Andrés Segovia

Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña[lower-alpha 1] (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987),[1] known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Spain. Many professional classical guitarists today were students of Segovia, or students of his students.[2] Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire not only included commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works. He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Segovia and the second or maternal family name is Torres.
The Most Illustrious
The Marquis of Salobreña
Segovia in 1963
Background information
Birth nameAndrés Segovia Torres
Born(1893-02-21)21 February 1893
Linares, Jaén, Spain
Died2 June 1987(1987-06-02) (aged 94)
Madrid, Spain
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsClassical guitar
Years active1909–1987
LabelsRCA

Early life

Segovia was born on 21 February 1893[1] in Linares, Jaén, Spain. He was sent at a very young age to live with his uncle Eduardo and aunt María. Eduardo arranged for Segovia's first music lessons with a violin teacher after recognizing that Segovia had an aptitude for music. This proved to be an unhappy introduction to music for the young Segovia because of the teacher's strict methods, and Eduardo stopped the lessons. His uncle decided to move to Granada to allow Segovia to obtain a better education; after arriving in Granada, Segovia recommenced his musical studies. Segovia was aware of flamenco during his formative years as a musician but stated that he "did not have a taste" for the form and chose instead the works of Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, and other classical composers.[3] Tárrega agreed to give the self-taught Segovia some lessons but died before they could meet, and Segovia states that his early musical education involved the "double function of professor and pupil in the same body".[4]

Career

Segovia's first public performance was in Granada[5] at the age of 16 in 1909.[6] A few years later he played his first professional concert in Madrid, which included works by Francisco Tárrega and his own guitar transcriptions of Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite the discouragement of his family, who wanted him to become a lawyer, and criticism by some of Tárrega's pupils for his idiosyncratic technique,[7] he continued to pursue his studies of the guitar diligently.

He played again in Madrid in 1912, at the Paris Conservatory in 1915, in Barcelona in 1916, and made a successful tour of South America in 1919.[1] Segovia's arrival on the international stage coincided with a time when the guitar's fortunes as a concert instrument were being revived, largely through the efforts of Miguel Llobet.[8] It was in this changing milieu that Segovia, thanks to his strength of personality and artistry, coupled with developments in recording and broadcasting, succeeded in making the guitar more popular again.

In 1921 in Paris, Segovia met Alexandre Tansman, who later wrote a number of guitar works for Segovia, among them Cavatina, which won a prize at the Siena International Composition contest in 1952.[9]

At Granada in 1922 he became associated with the Concurso de Cante Jondo promoted by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. The aim of the "classicizing" Concurso was to preserve flamenco in its purity from being distorted by modern popular music.[10] Segovia had already developed as a fine tocador of flamenco guitar, yet his direction was now classical.[11] Invited to open the Concurso held at the Alhambra, he played Homenaje a Debussy by Falla.[12]

Guitar by Hermann Hauser, 1937, Munich, Germany. Concert guitar of Andrés Segovia's from 1937 until 1962. Gift of Emilita Segovia, Marquesa of Salobreña, 1986 (1986.353.1). Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1923 Segovia visited Mexico for the first time. There Manuel Ponce was so impressed with the concert that he wrote a review in El Universal.[13] Later Ponce went on to write many works for Segovia, including numerous sonatas.

In 1924, Segovia visited the German luthier Hermann Hauser Sr. after hearing some of his instruments played in a concert in Munich. In 1928 Hauser provided Segovia with one of the guitars which he used during his tour of the United States and in other concerts up to 1933. Segovia ordered a further guitar from Hauser and after receiving it passed on the 1928 model to his US representative and close friend Sophocles Papas, who in his turn gave it to his student, the famous jazz and classical guitarist Charlie Byrd, who used it on several records.

Segovia's first American tour was arranged in 1928 when Fritz Kreisler, the Viennese violinist who privately played the guitar,[14] persuaded Francis Charles Coppicus from the Metropolitan Musical Bureau to present the guitarist in New York.[15][16]

After Segovia's debut tour in the US in 1928 the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos composed his now well-known Twelve Études (Portuguese: Doze estudos; French: Douze études; German: Zwölf Studien) and later dedicated them to Segovia. Their relationship proved to be lasting and Villa-Lobos continued to write for Segovia. He also transcribed numerous classical pieces himself and revived the pieces transcribed by predecessors like Tárrega.

