teresting.
Yes. This is in- First, a
very quick back- ground. Mandolin and guitar orchestras were enormously popular in Germany, Austria and Italy during the latter 40 years of the 19th cen- tury through about 1930. They have ex- isted, and very seri- ously so, since then, but not to the point of the 19th centu- ry. The major source of literature for man- dolin & guitar or- chestras in the world is Joachim Trekel, Der
Volksmusik Verlag, Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg has just an off- the-wall good orchestra. Guitar Ensembles/orchestras were an offspring of mandolin &
guitar orchestras and the growing popularity of the guitar in the 1960s, although a number of German composers had begun to create a repertoire as far back as the late 1940’s. REALLY good composers. These composers created a rep that from the classical period forward, didn’t exist. The rep expanded from duets to trios to quartets.
While the specialized instruments of the guitar orchestra (oc-
tave, alto and 6-string bass guitars) have existed forever, no one ever thought about putting them together in an orchestral format before German Hebert Balzer did in the mid 1960’s. Blazer was a brilliant, gentle giant. His understanding of guitar pedagogy is unmatched by anyone in my career. His hands were bigger than Segovia’s (hav- ing shaken both) and, had he so wished, with a handshake, he could have ended any hopes that you would ever have to continue thinking about being a musician. Herbert Balzer was my mentor. From the day that I entered
the Hamburg Conservatory in November 1969, he took me under his wing. Why? To this day, not a clue. I couldn’t speak German, but he used to ramble on and on to me in German. When I finally did understand what he was saying, how should I put this: the KSC Classical Guitar Orchestra. I certainly had to take many more steps forward, especially with writing, but I owe the success of my passion to Herbert Balzer. So do my students.
What direction or positive thought about the future of gui- tar ensemble do you have that you would like to share?
Wow. Another dissertation. Where to begin. Elementary, mid- dle school, HS, collegiate? In a nut shell—which is hard for me—is that it is actually happening. Every level. The primary problem is the amount of training that most music ed grads get in guitar. The even worse problem is the education that most music ed guitar majors
TEMPO 48 MARCH 2017
don’t get. These skills aren’t something that just happens from a one semester course. Across the board, it is still very discouraging to view the number of guitar programs nationally that do little to provide their majors with the necessary skills as educators to advance the concept.
Anything else you want to add to benefit the article? This has been a most interesting retrospect for me given that
the last few decades of my life have been about music for flute and guitar. A few things need to be recognized. Not because he was my student, but Mike Lemma needs to be commended for his contri- butions not only to guitar music ed that he has championed on a state level, but to the whole music education program that he has so successfully led at his school.
For those of you who don’t know Mike, let me offer this up as it
says everything about him. When he was checking out colleges for his BM, he called me at Keene State. I had just 2 hours of free time before my next class. 2 ½ hours later, I FINALLY got off the phone with him—and had recruited a major whom I’ll always be proud to say that yes, he was my student.
Thomas Amoriello is currently teaching guitar at Reading Fleming
Intermediate School and Hunterdon Academy of Arts in Flemington, NJ. He is a graduate of Rowan University and Shenandoah Conserva- tory and serves as the Eastern Division Representative on the NAfME Council for Guitar Education. He is the author of the children’s picture book, A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo published by Black Rose Writing and available from
www.barnessandnoble.com
&
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