The Struggle With Segovia.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2024
- "The Apostle and Patriarch of Guitar". Andrés Segovia's legacy is a blend of genius and controversy. In this video, tonebase creator Jakob Schmidt and tonebase artist Professor Stephen Goss explore the profound impact of this guitar maestro. We delve into Segovia's remarkable contributions to classical guitar, his complex persona, and the myths surrounding him.
Let us know in the comments what your thoughts on Segovia are.
00:00 Intro
01:32 An abridged biography
02:25 The cultural phenomenon
04:42 The invention of the canon
06:05 Transcriptions and commissions
08:54 The Civil War and the Golden Age
11:30 Conclusion
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60 years ago I bought an Lp of Andres Segovia. It hit me so heavily, that I brought my trumpet back to the musicstore and changed to the classical guitar. The Dame in the store gave me the name and tel nr of a wonderful guitar teacher I studied with for about 10 years. And then I studied classical guitar for several years in a conservatory.
I've seen Andres Segovia 3 times life in different cities in Germany. I remember the first concert I had goose bumps all over. And for decades now I'm a guitar teacher - all began with Andres Segovia ❤
Nice story, I was similarly impressed by Paco de lucia...
This is my personal experience with the Terrifying Spectacle of Andres Segovia
When I was about 19 or 20, sometime around 1980 (the last of his years of strength as a guitarist), I attended a concert of Andreas Segovia at the Milwaukee Performing Arts Center I arrived about ten minutes before the concert, actually, I had been worried I would be late. But I made it in time and sat in the 13th row center. My attitude was that I would enjoy the concert and maybe learn something, or pick up some ideas. Little did I know,,,
The house lights went down, and Maestro Segovia walked on stage. I had noticed there were no microphones or sound system; no amplification of any kind. And this was in a venue holding 1200 people (I think). The Maestro was carrying his guitar, but for some reason, I didn’t think it was the Hauser guitar he usually played. It also occurred to me that here was a man who not only had been playing guitar at the top of the game for almost 70 years, he single handedly defined modern classical guitar.
He sat down, checked his tuning, and looked around. Then, his eyes fell upon me. And he stared at me. Yes, I was a victim of the dreaded Segovia Stare! With God as my witness, I was not fidgeting or making noise. I sat quietly and respectfully waited for the Maestro to play. Perhaps he didn’t like the way I looked (I was a rock & roll gladiator from hell with long scraggly hair, wearing a denim jacket and a colorful Jimi Hendrix t-shirt).
After pinning me to my seat with his unnerving stare, he got up and walked off stage.
The audience was murmuring like “what the hell is going on.” I was terrified that I was somehow the cause of him walking off. Then he returned, carrying a different guitar, one that looked like his usual Hauser! I thought that he had read my mind and knew I recognized that the first guitar he carried wasn’t his usual one! From that moment on, I was scared to death of him. He knew more about me than I knew about myself.
Then he began to play.
Watching videos of Segovia is always a pleasure. But actually being there is quite another thing. Everyone heard every note he played. His sound filled the auditorium. Every phrase was sublime poetry, every note was a perfectly crafted work of art.
After the concert, he was speaking to some people near the stage. I considered approaching him with the same youthful brazenness I had once approached Joe Pass and others. But I didn’t; I was still scared of him. Needless to say, I regret not doing so. Even if he told me off, it would have made for a great story.
I went home, picked up my guitar, and tried to play it. I couldn’t. I put it in its case and couldn’t touch it for three weeks.
In retrospect, Segovia set forces into motion that are still impacting the world of music. Some of it was not what he'd intended. And he was a flawed and imperfect man. But we owe him a debt. At this point, I would forgive him his very human failings and shortcomings and celebrate the good things he achieved.
That was a joy to read!
It's still a great story. ✌
He had several great guitars throughout his life. The first was the 1912 Manuel Ramirez guitar that was more than likely actually made by Santos Hernandez. The Hauser guitar replaced the Ramirez for him in 1937. Later in his career (I forget if this started in the '60s or '70s), I believe he was playing Fleta guitars. Anyhow, it's a shame you didn't approach him. My great-grandfather approached him after a concert, and wound up having him over for dinner, and took a lesson from him.
Amen.
I was at the very same show. As an eighteen year old I took my mother, and my grandmother to this concert. I remember he injured his arm in San Francisco the week before while closing his hotel window. I was afraid he was going to cancel. The PAC's stage had glass panes suspended 20 feet above the stage to direct sound toward the audience. No microphones.
Segovia played in my college gym in about 1970 to a huge sold-out crowd. He came out on stage to a loud sustained applause & sat down, tuned, then waited for the audience to quiet down. The audience quieted down. He waited & looked around the gym until the audience got the idea that they REALLY needed to quiet down. They quieted down more. He kept waiting. When this process was complete it was astoundingly quiet. I seemed that nobody was even breathing. Finally he played & the sense of focus that permeated the room was something I had never experienced before or since. The sound of his guitar was indescribably beautiful.
