Débil del Alba | Gguitar solo by Frank A. Wallace

Débil del Alba (Tenderness of the Dawn) was conceived as a duet for guitar and dancer. After hearing my son, Adam Wallace, play a very tender and moving Villa-Lobos Prelude #4 at the end of his freshman year at Skidmore College, he requested I write something for him and his girlfriend to perform together. And so I wrote this piece for him and dancer Jessyca Dudley later that summer of 2003. Sadly, they broke up and he stopped playing the guitar soon after – so much for Dad getting involved! The title comes from a poem by Pablo Neruda which Jessyca chose. Lyrical melodies in the first and third sections contrast with an agitated, impressionistic middle section composed in a whole tone scale. It ends in a very peaceful return to G Major.

This video of our 2010 trip to Taxco, Mexico for the 13th International Guitar Festival run by Juan Carlos Laguna features Débil del Alba as background music.