Rondoletto Allegretto
Napoleon Coste
This Rondoletto comes from the Recreation pour le Guitariste by Napoleon Coste. A piece with a more formal structure -little Rondo- and a reasonable extensive use of the Alberti bass, which apparently was used in Coste’s time still.
The Frenchman Napoleon Coste (1806 - 1883) started playing as a kid with his mother as teacher. In his teens he became a popular concert guitarist and a well-sought teacher. Unfortunately his career suffered from the decline of the guitarmania which took place in Paris during Sor's life time. A broken arm became the end of his career.
Coste has left a large repertoire of guitar music, which is largely forgotten, although guitarists like Pavel Steidl and Raphaella Smits have done much to bring Coste’s music on stage and record again.
One of his works -Recreation pour le Guitariste- offers short and relatively simple pieces with nice melodies. These pieces are nice to play and far apart from the dazzling but very demanding endless introductions and finales of Coste's concert pieces.