Town Of Bethlehem Song History - Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest, was inspired upon a visit to the town of 
Bethlehem in 1865 where he attended a 5 hour church service at the Church of the Nativity. On Christmas Eve, while returning to Jerusalem from Bethleham, he stopped in an open field to watch the dusk envelop the town. Three years later he was moved to Continue Reading
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Oct 11th, 2007 by skanson.com
Song History - Joy To The World is one of the best-known and best-loved of Christmas carols and is now universally 
sung as one of the most joyous songs of Christmas. Joy To The World contains a message of joy and love replacing sin and sorrow. The history of the popular “Joy To The World” is truly unusual. Its lyrics
originated in the Old Testament as published in Isaac Watt’s 1719 translation of the Psalms of David. When American composer Lowell Mason set these words to music in 1839, he added a notation alluding to George Frideric Handel as Continue Reading
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Oct 10th, 2007 by skanson.com
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Song History - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was first published in England in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys. The author is unknown. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen first played in the United States in its best-known modern form, from an early 19th century London broadside, followed by a more popular Victorian melody, from Sandys’ collection.
We Three Kings Song History - We Three Kings (Of Orient are) is a Christmas carol (technically an Epiphany carol) written in 1857 by Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who wrote both the words and the music as part of a Christmas pageant for the General Theological Seminary in New York City. We Three Kings first appeared in his Carols, Hymns and Song in 1863. Aside from being a writer and editor, Hopkins was also a stained glass artist and book illustrator. Actually, the original story for We Three Kings does not mention 3 kings - just magi or kings bearing three gifts. The 3 for the song We Three Kings comes from common folk interpretations.
“Notice the strange tuning if my 6 string acoustic guitar for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: E B E G B E . That tuning is an E minor chord. It allows me to capture that Continue Reading
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Oct 8th, 2007 by skanson.com
Away In A Manger is one of the sweetest of the traditional Christmas carols. I used my Steel 12 String Acoustic Guitar
with Drop “D” tuning and a standard tuned “E-Bowed” Electric Guitar for this recording of Away In A Manger to make my electric guitar sound like a flute!
An E-Bow is a hand-held electronic bow for guitar. The small battery-powered unit replaces the pick in the right hand letting the guitarist mimic strings, horns, and woodwinds with unbelievable sensitivity. The EBow produces a powerful infinite sustain, rich in harmonics for incredible guitar sounds. Placing the device over metal strings makes them Continue Reading
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Oct 7th, 2007 by skanson.com
Robert Persig wrote a book called “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” that was very important in my artistic 
development. My song Chasing The Ultimate, Lateral to me means striving for perfection thru inspiration and simulation and never, ever giving up on the chase. This is a philosiphy that I took directly from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is Robert Pirsig’s ”Chautauqua,” or traveling tale that takes the reader on a profound tour of ancient Greek philosophy as well as the marshes of western Minnesota, the plains of the Dakotas, the steppes of Montana. The fundamental concern in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is Continue Reading
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Oct 7th, 2007 by skanson.com
“Classical Gas is one of those selections you hear once and never forget. We had such a great time rearranging and recording this classical guitar piece. Classical Gas is also a song that inspired me to play classical guitar. Mason, you should have done a few more like this!” - Darren Curtis Skanson
Classical Gas 2000 (1968 Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)) This “Classical Gas” still uses the classical guitar as its central instrument but has a chamber orchestra to fill out the sound. Even without the percusion, Darren’s nimble classical guitar licks and driving style will have your foot tapping. The original classical guitar recording of Classical Gas by Mason Williams was released Continue Reading
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Oct 5th, 2007 by skanson.com
“The Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig von Beethoven (Sonata No.14 in C#-, Op.27 No.2) is and will be one of my favorite compositions of all time. This classical guitar arrangement is also o ne of my most loved pieces to perform. Although Ludwig von Beethoven is known for his more bombastic style, as in the 5th Symphony, I have always been Continue Reading
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Oct 3rd, 2007 by skanson.com
A Light Classical Christmas & Angels, Guitars & Joy ”Christmas music always on classical guitar brings a warmness and peace to my heart. In general, Christmas songs have holiday themes directly taken from Christmas or have themes
addressing the holiday and the winter season. Currently my recorded works of classical guitar focus on the group of Christmas music known as Christmas Carols.They are traditional and mostly religious in context and the choice songs reflects my memories of my youth in a small town in northern Minnesota.
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These two recordings have different flavors. Continue Reading
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Oct 3rd, 2007 by skanson.com
Autumn uses acoustic 12 string guitar with violin lead by Ryan Avery of Chances End and cello accompaniment. Autumn was recorded August 2004, but was originally recorded for Catharsis Infinity (Watson&Company - 2003). on Autumn, Darren uses a 1973 Martin D Series 12 string guitar in standard tuning.
