Far from the Madding Crowd

Free download on SoundCloud of this performance.

Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) is a novel by Romanticist author, Thomas Hardy. Romanticism was an artistic movement towards the end of the 18th century that emphasized emotion and individualism. The novel was adapted into a successful film in 2015.

The story is comprised of love, honor and betrayal, against a backdrop of a Victorian English farming community:

Bathsheba Everdene catches the eye of local farmer Gabriel Oak when she arrives to live with her aunt in Dorset. Declining his offer of marriage, their lives continue to intertwine as fate brings contrasting fortunes to both of them. (Film synopsis.)

This film and it’s soundtrack were recently recommended to me by a friend in Wales. At the same time, the Madding Crowd score by composer Craig Armstrong, has been auspiciously popping up in my Spotify playlists. The music is gorgeous, and figured God (or Spotify’s algorithm) was telling me to create an arrangement.

Bathsheba and Oak Unite is easy to play, and a perfect Etude for my 2 Minute Classical Guitar archive. Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

This piece is played in standard tuning with a capo on the 2nd fret.

*Far from the Madding Crowd: Bathsheba and Oak Unite | fingerstyle guitar

[This arrangement is a great example of the  The C Position.]