Napoleon Coste, France’s leading guitarist/composer of the nineteenth century, employed a seven-string guitar with an extended bass and treble range.  Op. 17-23 are seven “Souvenirs,” five of which bear geographical titles of locations.  This cycle is one of the most stimulating works for the guitar that the Romantic period has to offer and makes evident that Coste was one of the great nineteenth-century composers for the instrument.

"Coste composed primarily for guitar. He reissued several of Sor's compositions, including a revised edition (c1851) of his guitar method. Coste was also the first to make transcriptions for ‘modern’ guitar of music for baroque guitar written in tablature...his style shows more Romantic characteristics both harmonically and in formal structure and in the use of descriptive titles and programmatic features. Coste wrote primarily for a guitar with an added seventh string, and is one of the most important guitar composers of the Romantic era."¹

Web resources (links will open in a new window):

	The Guitarist's Library: Napoleon Coste
	Multi-Bass 7-string, 8-string, 10-string and 19th Century Harp Guitars