She brought the guitar into vogue. She created the first "fake"
books designed for regular folks who didn't want to or were
unable to invest the time and effort to master the guitar. Who
was she?
Catherina Josepha Pelzer was born in 1821 in Mulheim, on the
Rhine. She was the daughter of Ferdinand Pelzer, a leading
German guitarist during the early part of the 19th Century.
Ferdinand began tutoring his daughter when she was quite young -
a task made easier by the fact that young Catherina was quite
the musical prodigy. She made her London concert debut at the
age of seven. Soon after, her family moved from Germany to
England where she received much critical acclaim and gained fame
as a performer. Her concerts and recitals inspired people all
over to pick up the guitar. Catherina later became much sought
after as a guitar teacher, instructing the likes of the
Princesses Louise and Beatrice, among others. In 1854 Catherina
Pelzer married a renowned flautist and composer, and took the
name by which she is more commonly remembered - Madame Sidney
Pratten.
After some time as an instructor, she realized that many people
were not inclined to invest the necessary effort to master the
guitar. Many others simply did not possess the skills to do so.
She had the solution, which came in the form of several
publications. Her most popular and successful manual, Learning
the Guitar Simplified, included easy exercises, each of which
was followed by a simple song, along with diagrams of the
fingerboard to show where the notes were found. She created
another publication that color-coded each note in the diatonic
scale. This was known, logically enough, as Colored Diagrams of
the Notes of the Fingerboard of the Guitar. And for those who
had very little time to practice, she put together Instructions
for the Guitar Tuned in E Major. One tuning. No muss, no fuss.
Mme. Pratten died in 1895, leaving behind a wonderful legacy.
She had brought the guitar into popularity by showing the world
how beautifully it could be played and by making it easier for
the average person to play it well - or at least close enough
for rock and roll.
About the author:
Alyce Chiles is the manager and official "appraisal typer-upper"
of http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com - a site for the vintage
guitar enthusiast specializing in online guitar appraisals and
vintage guitars in general. On the side she also writes
freelance articles on everything from Prozac to Parenting. Learn
more about Alyce and Vintage Guitars by visiting
http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com
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