This submission comprises a portfolio of performance editions, recordings, videos, and a contextualizing critical commentary. The editions are based on materials from the Munich Guitar Society’s club library, a collection rediscovered in 2009.

The guitar society of the city of Munich was a historic club dedicated to the development and cultivation of the guitar, serving both serious players and committed aficionados. Founded in 1900, it operated for several decades, at times highly productive and at other times relatively stagnant. Over its lifespan, the society bore two names: initially the Internationale Gitarristen Verband (IGV) (1900–1908), and subsequently the Gitarristische Vereinigung (GV) (1908–1931 and after 1949). Its journal, however, consistently appeared under the title Guitarrefreund. Membership extended across numerous European countries and reached as far as the United States and Russia.

The society maintained its own library, which expanded steadily through donations, contributions from club members, acquisitions, trades, editorial advertising and correspondence. Remarkably, the collection survived the troubles of the Second World War and, following the society’s resumption in 1949, was acquired by the new president Fritz Walter Wiedemann (1889–1958). Although it continued to function as the club library, declining public interest in the society, and particularly the death of Wiedemann, led to the collection falling into obscurity for nearly half a century.

In 2009, the library returned to public attention when it was rediscovered and installed at the Bavarian State Library (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, BSB), supported by a DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) grant and internal BSB funds. The collection holds a substantial number of guitar compositions, ranging from solo works to chamber to orchestral pieces. Many items are manuscripts that, until now, have never been published.

This research project undertakes a systematic exploration of the collection, seeking out previously unknown composers and works. At this early stage, the primary aim is to contribute to scholarship by showing, through practical engagement, the diversity and artistic value of the materials it holds. I make these works accessible through modern performance editions, audio and video recordings and contextual research on the compositions and their creators. In doing so, I hope to provide a robust foundation for further explorations by contemporary performers, researchers and music lovers.

The works selected for this project are intended to represent the breadth of the collection, touching on its most significant strands. A recording of the featured works was released by NAXOS in August 2025 and is included in this portfolio. Video recordings are available online and have likewise been incorporated into this research submission.