Autumn is my favorite pure song on this record and Ryan Avery of Chances End doing the violin solo was a great addition. “Autumn” was originally intended as a vocal song. Both hope and melancholy permeate this epic. A passage from the chorus of Autumn that sticks with me is: Continue Reading
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Sep 30th, 2007 by Acoustitherapy.com
The Acoustitherapy Relaxation music compact disc is acoustic instrumental music that is always soft and soothing. The Relaxation CD has beautiful combinations of harp, guitar, flute, cello, violin, and piano as well as native and world instruments that are never loud or fast. Acoustitherapy Relaxation is music to calm your mind. For busy people, Relaxation is an hour of peace. It produces frequency patterns that are natural states of the mind when in a relaxed state. It induces soothing Continue Reading
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Sep 30th, 2007 by skanson.com
Tommy Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz fusion and bebop guitarist. “The Most 
Recorded Guitarist in History” was a title conferred upon Tommy Tedesco, and it’s doubtful anyone else could lay claim to it. Tedesco’s astonishing portfolio and reputation were a result of his versatile sight-reading abilities and talent for interpreting – and delivering – whatever a producer or composer wanted, whether it was a TV or movie theme, soundtrack, or pop, rock, jazz, country; in short, Continue Reading
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Sep 28th, 2007 by Acoustitherapy.com
Acoustitherapy is new age relaxation and meditation music and the use of sound, music and musical interventions in order to restore, maintain, and improve emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual health. The Acoustitherapy CD’s (new age relaxation and meditation music ) and website was developed to bring you new age relaxation and meditation music and music related products, information, and forums in a collected and easy to use medium.
About Acoustitherapy. In 1996, we set out to deliver the best collection of new age relaxation and meditation music and sound related products called Acoustitherapy to help people via this untapped life tool. We believed that music and sound is Continue Reading
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Sep 27th, 2007 by skanson.com
Acoustic jazz. Acoustic nylon classical guitar with violin lead, cello, and cello pizzicato solo highlights this acoustic jazz composition by Darren Curtis Skanson. Darren has delved into acoustic jazz on several of his recordings. His acoustic jazz always features his acoustic guitar work whether it be classical or steel string guitar with strings like violin or cello. Other wonderful examples of his acoustic jazz are available via these links: Continue Reading
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Sep 25th, 2007 by skanson.com
Right hand guitar tapping technique was popularized in the late 70’s by Edward Van Halen when he literally turned the guitar playing world upside down with his miraculous fretwork. It may be considered an extended technique, in that guitar tapping technique is executed by using the fingers of one hand to ‘tap’ the strings against the fingerboard, thus sounding legato notes; often in tightly synchronised conjunction with the other hand. Hence, guitar tapping technique usually incorporates pull-offs or hammer-ons as well, whereby the fingers of the left hand play a sequence of notes in synchronisation with the tapping hand.
Guitar tapping techniques are only good if you can do them; nothing sounds worse then reaching for a flashy technique and not being able to pull it off. As with everything else you learn on guitar, if you master a technique on Continue Reading
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Sep 20th, 2007 by skanson.com
Ave Maria History - Ave Maria is a Hail Mary from the Latin Ave Maria (Salutatio Angelica), a traditional Catholic and Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This setting was Written by Franz Shubert in 1825 for his “Songs from Sir Walter Scott”. Contained in this cycle is the beloved Ellens dritter Gesang, D.839, today more popularly though mistakenly referred to as “Schubert’s Ave Maria“. This duet version for solo violin and classical guitar also has a unique componet. Skanson has composed a new section that alludes to the other famouse Ave Maria by Gounod/Bach. It quotes certain melodies and builds to a wonderful climax before returning to the origianl Schubert setting. Simply wonderful.
“Schubert’s Ave Maria Violin and Guitar Duet - If there is any song that exemplifies what Continue Reading
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Sep 14th, 2007 by skanson.com
Schubert’s Ave Maria Cello and Guitar Duet - If there is any song that exemplifies what is “Light Classical” it might be Schubert’s Ave Maria. Franz Schubert wrote this Ave Maria setting of the Catholic Mass component. Because the melody of Ave Maria is so long and flowing, I decided to make this arrangement for cello and guitar with the cello taking that soaring Ave Maria melody.
Ave Maria History - Ave Maria is a Hail Mary from the Latin Ave Maria (Salutatio Angelica), a traditional Catholic and Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This setting was Written by Franz Shubert in 1825 for his “Songs from Sir Walter Scott”. Contained in this cycle is the beloved Ellens dritter Gesang, D.839, today more popularly though mistakenly referred to as “Schubert’s Ave Maria“. This duet version for solo cello and classical guitar also has Continue Reading
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Sep 11th, 2007 by skanson.com
Jesu, Joy Sheet Music, TAB, and MP3 for Guitar.
