Reviews of the three volumes of guitar duos collected in series "Pupil and Teacher" arranged by Tatiana Stachak and edited by EUTERPE were published in the British periodical "Classical Guitar Magazine" (2012, June). Below we quote the original text of reviews.


Pupil and Teacher vol. 1

Beautifully presented with attractive colourful illustrations, this volume is aimed at the younger pupil. Notation is fairly large and very easy to read. Each of its 14 duets is an arrangement of a well-known melody, presented across two pages with the full duet score on the left page and a single line melody, for the student, on the opposite page.

The pieces progress from early stage melodic playing in first position, with straightforward crotchet rhythms (Waltz by Schubert, Song by Lully and Humming Song by Schumann), to more complex demands including shifts, dotted notes and semiquaver triplets in Adagio Cantabile from Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique.

The teacher's accompaniments are well thought out – occasionally the student's part is doubled but more frequently the teacher's part gives support to the melody with arpeggiated chord figurations.

A theme from Liszt's Nocturne III is attractively arranged with the melody singing above arpeggios; Barcarolle by Offenbach is quite thickly textured with homophonic chords; Haydn's Serenade has semiquaver arpeggios throughout. More jocular in style, and demanding in its accompaniment, Papagenos Bells from Mozart's Magic Flute is fun to play, with the teacher having to play sensitively so as not to overpower the melody here as the notes in the accompaniment rise higher with far more complexity. Fingering appears overly profuse in the student's part – I would have preferred no fingering in the simpler pieces.

This accessible and attractive material is useful on a variety of levels – for the development of duet playing, counting, understanding, phrasing and as an introduction to these great composers.


Pupil and Teacher vol. 2

The second volume in this series of duets for younger players and their teachers contains twelve items which are slightly more complex in style and character than those in volume one developing melodic playing and balance. Well-known themes from wide range of great composers – including Schumann, Bach, Weber, Martini, Händel, Grieg and Mozart – are arranged across two pages, the full duet score on the left and the student's melodic line printed in larger notation on the right.

Schumann's Of foreign Lands and People, in G major, falls under the fingers appropriately for the student with the teacher's accompaniment in arpeggios. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is taken on the fourth and fifth strings – the chordal accompaniment here must be played very sensitively to allow the student's line to sing through. Czajkowski's Old French Song requires closed position playing and is profusely fingered. Staccato and accents are marked in Martini's Gavotte, Plaisir d'Amour is useful for the development of controlled crescendos and diminuendos through a long phrase; Grieg's Album Leaf requires clear articulation and extends the note range with a shift on string 1 up to the seventh fret. Saint-Saëns' The Swan is attractively arranged in G major, also moving up the first string, requiring good legato playing and sustain.

Ties, dotted rhythms, semiquavers and points of articulation are all in evidence – the single lines are ideal for the introduction of these musical aspects without encumbering the student with technical left hand complications at the same time.

A useful resource for the capable younger player.



Pupil and Teacher vol. 3

The third volume in this progressive series of pupil and teacher duets is produced along the same lines as the first two with clear notation: the pupil's melodic line on the right side of each double page and the teacher's accompaniment with the pupil's part above, on the left. Each piece has an attractive coloured pen and wash illustration.

Twelve arrangements of well-known themes cover a wide range of musical issues to stretch the student's understanding of phrasing and articulation. Purcell's Aria is arranged in D minor, mostly in second position and avoiding use of open strings; Tchaikovsky's New Doll is in B flat major, requiring good awareness of accidentals. Wish from Chopin's op. 74 no 1 is in seventh position requiring careful shaping throughout in its variety of rhythmic patterns. Händel's Gavotte requires a contrasting bold approach and again avoids the use of open strings. Bach's Musette from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena is useful as both melody and accompaniment can be given to students of a similar early level. Rests, slurs and staccato are all required by student in Andante from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – an excellent study in fifth position . The Merry Peasant (Schumann) and The Elephant (Saint-Saëns) are also popular additions requiring a higher level of proficiency in the accompaniment. Satie's Gymnopedie no 1 and Grieg's Waltz op. 12 no. 2 are also attractively arranged.

A very useful volume – I have used it for developing students' melodic playing, for understanding how to play in different positions around the fingerboard and for sight-reading (although the excessive amount of fingering limits its value for this). Much of the material within the three volumes works effectively for recorder, flute or violin and guitar also.


Linda Kelsall-Barnett