All sources are Wikipedia.
Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. One of his best known works is his Grand Overture, which has become standard early Romantic classical guitar repertoire.
As a guitar composer he was very fond of the theme and variations— an extremely popular form in Vienna. He had a remarkable ability to weave a melody into a passage with musical effect while remaining true to the idiom of the instrument.
- One example of this ability is to be found in his Variations on a theme of Handel, Opus 107. This popular theme, known as “The Harmonious Blacksmith”, appears in the Aria from Handel’s Suite no. 5 in E for harpsichord.
- Another example is Sei variazioni sull’aria “A Schisserl und a Reindl”, Opus 38, which is a set of variations on an Austrian folk song.
- His three-movement sonata Opus 15 is a clever, witty work and one of the most developed examples of the genre for guitar.
Giuliani’s achievements as a composer were numerous. Giuliani’s 150 compositions for guitar with opus number constitute the nucleus of the nineteenth-century guitar repertory. He composed extremely challenging pieces for solo guitar as well as works for Orchestra and Guitar-Violin and Guitar-Flute duos.
Significant pieces by Giuliani include his three guitar concertos (Opus 30, 36 and 70); a series of six fantasias for guitar solo, Opus. 119–124, based on airs from Rossini operas and entitled the “Rossiniane”; several sonatas for violin and guitar and flute and guitar; a quintet, Opus 65, for strings and guitar; some collections for voice and guitar, and a Grand Overture written in the Italian style. He also transcribed many symphonic works, both for solo guitar and guitar duo. One such transcription arranges the overture to The Barber of Seville by Rossini, for two guitars. There are further numerous didactic works, among which is a method for guitar that is used by modern teachers.
Today, Giuliani’s concertos and solo pieces are widely performed by professionals,
Selection of Pieces for Inclusion in this Book
I played many pieces by Mauro Giuliani as a student of the classical guitar and still perform them today. So, I searched my music books, anthologies, collections and recordings to identify the best pieces used for teaching, yet are still enjoyable as miniatures on their own. Of course, most technical studies were eliminated but there were many pieces to include and I arranged some of these for ukulele.
These are the results. Enjoy!