Timeline of Tragedy Through Song ...

Click on this above image to listen to chamber music version and view video.

This composition is taken from my much larger work titled September Eleventh which I composed in 2001. The arrangement by Philip Rothman for Violin, Guitar and Cello, is the last in a series of at least three iterations of this work. The other versions are September Eleventh, for solo Guitar, which is the complete composition. The next version is Ground Zero which is recorded for solo guitar on the Dos Almas label.

This work is meant to honor the memory of those who died, and their families who still suffer. I have musically painted a sad but hopeful aura of of the feelings elicited from this tragic event.

There are not enough words to thank my team of artistic professionals who collaborated with me for this recording, performance and video: Philip Rothman, arranger. Richard Altenbach, producer, violinist, & mastering, Grass Valley, CA Susan Lamb Cook, cello, Sacramento, CA Playland Recording Studios, Larry Uzelac, Auburn, CA Zen Ritual Creative Video Studios, Petrina Olson, Las Vegas, NV.

REMEMBER.....

(solo guitar version) :

In Love With BACH!

This recording differs greatly in feeling and effect from the recording presented to you in my previous Blog Post, “TIMELINE OF TRAGEDY THROUGH SONG” which displays "REFLECTIONS 911" in the agony of a sad minor key to memorialize September Eleventh.

With this Bach composition we transition into a completely different mood and a welcome change of subject and expression. The recording of this prelude is from my CD titled Guitarra Clasica II.

Bach composed this prelude in G major for the cello. Most of us guitarists play this work in the key of D major, and I am pleased to play my arrangement here for you of this bright optimistic Bach.

One of the great pleasures of playing the guitar is being able to make Bach's music, which was originally composed for solo lute, cello, or violin come to life! No, there are no Bach works specifically written for guitar, but the polyphonic capabilities of our six strings allow us to realize the art of Bach’s magnificent compositions when we play them with the beautiful rich voice of our sonorous, and intimate instrument.

After hearing a guitar version of the famous Bach Chaconne in d-minor from the Solo Violin Suite, an accomplished violinist friend of mine commented about how much better Bach sounds on the guitar than on bowed strings!

Have you had any experiences like this? We hope you enjoy this lovely composition!

(CLICK ON BACH'S IMAGE BELOW, or HERE

to access and hear this prelude and Lou's Bach SoundCloud Playlist...)

Johann Sebastian Bach circa age 30

Prelude from the Cello Suite in G-Major BWV 1007, arranged by Louis Valentine Johnson, ASCAP, for guitar in D Major.

GUITAR ILLOUMINATIONS