There will never be another Segovia. His sound, discipline and soul were all the classical guitar could be. Wes Montgomery is copied but there will never be another Wes. My college teacher studied at Segovia master classes and had a masters in music theory. Only the best could be near him to experience his gift. I listened to Segovia as a teenager and realized he was beyond any technique or analysis. His soul spoke and lived discipline and beauty of sound that many try to copy but will never come near to Segovia and the expression of classcal guitar and the full potential of its power. Rock, Jazz and Blues guitarists have sought amplification levels at many times bearable levels. Segovia was the loudest guitarist of all time because he commanded respect instantly and when you realized it, you were drawn to his sound and mastery and were mesmerized by his phrasing and control. He was sent to show us what could be done with and on the guitar but only fools would think he can be copied. His genius is inspiration and joy. He left an example for us to try to reach but he was the master. God Bless him.
As a member of the Pittsburgh Classical Guitar Society, I had dinner, as part of a small group, with Segovia on several occasions. His Hauser guitar seldom left his side.I also attended after concert coffee with Segovia, along with perhaps -67 other classical guitar aficionados. His taste and enthusiasm for traditional guitar music has been viewed as narrow and restrictive, in the same manner as Horowitz was a romantic, or Glenn Gould was about J.S. Bach. Critics always have something to say. Our brief meetings with this master impressed me as to his kindness, inquisitiveness and interest in other people, and his generosity with his time, when he was very fatigued from travel. He wanted only the very best music for the guitar and music that would resonate its beauty. It was evident he explored many avenues to bring his masterful playing and the beauty of the music to the world. Unlike many musicians who may be pedantic, or irritable, we never witnessed this, in his presence. I found him to be a pure. musical academic with genuine warmth for his fans.
I love that the comment section of this video is basically a list of anecdotal stories about meeting/hearing/studying with Segovia. RIP to perhaps his most impactful pupil, Oscar Ghiglia, who passed just a few days ago. For my generation, Oscar was the closest any of us could ever get to Segovia.
What's this deal with criticizing anyone who has any flaws? Those criticizing him are also flawed. He's the main reason classical guitar is what it is today.
I was at his last New York solo recital in the mid 1980s. He walked very slowly out to the stage. He was a large man, almost ungainly, until he sat down and began to play. Then he was the soul of elegance, with an almost understated expressiveness that, like that of the pianist Alicia De Larrocha, paradoxically came over as a powerful, authoritative expressive style. He seemed like a gentleman from another era that day to me.
Dear Jakob (and Professor Goss),
Thank you for this interesting perspective on our Godfather, Segovia. I heard Segovia play at Florida State University in February 1969 and was profoundly moved. In grad school that fall I studied religion getting ready for a doctorate in Theology, but also studied guitar with Mario Abril. On December 13, 1969, I was drafted for the Vietnam War and everything in my life changed with two exceptions: My wife of 55 years is still by my side, and before dawn on the morning you published this brief opinion piece on Segovia, I played the preludes for BWV 998, 999, and BWV 1007, and spent an hour working on a fugue. Dear friends, Segovia is alive in me and millions of others who have been in love with the classical guitar since hearing him perform. Segovia should be studied not because he has "holy status" for putting the guitar to work as a concert instrument, or because of his superior skill among all other performers on the instrument. Rather, we should pay homage to him as a major influencer, the one destined to bequeath to almost a century of guitarists around the world a burning love for music and a reverence for the classical guitar that have eternal life. Segovia created the inspiration for guitarists, young or old, to move from his shadow into the bright light carried forward by each successive generation of performers who are taking interpretation, execution, composition, theory, and guitar construction to higher ground. Very respectfully, Vance Renfroe
I attended the concert your reference in Minnesota, in February of 1961 in Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. This was a very large hall. The audience was respectful. He played to the upper balconies without amplification. The performance was riveting. I knew not of his support for Franco, but I am nonetheless grateful for Segovia's transformation of the guitar repertoire. Thanks for this excellent exposition.
I was fortunate to attend several of Segovia's "last concerts," in different cities throughout my youth. I loved his playing. I was a teenager and didn't care about his politics, his teaching style, his compositional style. He literally made the classical guitar. And I was simply entranced with his sound. That amazing sound. That no one has yet come close to. I understand that many modern players have rejected that sound. Not all. And I believe that when a player who is capable of it (because it is difficult!) plays that sound, it will again be popular. Simply because it is beautiful.
