# Black History Month and opera (and two guitars)



## Donald Sauter (Apr 29, 2017)

There are some powerful opera/black history connections; here's a more modest one.

The foremost American guitarist of the mid 19th century was a black man named Justin Holland. About 300 of his guitar arrangements were published, and if there was a guitar in your house, "Justin Holland" would have been a household name. I believe he was the first black American whose work was known throughout the land.

Among his guitar arrangements was a set of "20 Scraps From The Operas For Two Guitars". Each "scrap" incorporated two or three themes from the given opera. You can listen to all twenty here:






These duos were basically intended for household music-making, not necessarily a concert stage. Now don't everybody start from the beginning and fade out with the Faust Waltz and March. Pick and choose. Here are some of my favorites:

Der Freischuetz
Il Trovatore
Norma 2
Vespers Siciliennes
Crown Diamonds
(biggest dud: La Favorite)

Here's my page devoted to my guitar hero:

http://www.donaldsauter.com/justin-holland-guitar.htm


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