Frank Martin's Quatre Pièces Brèves

This book traces the history and chronology of Frank Martin's classical guitar masterpiece, Quatre Pièces Brèves, provides an introduction to Martin's compositional style, and examines elements of the work in regard to their significance for the performer. This book also addresses the discrepancies between the various sources of Quatre Pièces Brèves, defines the role of Martin's collaborators, and justifies the new critical edition which is based upon the author's conclusions. Frank Martin's 1933 piano score; Guitare-Quatre Pièces Brèves, published by Universal Edition in 1976, number UE 15041, is used as the primary interpretive model for the new critical edition because the author believes it preserves the composer's original intentions regarding this work. The result is a new more authentic interpretation of one of the twentieth century's most important classical guitar works.