Guitarist Tom Clippinger previews a new work by Prof. Douglas Boyce, the final in his series of Partitas for solo classical guitar.

Partita No. 4, The Duchess draws inspiration by 14th-century French composer Guillaume de Machaut and his patron, Bonne of Luxembourg (1315-1349). Drawing from her illuminated pasalter with its distinctive grisaille miniatures by Jean Le Noir, and borrowing from Boyce's own ekphrastic instrumental meditation of Machaut's Dit de l'alerion, this work explores medieval artistic techniques—from tempera and gold leaf to iron-gall ink, to the images of Davide and the "three living and three dead", and David dancing. Each movement functions like a musical tapestry in the style of "La Dame à la licorne," weaving together themes of patronage, mortality, and artistic devotion that characterized medieval court culture.

In addition, Clippenger will perform Ochras by José Sánchez-Verdú. Ochras is fundamentally inspired by the color ochre (or “ochra”), exploring a journey through four distinct shades of this earthy tone, progressing from the lightest to the darkest hues. This approach is deeply influenced by the composer’s synesthesia, allowing him to translate visual color gradients into a rich, sensory musical narrative. Interestingly, despite being the basis for a subsequent concerto, the work itself contains remarkably little traditional pitch material, favoring instead the evocation of color and texture over melody or harmony.