30 Orchestral Themes for Classical Guitar offers thirty beloved themes from symphonies, operas, ballets, and orchestral suites spanning the late 18th to early 20th centuries. Featuring composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev, the arrangements have been carefully adapted to exploit the expressive range of the classical guitar. The intent is not to mimic a full orchestra, but to reimagine these themes in a new context that highlights the instrument’s own voice.
These arrangements vary from short thematic excerpts to full orchestral movements, offering a fresh take on familiar works while introducing many pieces newly transcribed for guitar. Spread over 76 pages, the volume is notated in standard notation and enriched with left-hand fingering suggestions, as well as original tempo and dynamic markings to enhance performance realism.
Target audience: Intermediate to advanced classical guitarists seeking new material for sight-reading practice or recital repertoire.
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1. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827)
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2. Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral Symphony” (Excerpt from the First Movement)
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3. Symphony No. 7 (Excerpt from the Second Movement)
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4. BRAHMS, Johannes (1833-1897)
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5. Symphony No. 1 (Excerpt from the Fourth Movement)
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6. Symphony No. 3 (Excerpt from the Third Movement)
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7. BIZET, Georges (1838-1876)
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8. Habanera (Excerpt from the Opera “Carmen”)
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9. DVORÁK, Antonin (1841-1904)
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10. Slavonic Dance No.8
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11. Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” (Excerpt from the Second Movement)
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12. Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” (Excerpt from the Third Movement))
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13. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
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14. Symphony No. 40 (Excerpt from the First Movement)
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15. MENDELSSOHN, Felix (1809-1847)
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16. Nocturne (Excerpt from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”)
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17. MUSSORGSKY, Modest (1839-1881)
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18. Promenade (Excerpt from “Pictures at an Exhibition”)
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19. The Old Castle (Il vecchio castello) (Excerpt from “Pictures at an Exhibition”)
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20. Catacombs (Catacombae) (Excerpt from “Pictures at an Exhibition”)
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21. Bydlo (Excerpt from “Pictures at an Exhibition”)
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22. The Great Gate at Kiev (Excerpt from “Pictures at an Exhibition”)
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23. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Nikolai (1844-1908)
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24. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship – I (Excerpt from the First Movement of “Scheherazade”)
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25. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship – II (Excerpt from the First Movement of “Scheherazade”)
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26. The Story of the Kalandar-Prince (Excerpt from the Second Movement of “Scheherazade”)
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27. The Young Prince and the Young Princess – I (Excerpt from the Third Movement of “Scheherazade”)
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28. The Young Prince and the Young Princess – II (Excerpt from the Third Movement of Scheherazade”)
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29. TCHAIKOVSKY, Pyotr Ilyich (1840-1893)
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30. Symphony No. 5 (Excerpt from the Second Movement)
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31. Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” (Excerpt from the First Movement)
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32. Marche Slave (Excerpt from the Tone Poem “Marche Slave”)
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33. Waltz (Excerpt from the Ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”)
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34. PROKOFIEV, Serge (1891-1953)
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35. Symphony No. 1 “Classical Symphony” (Excerpt from the Third Movement)
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36. SMETANA, Bedrich (1824-1884)
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37. The Moldau (Excerpt from the Symphonic Cycle “Ma Vlast”)
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38. SCHUBERT, Franz (1797-1828)
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39. Symphony No. 9 “Unfinished Symphony” (Excerpt from the First Movement)
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40. HOLST, Gustav (1874-1934)
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41. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity – I (Excerpt from the Fourth Movement of “The Planets”)
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42. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity – II (Excerpt from the Fourth Movement of “The Planets”)
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43. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity – III (Excerpt from the Fourth Movement of “The Planets”)
| Arrangement | Guitar |
| Genres | Classical |
| NumberOfPages | 76 |
| Publisher | Mel Bay Publications |
| Contributors | Douglas Bush, T.(Composer) |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 9781513483245 |