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2003: The Year in Review March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
March 2003
Valentine's Day Concert a Success!
William Wilson, with the Peter Pupping Quartet, and special guests
entertained a sold out crowd on St. Valentines day. William started
the concert with a solo from his recent release La Catedral and
the Quartet brought the house down with some great Latin sounds.
The audience got involved during our now traditional "Percussion
Discussion" where everybody was making some noise and shaking
in their seats. The concert was filmed for TV and will be showing
in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Just for Fun...
A little contest for every one.... Be the first to E-mail us
back the answer to this question and we will send you La Catedral
signed by William Wilson.
What year did William Wilson start playing guitar?
(Hint visit www.williamwilson.com for the answer). Good Luck!
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April 2003
Review in North County Times
William Wilson's La Catedral recieved an "A+" rating
in a review by the North County times. "Wilson's performance
is superior throughout. His touch is sure, ranging from subtle
to dominating as required." Unfortunately the review also
stated that "Clasiical guitarist William Wilson, a longtime
member of North County's Peter Pupping Quartet, has left that
group an now performs solo." Spread the word, William is
still a member of the Quartet!
Just for Fun...
With the lack of muscial education taking place in our schools
often people wonder how they can tell if a guitarist is any good.
The following list might help. Please email us if you have any
further suggestions!
1. Guitar playing should look effortless. If the guitarist is
craning his head in an akward position and grunting loudly as
he goes, he might have some practicing to do. Pepe Romero once
said, "It is very easy to play the guitar well, and very
difficult to play it badly."
2. The guitar should have a pleasing tone. If it sounds like
fingernails on a chalkboard, that is bad.
3. There should be some type of contrast. Monotony is a sure
sign of an untrained musician. Does the guitarist get loud and
soft, sweet and stormy, dancelike and meditative? These are a
good sign.
4. The performer should tell the guitar what to do and not vice-versa
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May 2003
Tales From the Gig...
(The dates, names, and times have been changed to protect the
innocent)
It is a weird wacky world out there! And in the music business
we see it all the time. Most of the events I play are great, but
every once in a while...
1) You are told to turn down, turn down, it's too loud, and yet
you can't even hear yourself.
2) My cousin's, friend's, dog's, brother's uncle plays guitar.
Technically he is tone deaf, but can he sit-in?
3) Weddings are such a beautiful, happy occasion. Every once
in a while a bride comes along that is, shall we say, a little
too detail oriented. "Hey did that guitar player tie his
tie in a half-Windsor, full Windsor I said, FULL!!!!"
4) Requests: Could you play a Souza march and stroll around backwards
blindfolded?
5) Last but not least: Yes the stage is right in there but would
you mind parking at the bottom of the hill and the going through
the back into the kitchen, then up three flights of stairs, across
the lawn, through the window in the guest bathroom, and be careful
not to disturb anyone.
What's New?
Dinner Shows, Jazz Fests, New Downloads...Keep checking in!
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A Classical Guitarist’s Manifesto, or
Is Classical Music Dead?
Music is only popular when it connects with an audience, and
classical music has not made that connection. Think of one of
your favorite songs. What is it about it that you like? Is it
certain words, a mood it creates, or a groove or rhythm it contains?
Classical music isn’t as popular as it once was because people
don’t connect with it. My job as a classical guitarist is
to help people make that connection. The old idea of sitting on
a pedestal and not talking with the audience is dead. I must be
a guide that says, “Come in and see, look at all that you
are missing. Isn’t it beautiful?”
In today’s age of communications, classical musicians have
to work harder than ever. We are in a visual age where kids ask,
“Have you seen xyz’s video?” not “Have you
heard xyz’s song?” Audiences that are initially put
off by a lack of visual appeal can be reached by making the music
itself more relevant.
Classical music has as much to offer this generation as it did
the previous: Great songs of love lost, of terrific victories,
humble hymns to God. It deals with issues we confront everyday,
and taps into emotions we have all felt. This is music of today;
we just don’t know it yet.
This is my job as a classical guitarist. Let people see the great
beauty that exists in it and they will understand.
Just for Fun...
Be the first to email me with an explanation of why you like
the music you do and I'll send you a free CD.
Have Fun.
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July 2003
La Catedral has gone to its second printing!
La Catedral (The Cathedral) is the story of the Latin soul, a
soul of vibrant fire and deep peace. Most of the pieces on the
La Catedral CD contain this stunning combination of passion and
peace. Prelude No. 1 by Villa-Lobos with its brooding opening
line later transforms into a joyful fanfare. Retrato Brasileiro
starts with a melancholy theme recalling love lost, and then moves
into hope filled theme were love is regained. Prelude No. 2 starts
out in a happy dance like tune and moves into a section Peter
Pupping calls "the Hurricane." It is this combination
of happiness, tranquility, melancholy and passion that make the
music so appealing and ultimately so human.
La Catedral takes its title from a composition written by Agustín
Barrios Mangore in 1914. It is based on an experience he had in
Uruguay. While passing by the cathedral he heard the music of
Bach being played on the church organ. It poured out into the
street. As he walked away from the cathedral and into the crowded
streets of San Jose, he noted the striking contrast of the serene
sacred music and the hustle and bustle that now surrounded him.
