Sonata: Ondas do Mar de Vigo is my first large scale guitar piece. It is based on a song by the medieval troubadour Martin Codax, from Portugal. The song is classified as a Cantiga de Amigo, a friendship song. The genre is characterized by the longing of a young woman for a lover who has gone. The "friend" is often supposed to meet her by the sea and never arrives. The title of the song used as the basis for this piece is Waves of the Sea of Vigo. Each movement uses the original source differently, sometimes using the melody as a point of departure, sometimes following the structure of the poetry, and at other times moving quite freely to unexpected places.
The piece was written for guitarist Mesut Özgen in 2002, who is heard in these recordings.
Click here for a pdf of the last movement.