Jazz guitarist here with a lot of classical study. My earliest exposure to classical guitar was Segovia, Bream and Williams. I liked many others but i always preferred the musicians who had their own sound and concept. In the jazz world, thats one of the signal virtues; respectfully learning the past but developing your own sound and approach. When i hear the aforementioned guitarists, i hear their personalities shine through...most importantly from Segovia. Hearing him play, he has his own poetry that all great artists of the 20th century had. I never tire of his playing, even in his later years.
Same here. You've just saved me a lot of writing.
Don't use "whom". You'are using it wrong. Better to be wrong using "who" than to use "whom" wrong. People don't notice a wrong "who" usage, but a wrong "whom" usage jumps right off the page -- or screen, in this case.
I met Segovia at UCLA in the ĺate 60s. I worked for the university. I was able to talk with him before he played Royce Hall. He told me that he warmed up for two hours before a performance. It was just he and me.
Damn what a experience. Lucky you.
He was obviously very dedicated to his music and wanted to sound on point when he performed.
I saw him at the Ford Auditorium, a 3,000-seat concert hall in Detroit (in 1979, I believe?). We were in the very last two seats of the very last row in the highest corner of the hall. He came out with his guitar, sat on a chair (w/footstool), and played acoustically - no mics or sound equipiment of any kind - an we heard every single note clearly! Talk about low overhead!
The Flamenco issue. When Frederico Garcia Lorca and Manuel De Falla held the first Cante Jondo flamenco festival in Granada in 1922 , Segovia played a Soleares, while Lorca recited his poem Silverio. I studied classical guitar with a peer of Segovia, Vicente Gomez. Gomez insisted that I include flamenco in my repertoire (which I did begrudgingly because of the Segovia rule). I believe that as you point out Segovia was on a personal mission to “rescue the guitar from the busy hands of the flamenco players” to establish the guitar as a respected part of the classical tradition. Also, it was a class issue as Gitanos at that time were not part of the upper class structure he wanted to infiltrate. Gomez included both classical and flamenco in his concerts much to the joy of his audience.
"Also, it was a class issue as Gitanos at that time were not part of the upper class structure he wanted to infiltrate." ToMaybe sr. Gómez forgot to mention to his foreigner pupils that flamenco wasn´t a musical genre of "gitanos", just a musical genre born in Andalucía, south of Spain, created by spanish andalusians and gypsies from Andalucía. Gypsies are everywhere around the world, but only gypsies from Andalucía, mainly in the province of Cádiz, played flamenco at first and always interacting with andalusians begining in the XIX. And 100 years ago, when Segovia was young, there were celebre flamenco singers and dancers, but guitar players were as important as clappers marking the beat, just third rate in importance in the band. Flamenco guitar players were mediocre in the best case back then, there wasn´t any famous guitarrist. Flamenco guitar virtuosos came after spanish and world wars. Segovia had good reasons for not liking flamenco players, he was the heir of an uninterrumpted line of spanish virtuosos of vihuela and guitar since XVI: Luis de MIlán, Mudarra, Sanz, Sor, Tárrega, etc etc etc. Paganini was a virtuoso violin player and nobody think that violin was a musical instrument of gypsy street playersback them, well thats the battle that Segovia had to fight abroad of Spain. If Segovia was born 50 years later probably he would had different opinions about flamenco players. And about your "infiltration" thing, honors and titles of nobility fell on Segovia inevitably because he was a genius who worked until the last day of his long life, he did not waste time lobbying for medals nor did he get involved in politics or seek the company of socialites. You foreigners have very strange opinions about spanish things. Segovia wasn´t a god nor a devil, he was a decent man.
It's not fair to judge him in terms of today's sensibilities. His outlook was formed by the consciousness of the 19th Century, and what he achieved within that context is extraordinary. Thank you for making this video - much appreciated. I always go back to a beautiful film that was made in the mid-Seventies called, Andre Segovia- The Song Of The Guitar. It's available on You Tube, and it's pure magic.
Segovia is the goat. Younger guitarists like myself are so concerned with speed, social media, and winning competitions that they lack Musicality and the emotions that segovia and his generation brought. It's unfortunate that there's so much of a push to get away from the old masters like segovia. Obviously that's a generalization and there are some phenomenal players out there right now. I just graduated conservatory and this is just an observation I have seen over the past 4 years. Long live Segovia!
I once took lessons from ELI KASSNER, a student of Segovia…..my life has been blessed 🎸
I was a student from one of Segovia's nephews, on the Madriguera side. This professor is still active in Dallas, TX.
I was told a story about how Segovia got his large audiences in these big auditoriums to remain silent.
So apparently after coming on stage and checking his tuning, he would do the stare down and then proceed with playing, but not audible. He literally faked playing for a few moments to make the audience become absolutely silent.
Then he'd start to play for real.
