In the seventeenth century, like today, the guitar was often used for chord strumming ("battuto" in Italian) in songs and popular dance genres, such as the ciaccona or sarabanda. In the golden age of the baroque guitar, Italy gave rise to a unique solo repertoire, in which chord strumming and lute-like plucked ("pizzicato") styles were mixed. Italian Guitar Music of the Seventeenth Century: Battuto and Pizzicato explores this little-known repertoire, providing a historical background and examining particular performance issues. The book is accompanied by audio examples on a companion website.
Lex Eisenhardt is one of Europe's foremost experts on early guitar. He teaches both classical guitar and historical plucked instruments at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He has produced a number of highly acclaimed CD recordings, and has given concerts and masterclasses in Europe, the United States, and Australia.
Industry Reviews
The book is very much to be recommended for its clear English, its varied structure, and the author's comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. . . . Those who want to learn about and experience an epoch of guitar-playing that hasn't previously been highlighted are very well served by Eisenhart's book. It has the EGTA editors' full recommendation for purchase. * EUROPEAN GUITAR TEACHERS' JOURNAL *
Lex Eisenhardt literally wrote the book on Baroque guitar, in Italian Guitar Music of the Seventeenth Century: Battuto and Pizzicato. Eisenhardt's own considerable discography comprises not only Corbetta and other Baroque guitarists, but also later guitarists like Sor and Giuliani, as well as the sixteenth-century vihuela school. Yet the best source of Eisenhardt's interpretations of Corbetta . . . are openly available for streaming on his website . . . http://www.lexeisenhardt.com/audio. . . .We owe him a debt of thanks for this superb gift. -- Ellwood Colahan * SOUNDBOARD SCHOLAR *
Eisenhardt discusses many topics of interest to the player as well to the scholar. . . [H]ighly recommended for anyone seriously interested in the Baroque guitar, the period or the music written for the instrument. * SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE *
An important study for all performers concerned with the relevance of the five-course guitar as a solo instrument and its role in one of the largest printed repertories of secular song in the 17th century. The biggest virtue of Eisenhardt's book is its careful, thorough analysis of the complexities encountered when performing solo music for the five-course guitar [or guitar-accompanied song]. This book will prove especially useful, then, for the modern performer interested in the five-course guitar, upon whom ultimately falls the task of answering the many remaining riddles that arise from the instrument's widely acknowledged imperfections. * EARLY MUSIC *
[E]ngaging, well written, and well researched. It is a much-needed contribution to the current discussion of baroque guitar history [...], stringing, and performance. Eisenhardt's summary of past and current thought on performance related issues, combined with his references to translated original source material, allows even novices to understand and engage with the issues presented. * LUTE SOCIETY OF AMERICA *
Presents the issue of tuning in a practice-based approach, written by one of the foremost performers on the instrument. A fascinating . . . exploration of the repertoire of the Baroque guitar in Italy, how it was exported to France and how also in Spain there was a revival of instrumental music inspired by folklore in which the guitar played an important role. To make the author's arguments more clear, we can listen to many musical examples on-line. * NOSTALGIA *
In every sense a worthy successor to [Tyler's] The Early Guitar. Mr. Eisenhardt has long been known as a skillful and sensitive performer on a wide variety of historical guitars and with the present work he has shown himself to be equally impressive as a scholar and writer. Well worth the attention of anyone with an interest in the music of the 17th century. * EARLY MUSIC REVIEW *
