Josesh Breznikar / Sterling Sounds Music

Out of Print - Not for Sale

The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed a significant number of contemporary composers who have graced the guitar with a wealth of literature. Along with this new repertoire grew new technical demands that arose and needed to be addressed. The Twelve American Etudes are meant to enlighten the development of instrumental facility while invoking the spirit of some of the guitar's influences from other eras and idioms.

While some of the etudes are centered around a primary technique, most encompass several and various skills. Each of the etudes has been assigned a subtitle with the intention of implying an individual poetic existence beyond their respective technical accomplishments.

The sketching for these etudes began in 1987 and continued into 1988, the year in which the actual compositions were completed. A majority of the etudes were performed for the first time for the Festival Ljubljana, Yugoslavia in August of 1989. The premier performance of the entire set of twelve was given by the composer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 1990.

The Twelve American Etudes are dedicated to the book of Daniel. 

The whisper of God's voice carries more potential for projection than what we can do alone.

Playlist...

Etude 1: Electric Energy (3:16)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 2: On A Swing (3:18)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 3: Free Form Fugue (4:45)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 4: Restless Activity (3:21)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 5: Meditative Connections (3:12)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 6: Latin Affects (3:58)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 7: Blue Improvisations (3:45)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 8: Reflective Repetitions (3:54)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 9: Piano Accordance (2:34)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 10: Reminiscent Overtones (3:25)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 11: Shimmering Streams (3:01)
Joseph Breznikar

Etude 12: Jaz-ical-blu-roc (3:00)
Joseph Breznikar