Ferdinando Carulli, a native of Naples, moved to Paris in the early 19th century to establish himself as a musician.
Instruments
The guitars used in this recording are a Gaetano II Guadagnini from 1830 played by Claudio Maccari and a Carlo Guadagnini from 1812 played by Paolo Pugliese.
Historical Context
Carulli's career in Paris coincided with the rise of the bourgeoisie, which replaced the aristocracy as the dominant social class in music consumption.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Carulli aimed to legitimize the guitar as a virtuoso instrument by transcribing works for other instruments and expanding its original literature.
Critical Reception
Despite his importance, Carulli was long considered a 'didactic composer with a prissy, mannered trait,' an image that recent musicological work has begun to change.
Compositional Technique
Carulli's transcriptions often involve changing tonality, tempo, rewriting passages, and combining movements from different original compositions to suit the guitar.
