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To: Find Out About My First Compact Disk, Spanish Sonatas.
To: Order the CD.

This document contains a great deal of information which I have collected while learning about sonatas, spain, guitars, and the process of making a CD. Thrésè Wassily Saba wrote up some interesting notes about the composers and on the history of the sonata which are in the liner notes with the CD. The material may only be of interests to musicologists and historians but there is a lot of it here, and it was collected from all over. For example, even the church, where I played the music which you hear on the CD, has a history going back to the 12th century. I was provided with an excellent picture of the church by an US Air Force Captain who had the CD and wanted to see where it was made. José Luis Romanillos Vega, who built the guitar I played, is a guy with a lot of history and fame. Enjoy.

Imagine - the silence of a 600 year old church in old England, a guitar from the Royal Academy of Music named 'La Leñateo' built by one of the world's most gifted of craftsmen, three of the century's best Spanish composers, four hauntingly beautiful sonata's composed for guitar, an exciting new talent playing the classical guitar and a recording engineer who captures digital reality before it can become virtual! Spanish Sonatas was recorded in the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Weston, Herfordshire north of London off the old Great North Road. For three nights in October 1992 John Taylor recorded and I played after midnight and before dawn when the silence of the old church worked its magic on the Spanish Sonatas of Rodrigo, Turina and José. This lovely music is a must for anyone who cherishes the classical sound of Spanish guitar. The effect of the digital recording, with no mixing, and no processing, is an ambiance that puts the listener in the Chancel of Weston Church with the timeless beauty of these sonatas. On a good sound system this recording is stunning. You ARE there!

Many thanks to all of the people who helped with the production of the CD.

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