Variations on an American Folk Song (Colorado Trail) Op. 28 for Guitar is currently unavailable

About this arrangement

Guitar SKU: UT.CH-359 Composed by John W. Duarte. Edited by Richard Alexander Vaughan. Saddle stitching. Classical. Score. Ut Orpheus #CH 359. Published by Ut Orpheus (UT.CH-359). ISBN 9790215327238. 9 x 12 inches.I am very grateful to Andrea Schiavina and Ut Orpheus Edizioni for their interest in my father's unpublished works. I hope that these new pieces will pique the interest of guitarists the world over and contribute to an overview of the work of one of the guitar's most prolific composers.My thanks go to Brian Roberts, of Wayne State University, who has offered to oversee the technical and musical aspects concerned with presenting this music and to all the individual editors who have generously given of their time. Any mistakes in the transmission of their ideas are entirely mine.The genesis of this piece is rather amusing. In 1958 the tune "Colorado Trail" was the subject of a composition competition in Guitar Review magazine. The tune had been selected by the poet and writer Carl Sandburg from his The American Songbag and the first prize was $200. Vladimir Bobri, the editor of Guitar Review, had urged my father to enter, but, after sketching the beginning of a couple of variations, he became extremely reluctant (not particularly liking the tune) and laid low, hoping he would be forgotten. In the end, he received a telegram from Bobri telling him that they were holding open the competition deadline and his entry was expected. The music was completed in three days and posted off. His entry won the first prize, 6/7 votes, with Segovia heading the judging committee.(Christopher Duarte).