John Purser: Prelude and Toccata [download]

For solo Guitar. Commissioned by and dedicated to Philip Thorne, with financial assistance of the Scottish Arts Council. Written in 1984. First performance was on 24th May 1985, in Dartington College.

It is a sonorous piece, making use of an unusual scordatura - E, A, C#, G, B, E - and giving to the instrument a dramatic rather than intimate character.

!The Prelude develops a sustained melody through chordal and canonic passages to a powerful climax. The Toccata makes much use of repeated notes, but its energy and panache suddenly collapse leaving the player too tired to bother and on the edge of sleep.

John Purser was born in 1942, studied with Sir Michael Tippet and Dr. Hans Gal, and won a number of competitions and awards. His works include two operas, commissioned by STV and BBC respectively, a number of orchestral works and a wide variety of chamber music, a swell as music for the theatre and exhibitions. Recent works include a string quartet commissioned by the New Glasgow Chamber Music Society, and a choral work The Wren Boys commissioned by the BBC for St. Stephen?s Day. He is currently Manager of the Scottish Music Information Centre and broadcasts regularly on folk music and his own radio series A Change of Tune (Radio Scotland).

John Purser 1985