Segovia at a recital in the "Concerts Ysaye" in Brussels, 15 December 1932 (Hilda Wiener, 1877–1940)

In 1932, Segovia met and befriended composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in Venice.[9] Since Castelnuovo-Tedesco did not play the guitar, Segovia provided him with guitar compositions (Ponce's Folias variations and Sor's Mozart Variations) which he could study. Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed a large number of works for the guitar, many of them dedicated to Segovia. The Concerto Op. 99 of 1939 was the first guitar concerto of the 20th century and Castelnuovo-Tedesco's last work in Italy, before he emigrated to the United States. It was premiered by Segovia in Uruguay in 1939.[17]

In 1935, he gave his first public performance of Bach's Chaconne, a difficult piece for any instrument. He moved to Montevideo, performing many concerts in South America in the thirties and early forties.

After World War II, Segovia began to record more frequently and performed regular tours of Europe and the US, a schedule he would maintain for the next thirty years. In 1954, Joaquín Rodrigo dedicated Fantasía para un gentilhombre (Fantasy for a Gentleman) to Segovia.[18] Segovia won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance, Instrumentalist for his recording Segovia Golden Jubilee.[19]

John W. Duarte dedicated his English Suite Op. 31 to Segovia and his wife (Emilia Magdalena del Corral Sancho) on the occasion of their marriage in 1962.[20] Segovia told the composer "You will be astonished at the success it will have".[21][22]

In recognition of his contributions to music and the arts, Segovia was ennobled on 24 June 1981 by King Juan Carlos I, who gave Segovia the hereditary title of Marqués de Salobreña[23][24] (English: Marquis of Salobreña) in the nobility of Spain.

Segovia continued performing into his old age, living in semi-retirement during his 70s and 80s on the Costa del Sol. Two films were made of his life and work—one when he was 75 and the other 84. They are available on DVD under the titles Andrés Segovia—in Portrait. His final RCA LP (ARL1-1602), Reveries, was recorded in Madrid in June 1977.

In 1984, Segovia was the subject of a 13-part series broadcast on National Public Radio, entitled Segovia! The series was recorded on location in Spain, France and the United States. Hosted by Oscar Brand the series was produced by Jim Anderson, Robert Malesky, and Larry Snitzler.

Segovia died on 2 June 1987[1] in Madrid of a heart attack at the age of 94. He is buried at Casa Museo de Linares, in Andalusia.

Technique

The right hand is the one that produces the musical sounds, that is why when examining someone's technique it is essential to understand the intentions behind the way the right hand is placed in relation to the strings. Although, for several years, it was widespread among the guitar community that Segovia plucked the strings with a combination of fingertip and nail (as demonstrated by some statements by Christopher Parkening himself) Segovia plucked the strings only with the nails. When asked which was the technique he used: "the only one there is: nails. Because they bring timbre differences and colour variation and give sonorous volume to the guitar."[25] As a matter of fact, just with a brief observation we can see that the right hand was placed so that the nails were perpendicular to the strings. In this way all the nail alone would press the string, and, at the same time, it was thought that that was the only way to avoid unpleasant noises coming out from the low strings (E, A and D) of the guitar when being plucked. With regards to his right hand, it is noticeable the strong bass sound he created with his thumb = In spite of his own technique, this was also largely due to the flexibility he had in his thumb which helped in creating a very strong and voluminous sound in the bass notes. Another among many innovations of Segovia that separated him from the Tarrega school was the search for the tension in the strings by placing his right hand more to the right side. In this way, he could not only obtain colour variation but especially a strong, round and voluminous sound, something very helpful for giving concerts in big halls (this technique was later used by Narciso Yepes). Before Segovia, guitarists from the Tarrega school, played the guitar by putting the hand right in the soundhole of the instrument, thus creating a mellow sound, but not capable to fill the whole space of a big concert hall.

After World War II, Segovia became among the first to endorse the use of nylon strings instead of catgut strings.[26] This new advance allowed for greater stability in intonation and was the final missing ingredient in the standardization of the instrument.

Repertoire

Segovia's repertoire consisted of three principal pillars: first, contemporary works, including concertos and sonatas, usually specifically written for Segovia himself by composers with whom he forged working relationships, notably Spaniards such as Federico Moreno Torroba, Federico Mompou, and Joaquín Rodrigo, the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and the great Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos; second, transcriptions, usually made by Segovia himself,[27] of classical works originally written for other instruments (e.g., lute, harpsichord, piano, violin, cello) by Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and many other prominent composers; third, traditional classical guitar works by composers such as Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega. Segovia's influence enlarged the repertoire, mainly as a commissioner or dedicatee of new works, as a transcriber, and to a far lesser extent as a composer[28] with such works as his Estudio sin luz.