I saw him when he was 82 inspired me to practice 10 hours a day. In my opinion nobody plays classical guitar like him always the best
I went to a Segovia concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles around 1973. I and my family sat high in the balcony, but we could hear every note. More than that, though, what I recall is the man's singular presence, his gravitas. It was almost as though it was his very presence filling the concert hall, leaving very little room for the rest of us.
While this is a very well done piece, I think that this video understates or fails to mention Segovia’s sound and tone, which was incredibly unique. Underpinning this was a very deep understanding of musical phrasing and line. His charisma, adeptness at self-promotion, unique mission to promote the guitar and his outsized ego would not have been enough to draw and hold audiences as he did were he not a great musician who played “con alma” and “con duende”. (oh and also because he was a man - Ida Presti may have matched or excelled him on all fronts as a musician). Like a Coltrane or a Hendrix, as a musician he could coax his audiences into a timeless place when he was really on. Later it became fashionable to disrespect him, but many of those who engaged in this behavior may have lacked the ability to communicate musically the way Segovia did. Da vergüenza su apoyo a Franco, but as the video implies, there was a certain naivety and remove that may have informed this. Aun asi, no lo justifica and it remains a stain on his character for many people.
yes I agree w you. I was fortunate to see (hear..) Segovia concert at least ten times. TONE QUALITY!
Agreed. Also regarding Ida Presti.
De acuerdo😮
He's the reason I'm a guitarist and recording artist ❤
When I was a teen wanting to get a start at learning guitar I picked up a Segovia instruction book and first page I opened to showed him teaching that the thumb must ALWAYS be behind the guitar neck and can never wrap around. My favorite guitarist at the time was Jimi Hendrix (still actually), who nearly always wrapped his thumb so... I later came to appreciate Segovias mastery but, the effect of that experience was to cause me to never take the established taught way as gospel without experimenting myself, and to always look at alternate grips, instrument angles, and other ways of doing things than what is commonly taught. I have his dominant obnoxious teachings style to thank for sending me running the other way! I would have loved to have seen his concert however.
I could tell a similar story. My guitar teacher passed on the same rule to me: the thumb must never show. I wasn't learning classical guitar, I just wanted some foundation to play pop/rock, maybe some jazz, but nothing more. Then I saw EVERYONE in rock, pop or jazz playing notes on the sixth string using their thumb. 'Hey Joe' by Hendrix can't be played without using the thumb to get the suspension right.
Mine said the same thing 😂 I said tell Jimi Hendrix you're not supposed to reach over the top lol
You can't wrap your thumb around the top of the type of guitar Segovia played. That technique only works on skinnier necked guitars like electric and many steel string guitars. He wasn't wrong and neither were the other guitarists, the instruments were different.
@@catocall7323 I like your reply and thoughts. Quick to listen slow to speak and only after considering all of the factors combined.
@@markmartin3221 I studied classical guitar and also like playing different styles and guitar types. 😅
I agree with what Stephen Goss says in this video. I started classical guitar in 1968 and I saw Segovia once in the 60s and two more times in the 70s and, sadly, once in the 80s. He should have retired by the last time I saw him. All that was left was his personality. The musicianship had suffered from the loss of his physical abilities. He admitted that he "just tried to do his best." What remained was his intent. It was clear what he was attempting to do on the instrument, and it was his way of hearing the music. He had always injected his personality into the music, for example, he played Baroque music romantically because that's how he heard it. Even more importantly, that's how he wanted to appear to his audience. He was a romantic at heart. When he heard Barrios' music, he was intrigued but he downplayed it because it had folk elements in it. Nevertheless, I have heard from South American guitar friends that Segovia secretly played Barrios' music behind closed doors. This they heard. Also, perhaps the most played concerto in the world, Rodrigo's Aranjuez, was discarded by Segovia because it had that popular folk element in it. Just consider the opening strums of the concerto. Nevertheless, Segovia's great ego demanded that the guitar be heard in his way and he succeeded. We old guitarists remain grateful.
Classical musicians ever since strike me as being unbalanced.
Es muy conocido y muy desagradable su encono hacia Barrios. Temía ser opacado por el gran genio paraguayo.
I remember my Mom went to see Segovia, he was in THE theater of our town, Maastricht Netlerlands. I was only 5, too young to join her. She came home an hour later than expected. The theater was too cold for the guitar, the master explained. He invited the whole room to a cup of coffe, his treat, in the theater foyer, and only after an hour tit was warm enough for the guitar to give it's lovely warm sound. So, as far as I know, he was not always grumpy, altho he was, of course, dead serious when it was about Guitar. 8 hours of study a day. He said that on TV when he turned 80. "And still" he said "There is improvement, it is still a slowly ascending line. Don't ever stop studying" That is a lot of hard work.....
