Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839 )
In the times of Fernando Sor, guitar was new and there were many similar string instruments competing for popularity. 1779 marks the year when the oldest known guitar was made, by Gaetano Vinaccia from Italy. Sor was born in Barcelona, Spain and studied music at the Monastery of Montserrat Choir School. Upon his graduation, he wrote some successful operas and gained a reputation as a composer. The beginning of the 19th century is the period when Fernando Sor is known to adopt the guitar. He continued his career as a composer, and became known as a guitar virtuoso. He performed in several places in Europe and brought popularity to the instrument. Starting in 1827, he moved to Paris and due to the new guitar popularity he was encouraged to write compositions for it. In 1830, one of his most important achievements was completed, the first book that documents guitar technique as a classical instrument: Methode Pour La Guitarre.
Fernando Sor’s Impact on guitar music There are 3 fundamental areas that any instrument needs in order to survive: Performances: By developing his own guitar technique and performing all over Europe, he brought attention to the instrument. By contemporary accounts, he was considered a virtuoso. Without an outstanding performer like him, guitar wouldn’t have caught any interest in the music circles. Guitar Technique: Methode Pour La Guitarre, published in 1830, features all the imaginable details relevant to guitar technique: sitting and body posture, digitation, left and right hand techniques, string attacks, sounds, coordination and strength exercises, etc. By publishing this method, he set the foundations for aspiring guitar players to study the instrument. Throughout his life, he also published several Etudes (or Studies). This material features simple compositions for didactic purposes. They exploit focused aspects of guitar technique, such as arpeggios, scales, tremolo, etc. No instrument can survive without a documented technique and learning method. Fernando Sor made it possible for educators to continue his guitar legacy. Compositions: Fernando Sor’s guitar compositions were essential for encouraging aspiring musicians to study guitar. As in any instrument, musicians need to be able to have a repertoire. Fernando Sor contributed to providing options and thus bringing guitar to concert halls. The classical repertoire that consists of transcriptions from other instruments always suffers from adaptation challenges. For instance, a violin has different preferred keys, ranges, harmonic and lyrical characteristics, etc. By being one of the first composers who wrote specifically for the guitar, he was able to exploit the characteristics of the instrument. When studying his work, you can notice it fits the guitar entirely, which is a way of showing to the public the full potential of the guitar. The following are some examples of his compositions, featuring the famous Etude in Bm and Variations on a Theme by Mozart.
His impact on guitar is invaluable and without him, we wouldn’t be playing guitar now. To this day, his studies and technique are essential material in any classical guitar program. His compositions are also essential in any classical guitarist repertoire. Because of him, guitar gained respect. Its popularity in classical music throughout the 19th and early 20th century exported the guitar to other parts of the world, such as Africa and America. We all know what happened when guitar was taken by African-Americans in the early 1900’s. Without it, there wouldn’t be any blues. And without the blues, there wouldn’t be any jazz or rock music. Those who love the instrument owe this pleasure to people like Fernando Sor, one of the most important guitar players of all times.
Videos Julian Bream playing what could be the most famous etude; the one in B minor Op. 35, No. 22. Etudes are intended for didactical purposes and they usually focus on one technical aspect of the guitar. In this case, this etude focuses on the accents a guitar player can use to play a melody within a series of arpeggios. His etudes are famous for their musicality and many of them are beautiful compositions. Andres Segovia playing Variations on a Theme by Mozart. These variations are taken from Mozart’s Magic Flute, specifically the aria Oh Cara Armonia from this opera. This piece is probably Fernando Sor’s most famous work and almost every classical guitarist has played it. It is a challenging piece of work that exploits the features of the guitar, which is something lacking in so many transcriptions.
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