Andrès Segovia
Guitarist Andrés Segovia did much to develop the classical guitar as it exists today, and he was almost unique among the great virtuosos of classical music in being self-taught. He commissioned a great deal of music that expanded the guitar repertory, transcribed music for the guitar, and was an influential educator to whom many of today's classical guitarists can trace their musical lineages.
Segovia was born on February 21, 1893, in Linares, in southern Spain's Andalucía region. He was raised by an aunt and uncle who recognized his talent and signed him up for violin lessons. Segovia clashed with his teacher, and these lessons were discontinued, but he was fascinated by the guitar and set about teaching himself the instrument, developing an unusual style that, in some respects, improved on the usual methods. Although he grew up in the heartland of flamenco music, Segovia disliked the form and gravitated more toward classical guitar works by Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, and other composers. In 1909, he gave a concert in Granada; Tárrega was impressed and agreed to give the youngster some lessons, but he died before they could begin. Despite criticism from some of Tárrega's students, Segovia continued with his self-education. He gave concerts in Madrid in 1912, at the Paris Conservatory in 1915, and in Barcelona in 1916. By the end of the 1910s decade, Segovia decided he was ready for an international career and launched a tour of South America. He followed in the footsteps of guitarist Miguel Llobet, who had sought to establish a place on classical concert stages for the guitar.
In the 1920s, Segovia began to extend his range of acquaintances among composers, and these efforts resulted in the commissioning of new guitar works that have become central to the guitar repertory today. He met Alexandre Tansman, traveled to Argentina and met Agustín Barrios, and impressed Manuel Ponce during a concert in Mexico City. All of these encounters resulted in new music. Segovia made his U.S. debut in 1928 after violinist Fritz Kreisler, who also played the guitar, persuaded bookers to present a Segovia tour. During that tour, composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was exposed to Segovia's playing and dedicated his 12 Etudes for guitar to Segovia. Composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco dedicated his Guitar Concerto, Op. 99, to Segovia; it was the first guitar concerto written in the 20th century. Recordings by Segovia stretched back into the 78 rpm era; a large group of recordings that he made in London in 1949 was reissued in 1994 by the Testament label under the title Andrés Segovia: The Complete 1949 London Recordings.
Segovia's guitar technique, using only the nails of his right hand to pluck the strings, was innovative in several respects. The degree to which he expanded the guitar repertory, commissioning new works and making transcriptions of music from Bach to the 20th century (he avoided modernist styles, though) was of great importance. Perhaps the most significant aspect of Segovia's career as a whole, however, was simply that he established the guitar as a serious instrument and became its first major star. In 1956, he appeared on U.S. television on The Ed Sullivan Show. Segovia was an influential teacher who numbered among his students such future stars of the guitar as Julian Bream, Liona Boyd, Christopher Parkening, and John Williams. His students attested to the power of his example but sometimes complained of his domineering style. After World War II, Segovia was unquestionably the world's most popular guitarist and one of the world's top concert attractions on any instrument.
By the 1960s and '70s, Segovia had the satisfaction of seeing his students rival him in fame as not only solo guitarists but guitar quartets and quintets achieved popularity. Segovia remained active in concert and in the recording studio almost until his death in Madrid on June 2, 1987. That barely dented what had become a consistent stream of Segovia albums and reissues. A great variety of labels issued almost every scrap of music Segovia had recorded; one of the most reliable compilations was a four-volume set that appeared on the Deutsche Grammophon label in 2003. New reissues continued to appear into the era of streaming audio; in 2021, the Artemisia label issued an album containing live and studio Segovia recordings of the Castelnuovo-Tedesco concerto.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Guitar Etudes - The Segovia Collection, Vol. 7
Classical - Released by Geffen on 1 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Romantic Repertoire
Classical - Released by Artemisia on 6 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guitar Masterclass
Classical - Released by Regis Records on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Andrés Segovia
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 27 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milán: Seis Pavanas / Aguado: Eight Lessons / Sor: Minuets and Etudes etc.
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guitar Recital: Segovia, Andres (Complete Bach Recordings) (1927-1955) (Johann Sebastian Bach - Anonymous - Andres Segovia)
Classical - Released by IDIS on 30 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Andrés Segovia, Vol. 8
Classical - Released by IDIS on 2 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dedication
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Andrés Segovia
Classical - Released by IDIS on 6 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Segovia Rarities (Studio Recording)
Classical - Released by Artemisia on 26 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Art of Guitar
Classical - Released by TELAMO - WM Germany on 19 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Andrés Segovia: Rodrigo / Ponce / Boccherini
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Moreno Torroba / Mompou / Castelnuovo-Tedesca / Ponce / Esplá / Rodrigo: Solo guitar pieces
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.s.bach Chaconne Bwv 1004 Andrés Segovia Guitar
Classical - Released by Artemisia on 17 Mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Andrés Segovia
World - Released by ProExport Digital on 18 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Segovia, Andres: Guitar of Andres Segovia (The) - Hermann Hauser 1937 (Maker)
Classical - Released by Dynamic on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NKB SP Selection No. 13, Great Player 11 Segovia
Classical - Released by NKB Record on 25 Aug 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Enregistrements américains des années 50 (Volume 4)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 26 Feb 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Segovia & Contemporaries, Vol. 4: María Luisa Anido
Maria Luisa Anido, Andrès Segovia
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 17 Nov 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo