A Still More Excellent Way by James Piorkowski

A Still More Excellent Way was inspired by a comment that guitarist Ken Meyer had made to me in regard to another composition of mine. Ken attended a rehearsal of my chorus and guitar work, The Greatest of These, and mentioned that he imagined a potential piece for two guitars based on that music. Years later, when Ken eventually requested that I compose a new solo guitar piece for him, I recalled his comment about The Greatest of These.

I revisited my choral work, and wondered if a solo guitar composition could be birthed from it. I decided that it could, and so I went to work. While some passages are similar to the choral piece, other passages were reinvented, and new material was added (e.g., the ending).

The libretto of The Greatest of These was excerpted from the biblical letter known as First Corinthians, (the text illustrates love, e.g., “love is patient; love is kind; it does not envy…”). The verse that immediately precedes the selected text that I used for The Greatest of These is “a still more excellent way,” which leads to the upcoming discourse on love.

James Piorkowski

About composer/guitarist James Piorkowski

As a guitarist, James Piorkowski's live performances have been described as "expressive and stupendous" -The Gleaner, (Kingston, Jamaica). He has performed repertoire that spans a wide historical and stylistic spectrum, from renaissance lute works to world premieres of 21st Century compositions. His recitals have been heard in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Jamaica, Canada, and the U.S. About his performances, the critics claim "His recital was one of those unassuming triumphs of technique. I can't imagine a better performance of these pieces" -Buffalo News and "He impressed everyone. The music was played with charm and was particularly compelling" -Post-Standard (Syracuse).

As a composer, Piorkowski has written many pieces for guitar, both in solo and in chamber settings, including a large work, "The Greatest of These", for mixed choir and guitar which received it's premiere at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. His works have been published by Mel Bay Publications, Sergio Assad through Editions Henry Lemoine and Clear Note Publications. Of his writing style, Buffalo Magazine wrote, "His music evokes comparisons to jazz icons because of his refusal to adhere to idiomatic pigeon-holing."

His recording, Freedom Flight Guitar Music by Ortiz and Piorkowski, features original compositions for solo guitar, duo guitar, flute and guitar, and voice and guitar. The compositions of Ortiz openly display the roots and influences of Puerto Rican culture while the works of Piorkowski are "inspired by Shakespeare, Venezuela, and religious imagery when he sets out to work his magic" -El Nuevo Dia (San Juan). The CD has been summed up as "Great music and wonderful musicians" -American Record Guide.

Piorkowski’s newest release, Sentient Music, (Centaur Records), comprises seventeen of his original solo guitar compositions. Of this recording, the French guitarist/composer Roland Dyens wrote, "Bravo for the CD! You do have your very own world, man – it’s great!” Herman Trotter of the Buffalo News deemed it “an absolutely engrossing collection.”

For eighteen years, Piorkowski was a member of the world-renowned Buffalo Guitar Quartet, which disbanded in 2000. With the BGQ, he performed in Europe, Russia, South and North America and the Caribbean. The Buffalo Guitar Quartet released four highly acclaimed recordings. One of Piorkowski's compositions, The Struggle of Jacob, was featured on the BGQ's cd, New Music for Four Guitars (New World Records). Guitar Player Magazine wrote that the Buffalo Guitar Quartet was "one of the world's premiere classical guitar ensembles."

James Piorkowski is a professor at the Fredonia School of Music, State University College of New York where he has headed the guitar studies program since 1983. He was the recipient of the University’s William T. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award in 1998.

PREVIEW

PREVIEW