Segovia 20 Sor Studies Pdf Review

(Original Sor Op. 29, No. 7) Focus: Agility and scale passages.

Enter Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), the man most responsible for elevating the guitar from a folk and salon instrument to a concert platform staple. In the 1920s and 30s, Segovia faced a problem: the guitar’s repertoire was sparse in large-scale, Romantic works. He commissioned new pieces (from Villa-Lobos, Ponce, Rodrigo) and turned to the past for pedagogical material. He found Sor’s 90 studies, but deemed many too long, repetitive, or pianistically conceived for the modern guitar’s nascent concert profile. segovia 20 sor studies pdf

Buy the eBook version, print the 3–4 studies you’re actively practicing, and store them in clear sleeves. (Original Sor Op

Fernando Sor (1778-1839) was a Catalan composer and virtuoso guitarist of the early Romantic era, yet his aesthetic roots were firmly planted in the Classical period of Haydn and Mozart. His monumental Méthode pour la Guitare (1830) and his 90-plus original studies (Opp. 6, 29, 31, 35, 44, 60) were designed not merely as finger exercises but as short, elegant musical miniatures. Each study addresses a specific technical challenge—slurs, arpeggios, left-hand shifting, or voice leading—while cloaked in graceful, balanced phrases. Sor’s ideal sound was one of clarity, restraint, and classical galant charm. He abhorred the flamboyant, virtuosic excesses of his contemporary, Paganini. For Sor, the study was a musical poem, not a gymnasium. Enter Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), the man most responsible

In the mid-20th century, Segovia curated 20 of Sor’s studies, editing them heavily to suit the modern concert guitar. He added fingerings, altered dynamics, and sometimes changed the notes to create a cohesive pedagogical volume.

Many modern editions, such as the Tecla Editions , provide cross-references to the original Sor opus numbers for historical accuracy: Segovia No. Original Sor Opus Common Name/Key Op. 6, No. 8 Etude in C major (Lento) No. 5 Op. 35, No. 22 Etude in B minor No. 6 Op. 35, No. 17 Etude in D major No. 20 Op. 31, No. 20 Etude in C major PDF & Sheet Music Resources