Emma Rush illuminates a 19th-century guitar pioneer with her new album The Life and Times of Catharina Pratten — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The acclaimed classical guitarist brings a forgotten icon to vibrant life with her latest album. Utilizing a rare blend of historical depth, expressive mastery, and curatorial brilliance, Rush presents the first-ever album dedicated to a 19th-century virtuosa and woman whose legacy she is determined to restore.
“Pratten was so prolific as a performer, composer, educator, and publisher,” says Rush. “She taught Queen Victoria’s daughter, invented new music notation, and even tuned her guitar down to D — 100 years before Black Sabbath did!” But despite her influence, Pratten has been “largely excluded from guitar history,” Rush notes. “I intend to set the record straight.”
The album features seven previously unrecorded works by Pratten alongside first recordings of music by her father Ferdinand Pelzer, her husband Robert Sidney Pratten, colleague Leonard Schulz, student Frank Mott Harrison, and contemporaries Francisco Tárrega, Giulio Regondi and Ernest Shand. “I wanted an album that showed Pratten’s work in context — to give a picture of the guitar scene in London in the 1800s,” says Rush.
Rush recorded the album using two historically significant guitars associated with Pratten: One bearing Pratten’s personal signature, and the other a Boosey and Sons “Pratten model” from the 1850s, effectively making them the first-ever signature series guitars. “To hold and play instruments that she herself endorsed — it’s like reaching through time,” Rush reflects.
Highlights include Absence, which Rush calls her personal favourite: “It is a technically rich piece, but has such emotional depth and I find it really moving.” The single Evening Song showcases Pratten’s lyrical sensitivity and harmonic flair, demonstrating her gift for writing compact yet profoundly expressive works.
Rush is no stranger to uncovering hidden voices. Her 2020 release Wake The Sigh featured rare music by 19th-century women composers, while her 2023 album A Dream of Colour commissioned new works inspired by Canadian painter William Blair Bruce. With The Life and Times of Catharina Pratten, she extends her mission even further, connecting the dots between performance, research, and advocacy.
Rush’s international reputation continues to grow, with past performances at the Altamira Shanghai International Guitar Festival, Future Echoes in Sweden, and a cross-country tour aboard The Canadian. Her 2025–26 touring schedule will take her across Canada and into Europe, including the prestigious Iserlohn International Guitar Symposium in Germany and a U.K. tour.
The Life and Times of Catharina Pratten is not just a tribute — it’s a reclamation. “She really defined the guitar in Britain for most of the 19th century,” says Rush. “And now, finally, she can take her rightful place in our musical memory.”
Listen to The Life and Times of Catharina Pratten below and keep up with Emma Rush on her website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
