Ivo Antognini : Canticum Novum : Bergmann Edition

Ivo Antognini : Arranged for guitar by Stefano Moccetti and Ivo Antognini

Bergmann Edition: 9 pages

Originally, this work was for choir, but now here has been freely arranged for guitar solo, freely in the sense that much of the guitar version has new sections and really doesn’t sound anything like the original ( which you can find on YouTube in a couple of performances)

The first thing you notice is the wide varied use of many time signatures including 5/4, 9/8, 4/2, 10/8, and 3/2, and that is only the first page! Also it is very full of chords throughout and, as a result of the time signatures changes, extremely complex in its rhythms. The harmony language is modern but not atonal, but at the marked speed of 200 crotchets a minute, it really is quite a handful. There is also a Lento section in the middle, that is, as a result, easier to get your fingers around, but it never gets changed right to the end, which I am almost certain means that the original speed hasn’t been marked on the sheet music.

So as a summary, this piece is very tricky to get your fingers around, extremely fast and complex, and definitely not for the faint hearted players amongst you!

Chris Dumigan