For solo guitar

LISTEN

These studies were intended to provide students with music in a fairly contemporary language that wasn’t too demanding technically. I had always admired the studies of Hungarian composer Barna Kováts as filling these criteria, so my first study is dedicated to him. As often happens, the music came out more difficult than I’d intended, but I think it’s still within the capabilities of a reasonably advanced student. The pitch material is largely derived from the modes of Olivier Messiaen, while the rhythms tend to be additive and irregular. They were written in the spring of 1992.  – Michael Calvert

 Eight Studies was recorded in 2015 by Matthew Marshall on the album Rhapsody on a Riff (Ravello Records RR7907).