Segovia (1962)

Segovia's main musical aesthetic preferences were music of the early 20th century (and turn of the century) especially in the Spanish romantic-modern and nationalist style. This is perhaps best typified by Segovia's own work Estudio sin Luz. Many works of this and similar style were written especially for him and formed part of his core repertoire: particularly the guitar works of Federico Moreno Torroba (1891–1982), such as the Sonatina, which was first performed by Segovia in Paris in 1925.[29]

Segovia was selective and only performed works with which he identified personally. He was known to reject atonal works, or works which he considered too radical, even if they were dedicated to him; e.g. he rejected Frank Martin's Quatre pièces brèves, Darius Milhaud's Segoviana, etc.[30][31] Even though rejected by Segovia, the works are today all published and available.[32][33][34][35][36][37]

Teaching

Segovia viewed teaching as vital to his mission of propagating the guitar and gave master classes throughout his career. His most famous master classes took place at Música en Compostela in the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.[38]

Segovia also taught at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena for numerous years, where he was aided by Alirio Díaz.[39] Later it was Oscar Ghiglia who continued the Siena class.[40]

His teaching style is a source of controversy among some of his former students, who considered it to be dogmatically authoritarian.[41] One of Segovia's most celebrated former students of the classical guitar, John Williams, has said that Segovia bullied students into playing only his style, stifling the development of their own styles.[42][43] Williams has also said that Segovia was dismissive of music that did not have what Segovia considered the right classical origins, such as South American music with popular roots.[42]

Legacy

Segovia can be considered a catalytic figure in granting respectability to the guitar as a serious concert instrument capable of evocativeness and depth of interpretation. It was Federico Moreno Torroba who said: "The musical interpreter who fascinates me the most is Andrés Segovia".[44] He can be credited to have dignified the classical guitar as a legitimate concert instrument before the discerning music public, which had hitherto viewed the guitar merely as a limited, if sonorous, parlor instrument.

In Linares the Segovia Museum "Fundación Andrés Segovia" was established in May 1995,[45] and Linares (Segovia's birthplace) also has a bronze statue in his honour, created by Julio López Hernández and unveiled on 25 May 1984.[46][47][48]

Segovia influenced a generation of classical guitarists who built on his technique and musical sensibility, including such luminaries as Christopher Parkening, Julian Bream, John Williams and Oscar Ghiglia, all of whom have acknowledged their debt to him. Further, Segovia left behind a large body of edited works and transcriptions for classical guitar, including several transcriptions of Bach—in particular, an extraordinarily demanding classical guitar transcription of the Chaconne from the 2nd Partita for Violin (BWV 1004). During his lifetime, guitarists were eager to claim association with Segovia, and Segovia himself suggested that he had not actually taught as many students as has been claimed; he once said, "All over the world I have 'pupils' I have never met."[49]

His editions of works originally written for guitar include newly fingered and occasionally revised versions of works from the standard repertoire (most famously, his edition of a selection of twenty estudios by Fernando Sor,[50] the "cornerstone" of every serious student's technique since its publication in 1945, although somewhat ironically Segovia in the preface to that work disparaged Sor as "not among the vigorous talents") as well as compositions written for him, including by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Federico Mompou, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Many of the latter were edited by Segovia, working in collaboration with the composer, before they were first published. Because of Segovia's predilection for altering the musical content of his editions to reflect his interpretive preferences, many of today's guitarists prefer to examine the original manuscripts, or newer publications based on the original manuscripts in order to compare them with Segovia's published versions, so as to accept or reject Segovia's editorial decisions.

Segovia was one of those to whom homage was paid in the 1978 song by Ian Dury and The Blockheads "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards".

Influential rock entertainer Johnny Thunders included a guitar instrumental titled "Illegitimate Son of Segovia" in his album Hurt me.

Namings
  • The main-belt asteroid 3822 Segovia was named in his memory in 1989.[51]
  • A competition co-sponsored by the European Guitar Teachers Association is named after Segovia.[52]

Awards

Segovia was awarded many prizes and honours, including doctorates honoris causa, from ten universities.[53][54] On 24 June 1981, he was ennobled by King Juan Carlos I, who gave Segovia the hereditary title of Marqués de Salobreña[23][24] (English: Marquis of Salobreña) in the nobility of Spain in recognition of his contributions to music and the arts. He received the Danish Sonning Award in 1974, the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 1985, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1986.

