Abstract

The guitar–piano duo enjoyed remarkable success during the first half of the nineteenth century, with a significant body of publications and considerable public interest, thanks to performances by some of the most influential musicians of the time. The culmination of this ensemble tradition can be found in the partnership of guitarist Joseph Kaspar Mertz (1806–1856) and pianist Josephine Plantin (1819–1903), who can be regarded as the last significant guitar–piano duo of the nineteenth century. Between 1848 and 1856, they composed several works for guitar and piano, including the character pieces Barcarole, Wasserfahrt am Traunsee, Einsiedlers Waldglöcklein, and Mazurka. Unlike the majority of works written by their contemporaries and predecessors—which typically consisted of grand duos, sets of variations, potpourris, and transcriptions of operatic material—these compositions stand out for their distinctly Romantic character. Mertz and Plantin’s works demonstrate an exceptional balance between the two instruments and embody a compositional style that remained largely unexplored by other composers.

For almost a decade, I have explored the nineteenth-century guitar–piano repertoire with my piano partner and sister, Laura Savigni, investigating how the use of historical instruments and informed performance practices can enable a distinctive dialogue between the two instruments, resulting in a unique sound, balance, and expressive quality. Building on Mertz and Plantin’s legacy, this project explores the soundscape and historical trajectory of the guitar–piano duo. Through practice-based research, it not only explores Romantic performance practices but seeks to further expand the repertoire for the duo through the transcription of works from the Romantic era. The project is divided into two parts. The first focuses on Mertz and Plantin, examining the cultural context of the guitar–piano duo, the performance practices of their time, and their contribution to the development of the genre. The second part presents my own artistic contribution to the guitar–piano repertoire. It includes a discussion of the performance practices associated with Mertz’s works and introduces two transcription projects designed to expand the repertoire for guitar and piano in the Romantic style: the Mertz and Plantin Project, comprising eight transcriptions of Mertz’s works for two guitars, and the Schumann Project, featuring my transcriptions of Clara Schumann’s Romanzen, op.22, nos.1 and 2, originally composed for violin and piano. This dissertation aims both to deepen our understanding of nineteenth-century guitar–piano performance practice and to contribute new repertoire to an ensemble tradition that, despite its relative neglect, possesses a meaningful heritage and rich expressive potential for contemporary performance.