200 Year old guitar - Paganini's Romanza on a J.G. Stauffer (1830)

Here is the third video in collaboration with The Guitar Collection in Austin, Texas. Thanks so much to Evan for being such a wonderful host and for making these recordings possible! https://www.guitarcollection.com/prod... Strings are Aquila Nylgut. In this performance, I'm incredibly grateful to be playing on a 1830 Johann Georg Stauffer "Legnani Model." It may well be the world's first signature guitar. I first tried this instrument during an earlier visit with Evan, and I remembered it having that unmistakable Romantic guitar sound on a level I'd never experienced before. It simply makes music from this period sound "right," at least to my ears. I had a similar experience playing a late-period Lacôte. It's a real privilege to record with one of these instruments, and I find it fascinating to hear and feel this music in a way that is much closer to how it would have been experienced nearly 200 years ago. Playing these early guitars also gives you a real appreciation for the innovations that have taken place over the last two centuries. One of the first things you notice is just how small the neck is, particularly the narrow string spacing. I have to admit it makes playing considerably more challenging, which is one reason you don't often see me tackling highly virtuosic repertoire on these instruments. The friction tuning pegs were also a new experience for me. They work surprisingly well, but achieving precise tuning is a much slower and more delicate process than with modern machine heads. The music in this video is the Romanza from Niccolò Paganini's Grand Sonata for guitar and violin. Paganini was closely associated with the great guitarist Luigi Legnani, and although it is often said that the two performed together, there is no definitive historical evidence confirming that they ever did. There is, however, a concert poster advertising a performance by both musicians, though whether that concert actually took place remains uncertain. I've always enjoyed one story about this sonata, though I can't say whether it's true. Supposedly, one of Paganini's guitar partners complained that the guitar parts in his chamber music were far too simple compared with the dazzling violin writing. In response, Paganini composed the Grand Sonata with an exceptionally demanding guitar part and a surprisingly modest violin accompaniment. Then, when it came time to perform the work... Paganini played the guitar! I've also included a few performance notes based on Julian Bream's edition of this piece—just a couple of small observations that I found interesting. Please enjoy!