{"id":5390,"date":"2016-11-11T15:25:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T23:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=5390"},"modified":"2016-11-11T15:30:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-11T23:30:45","slug":"exploring-the-archive-of-andres-segovias-compositions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/exploring-the-archive-of-andres-segovias-compositions\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Archive of Andre\u0301s Segovia’s Compositions"},"content":{"rendered":"
From the Winter 2016 issue of Classical Guitar<\/em><\/a> | BY MARK SMALL<\/h6>\n

Andre\u0301s Segovia (1893\u20131987) is highly regarded for dedicating his life to gaining acceptance for the guitar as a classical concert instrument. Unlike earlier master instrumentalists such as Niccolo\u0300 Paganini, Franz Liszt, or Fre\u0301de\u0301ric Chopin, Segovia was not known for popularizing his own compositions for his instrument. But Segovia created a modest body of works.<\/p>\n

Italian guitarist, composer, and musicologist Angelo Gilardino, who was the artistic director for the Andre\u0301s Segovia Foundation from 1997 to 2005, is familiar with the scope of Segovia\u2019s composing activities. \u201cI would say he wrote about 60 short pieces,\u201d Gilardino says, \u201cbut I\u2019m not completely sure. Segovia didn\u2019t take much care in collecting his own manuscripts and editions. There are probably some pieces that he left in the hands of friends. I know that he let one of his short pieces be published under the name of another person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Gilardino states that Segovia had no ambitions as a composer and sometimes allowed very minor publishers to distribute his works. \u201cWe can\u2019t be sure that we have recovered all of them,\u201d Gilardino says. \u201cI know of 55 of Segovia\u2019s titles that have been published thus far.\u201d Gilardino has edited three volumes of Segovia\u2019s original works for Edizioni Be\u0300rben. They include two volumes titled Preludios y Estudios<\/em> (Preludes and Studies<\/em>) plus the 23 Canciones Populares de Distintos Paises<\/em>. The latter, Gilardino says, is \u201ca charming collection of popular songs from all over the world, harmonized and arranged by Segovia. They might be compared to the arrangements [Miguel] Llobet made of Catala\u0301n folk songs, though in quite a different style.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is through Gilardino\u2019s relationship with Emilia Segovia, the maestro\u2019s widow, that Scott Tennant was able to obtain the music to Fandango de la Madrugada<\/em>, Segovia\u2019s most ambitious and yet unpublished composition to premiere on his new album. \u201cThis piece was not in Segovia\u2019s library in Spain,\u201d says Gilardino. \u201cThere were some manuscripts that he abandoned in Montevideo when he left to move to New York after the breakup of his marriage to the pianist Paquita Madriguera.\u201d Two manuscripts of Fandango de la Madrugada<\/em> were in the possession of different owners. With the help of Gilardino\u2019s friends, David Norton of Salt Lake City and Alfredo Escande of Montevideo, the manuscripts were recovered. With Emilia Segovia\u2019s blessing, Gilardino sent copies of both manuscript to Tennant.<\/p>\n

It took Tennant two weeks to decipher the music from the photocopies of the aging and damaged manuscripts and make a performing edition. The version that Tennant prepared will ultimately go to Be\u0300rben for publication under the watchful eye of Gilardino. \u201cHaving such an excellent guitarist as Scott preparing the edition, I cannot see any reason why I would need to edit it myself,\u201d Gilardino says. \u201cMy work will be just reading the proofs before giving the \u2018bon a\u0300 tirer.\u2019<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott Tennant Pulls Out All the Stops for a Recording that Sheds Light on Andr\u00e9s Segovia as a Composer<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n