NAPOLÉON COSTE Barcarolle

This month we're floating along the canals of Venice with this chirpy French take on a gondolier's song, prepared for us by resident classical guru, Declan Zapala.

- Declan Zapala

19th-century Europe saw some of the most important and influential exponents of the Western classical guitar tradition living and working alongside each other as peers, mostly in and around Spain and Italy. At the time Paris had also become a hotbed for the classical guitar tradition in the years approaching the infamous Impressionism movement, with luminaries such as Matteo Carcassi, Dionisio Aguado, and Ferdinando Carulli all residing in the capital during this period. Born in 1806, Napoléon Coste (named after Napoléon Bonaparte by his father) hailed from the east of France where he spent his early career earning a living preforming and teaching. He was originally taught the instrument by his mother but then later moved to Paris aged 24, where he studied with the great Spanish guitarist and composer Fernando Sor [see GT346]. Coste ingratiated himself with his peers and quickly went on to be hailed as the leading French virtuoso guitarist of that generation. He left a lasting impression on his teacher, such that the final piece Sor ever wrote was dedicated to his pupil.

During his life Napoléon Coste is known to have written well over 60 works for the classical guitar, mostly self-published, and with many of his works containing several separate pieces within; for instance, the Barcarolle presented in this month’s issue is taken from his Opus 51 Récréation du Guitariste (‘The Guitarist’s Break’) which is a suite of 14 short pieces of increasing difficulty for the casual player.