Out of this contrast La Catedral was born, with moments of pure
lucidity building to a climactic flurry of motion.
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August 2003
Reviving an old idea
Before there were concert series, operas, and big stage productions,
there were house concerts. These "salon" concerts were
intimate in-home gatherings celebrating the best in art available.
For what they lacked in grandeur, they made up for in intimacy.
I had the privilege of participating in one such "salon"
concert this past weekend. About thirty-some people gathered for
a concert with two vocalists, a piano player, and a guitarist.
We performed solos, duos, trios, and one quartet piece. What a
terrific opportunity to share! It is not too often a guitarist
can play unamplified these days. And to have an audience paying
attention to every nuance is both thrilling and intimidating regardless
of its size. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.
This might be the perfect idea for some of you music lovers.
Unhappy with the state of music in your area? Start small and
great things can happen.
- William Wilson
Just for Fun
Can you name the one-act opera William composed for the San Diego
State Opera Theatre? First one to reply wins a free CD for themselves
or a friend.
Good Luck.
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September 2003
New Photos!
New to the site this last month are a few photos from recent
performances. Check out the Events section of the site, and see
why William has the blues.
The Big News isn't so Big....
Little Tomas Anthony Wilson "Tad" is excpected to arrive
around December. This little bundle of joy is already beating
away complicated rythms inside his mother's womb. He also inspired
his Dad, William, to compose a little song called the "Jo-Jo
Dance." Inspired by little Tad's dancing, as seen on numerous
ultra-sounds, this new piece can be heard performed by the Peter
Pupping Quartet at upcoming performances. As to the name...well
it was written before we knew Tad was going to be Tomas and not
Tomasina.
Best,
WilliamWilson.com
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October 2003
New Recording
A new free MP3 download is available to all newsletter subscribers.
William Wilson performs Mudarra's Fantasia on lute. The piece
was written to imitate the style of a newly developed chromatic
harp (a chromatic harp is one that can play all the notes, one
that isn't chromatic would only be able to play certain notes,
like a piano with no black keys). It was written in the 16th century
but has a strikingly modern sound. In other words, those are not
wrong notes; he meant to do that :)
Check it out:
download
Composer Profile
Starting this month, there will be a composer profile taken from
the composer's featured on William Wilson's La Catedral. We begin
with Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Heitor Villa-Lobos (pronounced villa lobosh, with an L sound in
the villa and not a Y) was a colorful Brazilian composer who consumed
life with much joy. And when there wasn't enough joy in his life,
he would make some up. He was fond of fabricating tall tales that
couldn't possibly be true. He lied about his birth date so much
that historians still disagree about it. He traveled extensively
in his native country collecting folk music and telling his tales
of mystery and adventure. A lively man who smoked cigars, listened
incessantly to the radio and wore loud clothing, his music was
personal, intimate and imbued with the colors of his life experience.
His music had two main influences: Bach and Brazil. He used to
say, "My music is natural, like a water fall." Listen
to his Prelude No. 3 (Track 13) on William Wilson's La Catedral
and judge for yourself.
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November 2003
Composer Profile: Baden Powell
Brazil is one of the most exciting and mysterious countries in
the world. Its mountains, valleys, rivers, and deep jungles, and
its Portuguese, African and Amazon histories mingle to produce
a rich culture like no other. Baden Powell was one of Brazil's
most prolific and expressive composers and guitarists. Named after
the founder of the Boy Scouts, Powell was a child prodigy. He
grew up around Brazilian music and made his own contributions
to popular culture as a player in the bossa nova movements of
the 1960s. His pieces Valsa Sem Nome and Retrato Brasiliero
are featured on William Wilson's La Catedral. Listen to
Retrato Brasiliero (Brazilian Portrait) -Track 11 and experience
Baden Powell's musical picture of the landscape and people of
Brazil. He paints a beautiful picture.
Just for Fun...
What do you call two guitarists playing in unison?
Counterpoint.
What's the best thing to play on a guitar?
Solitaire.
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December 2003
Composer Profile: Agustin Barrios Mangore
Barrios was a brilliant man with a huge appetite for South American
culture. His music rose from a deep well of native folklore, religious
experience and traditional Romantic and Baroque influences. Many
consider him to be the finest composer for guitar of the 20th
century. John Williams put it this way: "His music is better
formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything!"
Barrios grew up on the polkas, waltzes and sambas of Paraguay.
He received classical training and was devoutly religious. A prolific
composer, La Catedral, the title song of William Wilson's
solo debut, is one of 300 works that Barrios composed for guitar.
An imitation of Bach counterpoint, this piece was the result of
a religious experience. The story goes like this: One day, while
walking the crowded streets of San Jose Uruguay, Barrios passed
a cathedral and heard Bach being played on the church organ. The
contrast between the serene music and bustle of the city struck
him. It was like a light of peace in a turbulent world. He recreated
this impression in La Catedral. Listen to tracks 3 though
5 on La Catedral and see for yourself.
Christmas Time Fun
Since Barrios was trying to create a piece dedicated to a "light
of peace in a turbulent world" we thought it would make a
great theme for Christmas. So we offering the following limited
edition Christmas La Catedral. Please limit 5 per customer.
Makes a great stocking stuffer! Enjoy...
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