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Repertoire
Fernando Sor
Many classical guitar students get their first exposure to Fernando Sor via the
Segovia edition of Sor Studies, edited in Segovia's idiosyncratic way and with
numerous note changes.
Much preferable are the editions by Brian Jeffrey (see link below) which
reproduce Sor's original editions in all their clarity. They are not cluttered with fingerings,
and if combined with a study of the classical era style, are excellent examples of
how to create on the guitar the textures of accompaniment and melody of the era.
The Segovia edition of Op.6 No.1:
A facsimile of Sor's original edition of Op.6 No.1:
As you can see, Sor assumes you can recognise the chordal structure :
bar 1: TONIC - D major -- bar2: SUB-DOMINANT G6 --
bar 3: DOMINANT - A --
bar 4 : TONIC - D major
... which then leaves you very few options with which to sensibly finger the
piece. He also assumes you know the notes in first position.
Some of the Sor studies are excerpted devices from his sonatas, for example :
No. 16 in G from the Segovia edition of Sor Studies which contains the same
chord shapes, with the texture altered, as the difficult barring passage from
Sor's Op.22 Sonata for Solo Guitar, First movement. The Sonata requires you
to hold a G major chord on the 3rd fret with a 6 string barre, then leap up to B on the
1st string with the 4th finger - while still holding the barre. Then it gets worse! The chord
changes to C/G in the 3rd position, and leaps to C at the 8th fret !!!!
This study will certainly go a long way to taking the fear out of that passage - IF -
you employ the essential barre chord techniques :
When played well it sounds dead simple, as it should, being a very simple riff based on
TONIC to SUBDOMINANT chords. And this is part of the guitar player's craft - delivering
the message to the listener without drawing attention to the technical difficulties of the
instrument.
The best version I have heard of these studies was on a long out of print Westminster LP by
John Williams.
LINKS
FREE Sor studies, lessons and exercises Tecla 101 - the standard edition of Sor's Complete Studies, Lessons and Exercises edited by Brian Jeffery - includes the whole of opp. 6, 29, 31, 35, and 60.
Click here for You Tube search results for "Sor guitar"
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