Good grief, I never really looked at it from that point of view. Do you think Segovia's disability ( ?missing fingers )may have jaundiced his opinion on the type of music he chose to play/promote? Rather than just a dislike.
Neil -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eugene C. Braig IV Sent: 14 July 2009 21:35 To: [email protected] Subject: [LUTE] Re: Andres Segovia Not only within the US. Almost all things guitar that Segovia did not choose to champion were neglected in Segovia's shadow; decades of what guitarists knew of guitar were filtered through Segovia's personal tastes. The whole of substantial bodies of baroque and post-Sor romantic repertoire were almost totally forgotten until recently. This not only involved (sometimes insipid) US composers (like the Bickfords, Foden, Holland, etc.) but European romantics (like Mertz, Regondi, Zani di Ferranti, etc.) Evidently, Segovia didn't like (or couldn't play) dedicated baroque and romantic compositions for guitar (the latter often overtly virtuosic for no better reason than being overtly virtuosic), so he entirely invented baroque and romantic repertoires through transcription of music by composers he considered to be great (and that didn't necessarily involve the techniques that had developed around those eras guitars). He also cast his shadow upon the instruments themselves. Thriving non-Spanish, quite "classical" schools of guitar making in the US (typified by the gut-strung guitars of Martin, etc.), Italy, Germany, etc. were all Iberified in part thanks to Segovia's popularity. Even Hauser built guitars that were a natural extension of the work of Germanic luthiers like Stauffer and Scherzer. Such things were largely neglected once Segovia championed Hauser's more Spanish-like models. Perhaps the most obvious example, early in the 19th c., all the world's "classical" guitars had moved away from tie-block bridges to fixing strings through the soundboard with pins...except in Spain. Note the most readily accepted paradigm of "classical" guitar bridge in the world after Segovia. Of course, this is all a little simplified, but the point remains: Segovia's massive popularity certainly left a mark on plucky art music, but not all of it was positive. Eugene > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Christopher Stetson > Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 3:58 PM > To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Andres Segovia > > Hi, all, > > Actually, in the little bit I watched, the maestro was advising his > student to avoid imitating the lute on the guitar. Perhaps that was > your point, Gert? If my historical knowledge is correct, far from > trying to revive ancient styles (as distinct from ancient music), > wasn't Segovia actively trying to reform and modernize guitar > technique? > > > > While, as has been said, he was an impressive musician, I'm no > particular fan of Segovia. His USA visit of 1929 effectively brought > an indigenous, if sometimes insipid, American school of guitar > composition to an abrupt end. (Well, OK, he had some help from Thomas > Edison and Duke Ellington.) > > > > Best to all, and keep playing. > > Chris. > >>> <[email protected]> 07/14/09 6:55 AM >>> > Well, not such a good imitation, I think. But he was a wonderful > guitarist and musician. > __________________________________________________________________ > Looking for love this summer? [1]Find it now on AOL Personals. > -- > References > 1. http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003 > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > --
