Stepan Rak’s “Tracy”(1994): A Transcription and Commentary

Abstract

The Czech guitarist and composer Stepan Rak (b.1945) has produced major works for the guitar, many of which stretch the boundaries of guitar technique and composition in new directions. This research report provides a musical transcription of one of Rak’s most ambitious pieces, Tracy (1994), based on the cyclone of that name which devastated the town of Darwin, Australia on Christmas Eve 1974. Rak uses rasgueado and tremolo techniques exclusively in Tracy. This report also contextualises the composition in terms of Rak’s life and musical output, and provides a detailed description on the execution of these techniques and a general analysis of the pieces technical, formal and compositional characteristics.