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Ida Presti
(1924-1967)
6 Études pour guitare
The legendary French guitarist and composer Ida Presti wrote a beautiful set of six etudes published in 1958. I recorded all six.
First Étude
For this piece, I referenced both the original edition and a 2019 reissue. I also made several changes to the fingerings and added a few notes near the end that felt like a natural and respectful extension of the original music.
Second Étude
Presti's most popular etude. I worked on the original 1958 version with a few subtle fingering changes.
Third Étude
Presti's third etude is a study built around chordal blocks that gives the piece a meditative character. The focus is on sustaining harmonies and shaping the progression of chords with clarity and expression .
It is also great as a slow warm-up routine.
Fourth Étude
Presti’s Fourth Étude is a virtuosic miniature in Em in rondo variations form. Each section begins with the same E minor arpeggio and develops in its own unique way.
Fifth Étude
Presti’s Fifth Étude is my personal favorite, and I highly recommend listening attentively all the way through. Built on a perpetuum mobile of ascending and descending scales, with a sweet melody floating above, it begins somewhat dryly in G major but soon ventures into distant tonalities, reaching an almost atonal moment before returning to G and closing with a burst of rapid chromaticism. The étude is excellent for working on a wide range of technical and musical aspects of guitar playing,
Sixth Étude
Ida Presti’s Sixth Étude is the longest in the cycle — in fact, it is twice as long as any of her other études. Its structure is ternary (ABA), where the contrasting B section unfolds a series of different musical ideas, almost like shifting scenes in a dream. This étude is both technically demanding and deeply imaginative, showing Presti’s ability to merge virtuosity with expressive depth.
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