Jean-Pierre Grau - Opus musaicum

6 score for guitar, fot the first cycle by Jean-Pierre Grau

Spring blues

Valse grise

Atardecer

A Monsieur de Ste Colombe

Les trois parques

Le chant de la licorne

Classical guitar 

OPUS MUSAICUM for solo guitar
by Jean-Pierre Grau
Steve Marsh
Editions l'Empreinte Melodique. 12pp.
Having recently given a fairly glowing review of another set of 'student' pieces by this composer it is good to report that here is yet another interesting and useful collection of pieces to suit the grade 2-3 player. Whereas the previous album concentrated in the main upon the flamenco style, this one focuses upon a more contemporary mood.
The book is made up of
Spring Blues - a slightly dissonant bluesy piece written in swing style;
Valse Grise - a simple piece which develops dark undertones reminiscent of the film noir style;
Atardecer - a moody work with more forbidding sounds (if taken faster than the suggested tempo the piece takes on a completely different character - more flamenco in style and quite entertaining to play);
A Monsieur de Sainte Colombe is written entirely in arpeggio style and is another one with a slight sinister character;
Les Trois Parques is written in a moto perpetua fashion with the emphasis on 'campanella';
Le Chant de la Licorne - dedicated to Maurice Ravel and is a piece with a simple melody written over an insistent bass line.
An altogether fascinating set of pieces which could be useful to introduce the early-grade student to contemporary sounds without getting tao 'weird'.