Parish Alvars:
Ricordi di Napoli: Serenade, op. 83

The outstanding characteristic of the Serenade is its extensive use of harmonics.

The transition to the coda is brought about by a descending chromatic scale produced by sliding the metallic part of the tuning key on the fourth octave A string, an effect invented by Parish Alavars and almost always (and inexplicably) dispensed with today. This scale terminates in a trill and an ascending scale fragment that ends with a pedal slide. Berlioz’ impression of Parish Alvars’ playing – “This is the music of another world” – can hardly be illustrated better than by this passage.

An outstanding solo piece composed as all the Souvenir de Neaples in one of the happiest time of Parish Alvars life.

Ricordi, 1846

10 pages.