Wednesday, January 28, 2009

'Scraps From The Operas' by African American Composer Justin Holland Recorded in MP3 Format

[Scraps From The Operas Arranged For Two Guitars By Justin Holland © 2009 Donald Sauter (884502007442)]

Donald Sauter sends news of an MP3 recording of opera arrangements by Justin Holland (1819-1887), an African American composer, guitarist and teacher who is considered the first African American professional in Cleveland, and is profiled at AfriClassical.com
http://cdbaby.com/cd/jhguitarduo

"Justin Holland was born to free black parents in Norfolk County, Virginia on July 26, 1819," Barbara Clemenson writes in her article Justin Holland: Black Guitarist in the Western Reserve. Guitarist Douglas Back has made a recording which includes five works of the composer, American Pioneers of the Classic Guitar, Mento Music Press SMM 3023 (1994). It can be ordered at his website, http://www.DouglasBack.com Back writes that Justin Holland made his name known in his lifetime to amateur guitarists across the country: “Although Holland seldom performed in public, he developed a national reputation as a composer and arranger for the guitar. To the average amateur guitarist of the day, his numerous arrangements made his a household name. Of his approximately 350 published works for the guitar, which include two acclaimed methods, only about one-third are extant.”






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