Alan Rinehart and Clive Titmuss will perform rare and unusual duo music on guitars built by Titmuss, a West Kelowna-based luthier and early music musician. Titmuss builds instruments modelled on historic originals — in this case from the 16th and late 18th centuries.
The concert will take place April 18 starting at 7 p.m. The venue is St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Nelson and admission by donation at the door.
The vihuela (early guitar) music of the 1500s was regal, intricate and highly decorated. Many of the underlying melodies are taken from folk music, which ensures its timeless appeal.
The later, 18th century replica guitars are also highly decorated, but with flower patterns around the sound hole, inlaid with ebony and ivory laboriously recycled by Titmuss from wrecked piano keyboards.
Alan Rinehart is a guitarist familiar to Nelson audiences. Recently, he has taken up residence in Kelowna, after great success bringing the Northwest Guitar Festival to Nelson in 2009. He commissioned Clive Titmuss to make copies of both the early guitar and the bigger 18th century instrument.
Fortunately, the luthier, aware of the possibilities for unique music-making, made two of each. It seemed inevitable that the two musicians, long-time friends, should team up and provide the music lovers of the Interior with the fruits of their collaboration.
Some of the music will include:
• Music of the Age of Exploration (1500s);
• Settings of the bass dance La Spagna;
• Pieces by Antonio Cabezon: Variations on “Guard My Cows”, “A Galliard from Milano”, “The Cowboy”;
• Vihuela solos by Luis Milan;
• The First Step Towards Me duo by Fernando Sor (1800s);
• Solos by Scarlatti and Aguado;
• Fandango by Luigi Boccherini (late 1700s).