I grew up listening to Segovia(on lp)and I admire him so much.Times are changing,there are really many great guitarists nowdays,but I think he made a first step for the world we are living today,in that matter.Who knows what aould happened if the world didn't have Segovia..He jas my deepest respect
Thank you for this. Many boomers and many stories about Segovia, and there are many controversies. The fingerings on his arrangements were often counterintuitive, if possible, to reproduce. This may be due to the fact that his little finger was huge, nearly the size of an index finger. His left hand squeaked all over the fretboard on his recordings and performances. He had zero tolerance for Agustín Barrios' compositions, famously telling John Williams to stop playing during a master class. On and on. All this said, Segovia is responsible for an immense body of beloved works including Concierto De Arajuez, Villa-Lobos - Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra and more that have sunk deep into our psyche and culture. Controversy or not he was a giant.
Thank you so much for this video! My mother received an LP of Segovia in 1960, the year I was born. I grew up listening to Segovia so much that every nuance in how he played each piece is etched in my memory. I finally saw him play in person in 1983. He was very old, and couldn't play well at all. Nevertheless, there were moments in his playing that were so characteristic of him that my brain resonated with those moments, and I was moved to tears. (I am not given to such moments, and I was embarrassed for my friends to see it.) While I now prefer players such as David Russell and Manuel Barrueco, Segovia was the beginning, and he deserves great respect and acknowledgement. Thanks again!
I saw Segovia at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA some 50 years ago. It's a huge hall. No microphone! It was a great concert and I was able to shake his hand afterwards. I have large hands his dwarfed them. Mid seventies, I studied at USC with Pepe Romero et al. Segovia held master classes at USC. I wasn't able to play for him because I graduated before the series. I personally don't think he was a great teacher but he was larger than life in what ever he did. When I started college in the 60s, only several colleges offered a degree in classical guitar. Thanks to Segovia, Bream, Pepe and others, there are many excellent guitarists these days.
(douglas hein)
I got started with classical guitar in the early 2000s, and at the time it was really hard to find recordings of Segovia in his prime, but it is much easier now. If your impression of Segovia is based on recordings he made in his 80s or 90s, you owe it to yourself to look up the early recordings.
I was privileged to attend an S. Hurok Presents concert once in the late sixties, including performances by Pablo Casals and Andreas Segovia. It still ranks as one of the greatest musical experiences I have ever witnessed.
I think Segovia has some of the most pronounced phrasing of any instrumentalist. It is similar to listening to a great orator give a speach. There is an unmistakable ebb and flow of energy and a distinct and easy to distinguish grouping of ideas. There seems to be no blurring or overlap of intent. Everything has time and space to be expressed and absorbed before the next is presented.
Amen, well said, thank you.
There are many great guitarists, but no one has ever approached his way of communicating the music the way he did! When I hear others, unfortunately, I am never moved in the same way!
I'm finally studying Royal Conservatory Classical Guitar, just finishing level 4. I've always admired players like Segovia, the depth of knowledge, skill and technical complexity that the Classical guitar has to offer, even though I may not give it rightful listening attention. There's something to be said about the "muse" in music that supercedes the medium through which it is expressed. You have my full attention when you're able to balance all those elements... where the muse within music leads the way.
A long New Yorker profile of Eliot Fisk from about 30 years ago speculated that had there been no civil way in Spain-Segovia would almost assuredly by inclination been a royalist…
I’m not so sure the classical guitar isn’t dead again. I see videos of many current fine players in front of a smattering of audience. When I was a much younger man in the 80s, I recall seeing Parkening playing at Davies in SF before 2,000 people. The Romeros regularly played in a large hall down the peninsula at the same time. Hard to imagine that today. I don’t think the guitar has such a grip on young people any longer. Its popularity has always waxed and waned…
Un excelente video sobre la vida del virtuoso de la guitarra clásica Don Andrés Segovia, y lo que él representó para los músicos de nuestra generación (años 70’), además de cómo pudo llevar de la mano el nivel de la guitarra del folklore al clásico.
In my early teens I heard his Chaconne in D and it changed my life forever. That recording has remained for me a benchmark in understanding and loving Bach. For this one thing I will be eternally grateful to Segovia.
Same here. Then I acquired his trascription of the Chaconne, and studied it. It was my graduation piece as a professor of guitar.
Same here... until I heard Pepe Romero's version
"At the same time, we can also be grateful that his ideas and methods and ideas no longer dominate." Yet it was that "domination" that made it possible for the guitar to be brought to the widespread prominence and stylistic freedom it has enjoyed to this day. Segovia did more for the guitar than anyone ever has or ever will. But more than all this, to simply listen to his performances is a blessing and a gift to all mankind.