Personal life

Segovia's first wife was Adelaida Portillo (marriage in 1918).[55] Segovia's second wife (marriage in 1935) was the pianist Paquita Madriguera, who also made some piano roll recordings.[56][57] From 1944, he maintained a relationship with Brazilian singer and guitarist Olga Praguer Coelho, which was to last for over a decade.[58] In 1962 Segovia married Emilia Magdalena Corral Sancho.[59] They had one son, Carlos Andrés Segovia,[60] the current Marquis of Salobreña.[61]

Students

Segovia had several notable students throughout his career:

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See also

Notes
  1. Spanish pronunciation: [anˈdɾes seˈɣoβja ˈtores].

References
  1. Stevenson, Joseph. "Andrés Segovia Biography". AllMusic.
  2. Tosone, Jim (October 2000). Classical guitarists: conversations. McFarland. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7864-0813-9.
  3. Secrets From The Masters (Edited by Don Menn) – (Published by GPI Books) (ISBN 0-87930-260-7) – p237 Segovia quote: "....I did not have a taste for the flamenco. My friends began to look in private houses and in music shops for something written for the guitar. And they found something by Sor, Giuliani, Aguado, and little things published by Tarrega.".
  4. Secrets From The Masters (Edited by Don Menn) – (Published by GPI Books) (ISBN 0-87930-260-7)
  5. Secrets From The Masters (Edited by Don Menn) – (Published by GPI Books) (ISBN 0-87930-260-7) – p238 Segovia quote: "The first concert I gave was in Granada. Then I had to give it in Seville about two months later."
  6. Castro, Iván A. (December 2006). 100 Hispanics you should know. Libraries Unlimited. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-59158-327-1. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  7. In Memory of Andres Segovia Archived 5 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine; by Vasilios Avraam
  8. Phillips, Robert Michael, "The influence of Miguel Llobet on the pedagogy, repertoire, and stature of the guitar in the twentieth century" (2002).
  9. Annala, Hannu; Mätlik, Heiki (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7866-5844-2.
  10. Carol A. Hess, Manuel de Falla and modernism in Spain, 1898–1936 (University of Chicago 2001) at 175.
  11. D. E. Pohlen, Lives and Legends of Flamenco (Madrid 1964, revised 1988) at 73.
  12. Eduardo Molina Fajardo, Manuel de Falla y El "Cante Jondo" (Universidad de Granada 1962; 2d ed. 1998) at 116.
  13. Manuel M. Ponce and the guitar By Corazón Otero, J. D. Roberts; Bold Strummer, 1994; ISBN 0-933224-85-0
  14. "Music: Frets in Minneapolis". TIME.com. 29 June 1936.
  15. Andres Segovia Is Dead At 94; His Crusade Elevated Guitar; by Donal Henahan; The New York Times; 4 June 1987
  16. Andres Segovia, Spanish Guitarist Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Biography; hosted at Cumpiano.com
  17. Annala, Hannu; Mätlik, Heiki (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7866-5844-2.
  18. Pablo Zinger (August 1999). "MUSIC; A Composer Who Found Strength in an Inner Vision". The New York Times.
  19. Segovia at Grammy.com
  20. Jim Tosone (October 2000). Classical guitarists: conversations. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7864-0813-9.
  21. John W. Duarte (1998). Andrés Segovia, as I knew him. Mel Bay. ISBN 978-0-7866-3319-7.
  22. Few words from the composer, John Duarte; Goni website
  23. "Marqueses de Salobreña". Geneall.es.
  24. "An Armory of Famous Musicians". Heraldica. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  26. Augustine Strings; see history
  27. Julian Bream (A Life on the Road) by Tony Palmer (First Published in the UK by Macdonald & Co 1982) (ISBN 0-356-07880-9) p125 "...the composer Peter Warlock.....persuaded the Oxford University Press to publish his edition of Dowland's Lachrimae or Seven Tears, and this was the edition Segovia used for his guitar transcriptions."
  28. Andrés Segovia's compositions Archived 9 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Pocci Catalog (see also)
  29. John W. Duarte. "Guitar Recital". Naxos. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  30. Hannu Annala; Heiki Mätlik (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7866-5844-2.
  31. Britishness and the classical guitar after 1950: composers, performers and identity in the contemporary British guitar repertoire Archived 23 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine by Mark Marrington
  32. Frank Martin: Quatre pièces brèves; Universal Edition
  33. Graham Wade (1 August 2001). A Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Mel Bay Publications. pp. 118–. ISBN 978-0-7866-4978-5. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  34. Darius Milhaud: Segoviana; Éditions Alphonse Leduc
  35. Book Review: The Andres Segovia Archive, edited by Angelo Gilardino, Liugi Biscaldi by Silvio Jose dos Santos
  36. "Gilardino on the Andrés Segovia Archive". google.com.
  37. Andrés Segovia Archive at Bèrben
  38. "John Mills: The Teaching of Andres Segovia". Archived from the original on 18 October 2007.
  39. The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present Day by Harvey Turnbull; Bold Strummer, 1992; ISBN 0-933224-57-5
  40. Simon. "Oscar Ghiglia". classicalguitarreview.com.
  41. Krieger, Diane (Summer 2002). "The Astonishing LAGQ". University of Southern California Trojan Family Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  42. Alberge, Dalia (14 October 2012). "John Williams says guitar maestro Andrés Segovia bullied students and stifled their creativity". The Guardian.
  43. "John Williams Interview with Austin Prichard-Levy". The Twang Box Dynasty. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007.
  44. ABC Madrid; 1975/10/12; translated from the Spanish: "El intérprete musical que más me fascina es Andrés Segovia"
  45. "Pagina nueva 2". segoviamuseo.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  46. statue A Concise History of the Classic Guitar by Graham Wade; Mel Bay Publications, 2001; ISBN 0-7866-4978-X
  47. "Panoramio – Photo of Monumento a Andrés Segovia (Linares)". panoramio.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  48. Visita a la Fundación Andrés Segovia; Artepulsado
  49. Duarte, John W. Andres Segovia As I Knew Him. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay, 1998. p. 5
  50. "Fernando Sor: Twenty Studies". Guitar Studies International. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  51. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3822) Segovia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3822) Segovia. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 324. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3815. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  52. "International Youth Competition for Guitar Velbert Internationaler Jugend-Wettbewerb für Gitarre in Velbert". gitarrevelbert.de. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  53. "Honores y Distinciones". Andrés Segovia. Síntesis biográfica. Honores y distinciones. by Alberto López Poveda. (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Boletín de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Segundo semestre de 1986. Número 63.). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  54. "Honores y Distinciones". Andrés Segovia. Síntesis biográfica. Honores y distinciones. by Alberto López Poveda. (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Boletín de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Segundo semestre de 1986. Número 63.). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  55. Family image: Segovia with wife Adelaida Portillo and baby Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Nuevo Mundo (Madrid), 5 May 1922
  56. "The Great Female Pianists, Vol. 5 Paquita Madriguera". Dal Segno. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  57. "Rollography". The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005.
  58. "Golden Era 74 Olga Coelho South American Folksongs 1944–1957". Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
  59. "Cronología de la Vida y Obra de Andrés Segovia (1893–1987)".
  60. Carlos A. Segovia; at Academia.edu
  61. Genealogía de los marqueses de Salobreña; at Website GeneAll.net

Bibliography
  • Alberto López Poveda: Andrés Segovia – Vida y Obra (2010; Tome1: 864 pages; Tome2: 408 pages) (1, 2 Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine), 2009
  • Alfredo Escande: Don Andrés y Paquita – La vida de Segovia en Montevideo
  • The Segovia-Ponce Letters
  • Andrés Segovia. Un secolo di storia nella musica del grande chitarrista spagnolo (2005)
  • Graham Wade: Traditions of the Classical Guitar(John Calder, London, 1980)
  • Graham Wade: Segovia – A Celebration of the Man and his Music (Allison & Busby, London, 1983)
  • Graham Wade: Maestro Segovia (Robson, London, 1986)
  • Graham Wade and Gerard Garno: A New Look at Segovia, His Life, His Music, Volumes 1 & 2 (Mel Bay Publications Inc., Pacific, Missouri, 1997)
  • Graham Wade: A Concise History of the Classic Guitar (Mel Bay Publications Inc., Pacific, Missouri, 2001)
  • Machilis, Joseph. The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 1977, Pages 107–109.
Spanish nobility
New title Marquess of Salobreña
1981–1987		 Succeeded by
Carlos Andrés Segovia
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