Believe it or not, the great classical composers did a fair amount of stealing of melodies from other composers. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach is an example of that very phenomenon. Bach wrote the very familiar triplet figure melody we know as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. However, he ” borrowed” the choral part from a famous choral of the day. Today, Bach world have to be paying royalties on that! Though in the modern day Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is often employed in weddings, this is
Continue Reading
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Sep 10th, 2007 by skanson.com
Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod - This lush instrumental arrangement of Ave Maria for classical guitar with classical guitar, violin, and cello captures the reverence and beauty of this timeless piece. Written in 1852, Ave Maria by Gounod and Bach is a wedding music favorite right along side Continue Reading
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Sep 5th, 2007 by skanson.com
Gesu (Jesu) Bambino is a beautiful setting of a traditional Italian carol. The tranquil strains of the gentle lullaby Gesu (Jesu) Bambino feature Classical Guitar with drop “D” tuning, strings, and bells. Even though not as well known here in America, Gesu (Jesu) Bambino is one of the 
most beautiful carols ever written.
Pietro A. Yon - Italian organist and composer of Gesu (Jesu) Bambino. He studied at the Conservatories of Milan and Turin. In 1904 he entered the Academy of Saint Cecilia in Rome to study organ with Renzi, piano with Sgambati and composition with de Sanctis. For two years he served as deputy organist at the Vatican and the royal church in Rome. From 1907 he was organist and choirmaster of the church of St. Francis Xavier in New York. He won a wide reputation as Continue Reading
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Sep 3rd, 2007 by skanson.com
“The Menuet In G is from The Notebook for Anna Magdalena. This sweet little classical guitar arrangement of the menuet displays Bach’s gentle side. The Menuet In G has always had questions about its actual author. Even though
Johann Sebastian Bach is credited with the composition, many think his wife Anna Magdalena was the actual composer. Check out the accompaniment to the classical guitar as violinist Debra Fuller and cellist Kevin Johnson playing flautando technique on their instruments. Flautando means Continue Reading
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Sep 3rd, 2007 by skanson.com
“This Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy classical guitar with strings arrangement is from the Nutcracker Ballet. Of all the selections I have recorded, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was one of the most technically challenging to bring to the guitar. It was originally written for glockenspiel. The glockenspiel is an instrument similar to a xylophone but instead of wooden bars, it has metal ones. It gives sort of a delicate bell sound when struck. The challenge was to retain the feel of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy glockenspiel when played on the guitar. ” - Darren Curtis Skanson
History of the Nutcracker and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Continue Reading
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Aug 29th, 2007 by skanson.com
Tchaikovsky’s Arabian Dance from The Nutcracker has a lush string orchestra supporting this classical guitar arrangement. In the Nutcracker Story, the Nutcracker, who turns into a prince leads, Clara into the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The people of the Land of Sweets dance for Clara and the Prince in the dances of Dew Drop Fairy, Spanish, Chinese, Arabian Dance (where this song is from), Russian, Mother Ginger, Polichinelle, Marzipan, Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Waltz of the Flowers. Clara wakes up under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker toy in her arms.
Piotr Tchaikovsky (born Kamsko-Votkinsk, 7 May 1840; died St. Petersburg, 6 November 1893). Tchaikovsky started piano studies at five and soon showed remarkable gifts; his childhood was also affected by an abnormal sensitivity. At ten Piotr Continue Reading
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Aug 28th, 2007 by skanson.com
Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is a movement from the cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” written by Johann Sebastian Bach during his time in Leipzig, Germany. Though in the modern day Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring is often employed in weddings, this is in no way related to the scope of the piece, nor was it intended to be a wedding piece upon
composition. The lilting serenity of Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring became familiar from Myra Hess’s 1920s transcription for piano, when Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring gained its English title.
The music you are hearing is Continue Reading
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Aug 27th, 2007 by skanson.com
Classical Guitar, Cello, and Violin March Tristan Chase - This classical guitar with cello and violin march is a fun and bouncy piece that reflects the childhood innocence we all recognize and love. Originally recorded for violin and classical guitar on the Watson & Company CD Catharsis Infinity, this version adds the cello to the classical guitar and violin and actually has the violin parts in tune unlike the original recording.
“I started my classical career by pure chance. I met a wild English violinist named Malcolm Watson, joined his duo for guitar and violin, and began touring the country. Tristan Chase is named for Malcolm’s son Tristan who, at 3, used to come and play “make believe violin” with us at our performances. Watson and I had a chemistry that inspired me to write many great tunes, including Continue Reading
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