I saw him play in the 60s--he never said a word the entire concert. A security guard was there to keep anyone off stage and also protect the valuable instrument, I suppose. I read that he made his greatest strides in learning this instrument during those periods when he was "in love" with this or that female. I always marveled at how the chubby fingers could have such dexterity! My father fell asleep during the concert.
Those chubby fingers were secret to his tone I believe. I had two students with Segovia-like fingers who, within a few weeks of lessons, sounded just like Segovia when they played slow rest strokes. Unfortunately, neither student thought they were doing anything special and eventually quit playing.
fascinating. i'm so glad you have been a teacher.@@Lutemann
Thank you!
Segovia (re-)popularized classical guitar and increased its repertoire. He was also famed for his tone. He made it a 'serious' instrument or at least that was his goal.
Tarrega is the father of modern classical guitar technique. Segovia owes much to him in that regard.
For what it's worth, modern performers can run circles around both on a strictly technical level. I am just gobsmacked by what the newer generation is capable of doing technically.
Been plucking of 50+ years😊
Segovia's technique was perfect for what he played and the way he wanted to play it.
"For what it's worth, modern performers can run circles around both on a strictly technical level"
no they can't. I mean we don't really know what Tarrega sounded like, but we have Segovia recordings, and there is clearly no modern performer running circles around him.
Agreed ...There are also recordings of others from Segovia's era. LLobet, Barrios, Regino Sáinz de la Maza and others. I would also like the tecnocrats to explain exactly what they mean by "run circles on a technical level". The old masters had no problems playing and interpreting the repertoire at the time.@@chrisc7265
There is none better in my opinion. The poetry of his phrasing, tone, technique, and interpretations changed the way I hear music and classical guitar. After all of these years, his recordings still give me beautiful chills. We are all standing on the maestro’s shoulders!
I was fortunate enough to see Segovia live when I was at university. I had only been playing guitar for a year at that time, so it was completely overwhelming - but awesome! I moved on to Jazz and Bossa Nova and it was rewarding to learn how many Jazz guitarists attribute him as massively influential, much like Django Reinhardt’s ubiquitous influence. Not sure we would’ve even had greats like Luis Bonfa and Charlie Byrd without Segovia.
Thanks so much for this warts-and-all snapshot. After all this time it's amazing to see the passions that the maestro stirs in us!
The guitar has been blessed with many great players, and in many different styles. But, Segovia made the guitar sound absolutely majestic and inspiring, even on a simple piece. He played every piece like it was the greatest music ever written. It was an astounding achievement.
It was the way Segovia played music that inspired me to learn the guitar, and who stills inspired me to this day.
There is a young electric Fusion guitarist named Matteo Mancuso playing incredible fingerstyle that has all the top players gobsmacked. He is also something very special, and is worth checking out.
While I was studying classical guitar in the late 1970s, Segovia was at the height of his thought leadership, and there were both restrictive and liberating elements to it.
For instance, it’s still a vivid memory seeing his endorsement note in every packet of Augustine strings, condemning the very thought of improvisation.
On the other hand, the strict hand-positioning techniques I learned, thanks to the orthodoxy he promoted, still equip me (much older and often out of practice) to produce a beautiful spectrum of sounds that sometimes impress people more than I deserve.
So yeah, glad he’s no longer dictator, glad he was there.
Qà
Was given 2 Segovia cassette tapes many years ago in the late 1980’s. I’ll never forget how it felt to listen to these songs. I had already been playing classical guitar and listening to various pop and rock music. I’m more into mood and feel than technical virtuosity. For me Segovia’s music was a bridge from the old classical music not written for guitar and the new, popular and romantic music that I found appealing.
I still remember the first time I heard Segovia. It was 1970, I was maybe 15 years old, and a Segovia LP was one of the first classical music albums I bought after talking my parents into buying me a small stereo. I put it on the record player in my tiny white bedroom in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, sat down on the edge of my bed to listen, and the first notes of the Violin Partita No. 3 were almost stunning, revelatory. I'll never forget it.
Excelente video, very eye opening, and inspiring. My respect For Segovia and his legacy. Tone base is ruling this era of guitar. Thanks
Your presentation was wonderful! Very well written and presented. Can't wait for more (especially Segovia).
I remember watching Segovia on PBS performing at the Lincoln Center! His genius came through a 2 inch speaker on an old black and white TV!
The prelude in D minor by JS Bach that he plays in the opening is maybe the first baroque song I ever learned. Love hearing his version….
I saw him in in concert in Los Angeles in the late seventies. He was I believe in his 90’s and still touring. He walked on stage with a cane, and his assistant brought out his guitar. I feel very lucky to have been able to see him play.
I saw him in Boston for that tour. Stage seats.
Ultimately the only reason any of us are here is because of Segovia. I love a lot of modern players but I will always return to Segovia’s recordings. It’s simply that SOUND… that stunningly beautiful sound he could create.
Yes!
This is true. While in the audience with almost 1,000 seats filled, Segovia would play a musical phrase and take a ritardando and then strike a lower bass string with his thumb (with vibrato) and it would sound huge.
This is a great comment and reminds me of something …years ago I was at Parkenings masterclass in Montana and he was demonstrating a passage on Prelude no 1 by Bach for a student… near the end of the piece…anyway he hit this vibrato with such beauty ( and I know baroque isn’t big on vibrato but this relates to Segovia’ genius too) that to this day I can still feel that sound made by Christopher. I’m not joking. Segovia was a true artist in every sense … he took musical chances all the time. He’s maybe criticized for that but I don’t care he was a genius. I especially loved when he hit a chord and then pulled off all the notes but the top one and lingered there…kind of like you said here. Stunning and breathtaking. Peace. @@TaiChiBeMe
BS. His name precedes his talent. There were always better guitarists before during and after his time.
Julian Bream is just about the only one I can think of… I’m talking artistry not velocity of playing or speed for speeds sake. Gen Z is producing speed demon tap happy guitarists that are unlistenable. It’s all sizzle no steak. David Russell has beautiful sound I’ll say that too and Barrueco. But seriously I’m not a hater give me your list of “ better” especially before him… during maybe Rey De La Torre? He was great. @@edzmuda6870
I started playing classical guitar around 1962 and got bored with the repertoire and took up piano in 1979. I had discovered more modern composers like Barrios, Rodrigo, and even early Brouwer, but the real masterpieces written for the guitar were virtually nonexistent. The commonly played pieces were mostly "nice" or "charming", near salon music. Where were the Chopin Ballades, or Rachmaninoff Preludes, or Scriabin Etudes? This video fleshes out the downward trajectory due to Segovia's invention of the guitar story, but also the rebound since the demise of his influence. Funny how it mirrors my personal "journey", as I recently took up the guitar again. Totally into Brouwer and other modern composers.
I'm studying with Jack Cecchini who thinks very highly of him and had a chance to meet and play with/for him. I'm fortunate for this because he is on my radar. I was also able to purchase a 16-book set of his arrangements and transcription that haven't been out of circulation for a very long time - they are from Japan from the 70-80s.
He almost single-handedly brought back classical guitar to the mainstream
Almost. I don't discount achievements, but there were contemporaries of his, had Segovia not done what he did, someone else would have.
F the mainstream. They have always been bumpkins and wolves destined to live without beauty.
There was no bringing back, there was just bringing as there was no such thing as 'classical guitar' before Segovia. He more or less invented the guitar as a classical instrument.
Well, there were guitars, and you can call them what you wish. People like me are still playing Aguado, Sor, Carcassi, Carulli, Guiliani etc. Segovia also played these pieces along with more, of course. I don't think your point holds much water. @@daevaskye
I saw him at Flint Center, Cupertino in 1971. and he admonished the audience for coughing. He played marvelously
My Dad was at that concert too, and loves telling that story!
I saw Segovia twice in LA and a good friend of mine studied with him for a couple of years. He was a spell-binding performer - I think in large part due to lack of amplification (as pointed out, people had to listen closely) and he was also a very dynamic player. Segovia definitely holds an important place in the guitar world.
As I studied guitar more seriously, my interest shifted much more towards flamenco which I feel is more expressive (without doubt, a generalization). At this point I started listening much more to artists like Sabicas who touched me much more on an emotional level (and flamenco technique blew my mind TBH).
Still, there's no denying the impact that Segovia had on the guitar. Sad to hear that Segovia was a Franco supporter but not surprised. My friend who studied with him told me many interesting stories about his personal interactions with him that were eye-opening to say the least. A reminder that great artists aren't necessarily great human beings.
After learning every Tárrega's piece that I wanted to play, I was in search of other big classical guitarists and found your video, thank you.
Superb presentation, and very brave. Being of a certain age, everything I suspected but couldn't dare to bring up. Thank you!
I saw him in '83. He was 80. He shuffled slowly the wings to his simple chair, fingers like sausages, then he stared playing...wow. w
What a great experience.
Saw him in the Fulcrum Centre in Slough maybe around that time or a few years before. "Fingers like sausages"... I noticed that too, very large hands, and you wondered how he could still play with those huge banana-like fingers. He seemed very old and you wondered if he should still be doing concerts at that age. Then he started and you immediately realised he wasn't in decline at all.
You are a very good host with an excellent voice and ease when
discussing events and people.
Cheers,
Rik Spector
I saw him when he was in his 80's. He played in a large hall, with no amplification. He had a beautiful tone and played slowly. He was very contemplative. He asked the audience to please refrain from coughing.
