Diatribes with an Amazon Queen

The composer of this piece, Jeff Wyman, was a friend of the Boston Classical Guitar Society and a gentle, beautiful human. I got to know him through the performance parties that the BCGS organizes. These parties are gatherings of (mostly) guitarists, getting together to play for each other and share their love of the instrument and the music written for it.

At these parties, Jeff would often play this piece. I always enjoyed listening to him—he had such a graceful touch on the instrument. The ease and fluidity of his playing I both greatly admired and, if I’m being honest, envied just a bit. This piece, with its shimmering arpeggios and elegant melody, really showcased Jeff’s finesse as a player.

Jeff called it Diatribes, but its full title is Prelude: Diatribes with an Amazon Queen. I know this because I asked him for the score, which he was very happy to share with me (it was his partner, Karen, who sent it to me, as Jeff didn’t use email). When I received it, I read through it a couple of times, but I didn’t really learn it. Nonetheless, it was neat to explore the piece as an exercise, but Jeff would always play it best.

That performance party where I asked him for the score was in early 2020, just before the COVID lockdown. It ended up being the last time I saw Jeff, as he passed away all too soon in late 2024.

This performance is in Jeff’s memory. I hope I captured some of the spirit which he brought to this piece every time I heard him play it.

This performance is also available on YouTube.