Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar

Roberson, J. D.(2023). Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7281

Transcriptions and arrangements of works for other instruments make up a substantial portion of the concert literature for the classical guitar. Additionally, the classical guitar’s connections with folk music traditions from around the world are undeniable. While much of the folk-inspired repertoire for guitar engages with the musical traditions of Spain and Latin America, this document will examine a work for solo guitar that uses traditional Appalachian folk music as source material: John Duarte’s Appalachian Dreams. Appalachian folk music is a primarily oral tradition, and documentation of the music did not appear until the late nineteenth century. This project will trace the folk songs used in Appalachian Dreams back to early printed or recorded sources that influenced Duarte’s arrangements. Additionally, I will examine specific compositional elements used to arrange the source material, often only a single line of melody, into a concert work for classical guitar. To contextualize this research, I will also include analyses of folk song arrangements for guitar from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and a brief overview of the tradition of Appalachian folk music

 Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar