Pastorale - Richard Stoker: anyone know it?

[PaulHardy]

Is anyone familiar with this piece?

Background: Richard Stoker was born about 10 miles from where I live, and he will be 75 in November 2013. I plan to buy his Pieces for Polita op 57 & record them (or a selection) for that youtube place in time for his 75th birthday.

Given the time available I may then consider adding one of his other compositions. The Improvisation & the Sonatina are probably beyond me even from this distance, so I want to know if anyone has experience of the Pastorale.

Further info: I am a recent returner to guitar and gradually getting some technique back. Pressures of work and demanding teenage children curtail my practice time so I don't expect to be anything more than D06/D07 even after the 18+ months available. If you know the Pastorale or the other op 42 works you may be able to tell me if I would be wasting my time.

Of course after playing the op 57 works I may not like them anyway so wouldn't want to learn more

But based on hearing his Clarinet sonatina I think that's unlikely

Thanks
Paul

[blur]

I have played a Richard Stoker Pastoral from a collection called "Modern Guitar Music" edited by Hector Quine and published by Oxford University Press in 1970...I'm assuming it is the same piece.

Although it has been a while since I looked at it I just hauled it out and ran through it, pretty much sight-reading.
It is only a page long and consists mainly of a four bar motif which is repeated with small variations. Most of the action takes place between the fourth and seventh positions. I have never found any great difficulty with it.
-- it is in 6/8 with a few 9/8 bars scattered about
-- you will need an occasional 5 or 6 string barre
-- there is no key signature and so all accidentals are notated but it doesn't stray far from a sort of C#min/Emaj tonal area

Because of the nature of the music it requires a bit of attention to dynamic and timbral variation. In the edition I have the fingering provided helps with this, sometimes fingering a similar phrase in two different ways, but if you can play it technically then there should be no problem providing your own fingering if you wanted to.

It is a tuneful little thing and almost sounds improvised.

Anyway, it is hard for me to judge the relative difficulty of pieces, but this one falls under the fingers pretty well for me, and I would expect a D06/D07 player to be able to play it.

[PaulHardy]

Thank you John that description is very helpful. Checking sheerpluck again I'm sure this is indeed the opus 42c work (Stoker's numbering is apparently a labyrinth!)