Myths and Logic: The Guitar Études of Fernando Sor (1778–1839)

Abstract

Since the early 19th century, instrumentalists have made use of the musical genre known as the Étude (study piece) to aid in their technical and musical development. Keyboard masters such as Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) and Muzio Clementi (1752–1832) achieved a near perfect balance between the didactic and artistic aspects of these compositions. During the same period, the Catalonian guitarist and composer Fernando Sor (1778–1839) also composed pieces that are today referred to as ‘concert studies’. It is unfortunate that these guitar works are often dismissed as being little more than exercises in technique building and that their true quality is misunderstood. It is the goal of this research project to provide the evidence suggesting that these works are in every way equal, both in terms of musical beauty and pedagogical purpose, to those of more famous composers, contemporary with Sor. Through the use of early editions, Sor’s teaching materials will be examined in detail, in conjunction with the principles found in his Méthode, published in 1830. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, guitar students made use of an edition providing a small portion of Sor’s Studies selected and altered by Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), perhaps not realising that this material was based not solely on Sor’s ideas but also on those of Mæstro Segovia. Works from Sor’s opera 6, 29, 31 and 35 will be examined in detail and in comparison to later editions to uncover their original musical and technical purposes. The works will be placed in biographical context to gain a deeper understanding of the period. It is hoped that this research will expose the reader to a different approach to the instrument than the generally accepted one and provide stimulus for further study.