Ferdinando Carulli

Grand Recueil op. 114 Vol. 1

Opus 114 is certainly one of Carulli’s most important didactic works, so much so that the author himself made a point of writing in the second edition of his famous Method op. 27 (1819): “The student, when moving on to the second part, must continue to practise on the easy pieces which are to be found in opus nos. 50, 15, 35, 36, 93, 7 and above all in opus 114”. He maintained this indication also in later editions of the Method itself, unlike what he did with other collections of studies which were no longer recommended.

The purpose of op. 114, in particular of the preludes, is clearly explained by the author himself in the preface of op. 265: “I have already offered preludes in my opus nos. 71 and 114 to people, but they serve to study and learn to play all sorts of difficult passages, to practise modulating, and learn to improvise on the guitar”. Carulli seems to want to provide his students with a large “handbook” of formulas typical of his musical writing and he does so by making use of the keys which, in his opinion, are most congenial to the guitar. In his Method he points out: “Each instrument has its favourite keys: the guitar can be played in all keys, but the best ones are: A major and minor, D major and minor, E major and minor, C, G, F. The others are difficult; […]”. However, some of the “difficult” ones are included but only in the fourth part. Of course, the easiness of a key essentially depends on the possibility of extensive use of the open strings, especially in the low notes, ensuring the accompaniment on the main degrees.

This edition has some unique features. First of all, it is the first complete modern edition of Carulli’s op. 114; it presents an important critical apparatus in which the Carullian technique is presented and analysed; finally, Carulli's original fingering is indicated in the score (including that of the thumb of the left hand) and the missing one was obtained from the comparison of his other fingerings present in other works. All this allows an easy and complete reading both for those who perform the pieces following the nineteenth-century performance practice with a historical instrument, and for those who play a modern instrument.