I saw him play in Philadelphia. Magnificent. My guitar teacher, who sat in the row in front of me and one seat to the right, studied in Spain with Segovia's student.
I always thought that I wasn't particularly interested in this topic, but this was so much exciting information! Thank you for that 👍🏻!
I saw him in concert at the Royal Festival Hall. He played Fantasia para un Gentilhombre and invited its composer Joaquin Rodrigo , to stand and take a bow. The composer was in the seat in front of me. I think this was in 1976.
Interesante vídeo, esperando los próximos sobre Segovia
Greatly enjoyed this video. I remember Segovia. When I was a college student Bream was the new guy on the block. As a member of Tonebase, I agree it is a great resource for all classical guitarists.
Every time I hear a young popular virtuoso like Tim Henson I also hear that innovative classical technique that Segovia perfected so many decades ago.
I like the topic. I started taking lessons some years a few years ago and played some open chords which was enjoyable for pop songs (to an extent) and thus only a passing by hobby. Until a few years ago when i purchased a John Wiliams LP. I then wanted to know more about classical guitar and ended up listening to Andres Segovia and knew I had to take classical guitar lessons. I found myself researching him as much as possible and now did a career change by studying music as a profession with classical guitar as my main instrument.
I always liked his old world musicianship and his tone. Him as a person and his technique, less so. He will always be important and its unfair that most of what he have of his recordings are from the latter part of his life.
Really quite fascinating ... didn't even know that I would find it so intriguing. I wasn't a classical player when I played, but always enjoyed it and found it so "serious".
Thanks for this brief history of the man.
The most people don't mention today is that Segovia produced a tone in his Guitar that projected in large theater with an audience of over 3,000 people. This was the case of a concert I attended.
The EMI recordings from 1927-1939 are insane! Complete takes, no edits. He plays with immense musicality and personality and sometimes really rips some fast passages. Segovia in the early years was about as good at guitar as is humanly possible.
Yes, more please! Thank you!
Great to see Stephanie's album art behind you! Very supportive couple!
Well done. Thank you.
Technique has certainly come along way since the days of Segovia, but he was the only guy to have ever captured such expression in his playing, at least to my ears
Excellent video analysis. More please!
Excellent documentary.
Thank you
I'm just starting to get into classical guitar, coming from blues and rock, and of course Segovia came up very quickly in my research, such as his performance of Asturias. Thank you for this great and informative video!
I saw him perform at The Academy of Music in Philadelphia in the 1970's. Great show. No mics.
I relate Segovia to my childhood since my father played some of his records. Im not a professional classical guitarist but I do play the instrument and I love his interpretations, they sound like an old church to me.
As a person he seemed to be someone who I would not like.
I have similar feelings. As I love his interpretations of classical guitar music, e.g. I listen to his interpretations of El Noi de la Mare while learning this song. But he was an old grumpy bigot who tried to enforce his likings and style as the only way of playing classical guitar and hated Latin American classical guitar music (or at least diminished it). He has such a long list of recorded toxic behaviors as, I think, no classical musician of the modern age.
He also is the cause of why playing with flesh instead of nails is something deemed inferior nowadays.
...thank you for this information...cheers!
Great video! Bravo.
Excellent piece - well researched and delivered. Thanks.
Excellent video...!
very informative, thank you!!!
This is wonderful!!!
Fascinating and well informed.
Thank you for this ❤
Saw him once, 1980-ish? He made the simplest every-guitarist-should-have-one pieces sound completely new, fresh and expressive.
Thanks for the great little doco
I taught Segovia how to achieve a good tone. He thanked me and polished my boots.
My memory which I have to admit is sometimes flawed, says his hands had sausages for fingers. Didn’t hamper his playing or audience appreciation when I saw him at The Royal Festival Hall, London. He played twenty encores.
Segovia was a great man, one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived.
Very interesting. I knew how important Segovia was in making the guitar a serious instrument, but I never knew his relationship to the repertoire.
“Recital Intimo” holds essential classical guitar music. Repeated listenings may open up to the listener its charms. Not obviously high degree of difficulty playing - a requirement for unmusically centered instrumentalists but, instead releasing into the air billowing sounds of diverse tones and emotions seems to have been señor Segovia’s intent. Certainly it was his specialty.
I only got to see him live once, but it remains 1 of the greatest concert experiences of my life (61)..... then again I also got to see michael hedges (many times), leo kotke, stevie ray vaughn and many other greats along my journey.......
You've seen some good ones!
that's hardly a complete list to who I've seen. well into the thousands of concerts. music has been a major influence on me....
I saw Segovia 2x in Philly, USA.
It was so cute...he would come out and perform a piece, get up, walk off stage, come back, take a bow, walk off, come back and play the next piece. It was trippy!!!
😇