Méthode pour la Guitare
Encyclopedia
The Méthode pour la Guitare is a method for the classical guitar
originally written in French
by guitarist and composer Fernando Sor
.
The method was written with the early romantic guitar in mind (Sor mentions some 19th century guitar-builder: J. Panormo, Schroeder of Petersburg, Alonso of Madrid, Pages and Benitez of Cadiz, Joseph and Manuel Martinez of Malaga, Rada, and Lacôte of Paris), but it is not only about instrumental technique, but also includes details about the theory of scales, harmony, sonority, composition, and above all music as an art.
by Cocks & Co. probably in 1832, as "Method for the Spanish Guitar". (It is interesting that the French and German versions do not carry the word "Spanish" in the title). This version is today available from Brian Jeffery's Tecla Editions.
Brian Jeffery mentions: "Later in the century, in 1897, Frank Mott Harrison published in London a Method for the Guitar by Ferdinando Sor, a work of small value which says (of course wrongly) that the original was written in Spanish."
, one of his pupils, published a revision of the original called (alt.). Matanya Ophee states that in Coste's revised and augmented version, there is an introduction which is helpful in better understanding Sor, and some of the circumstances under which Sor wrote the original method.
Brian Jeffery controversially regards Coste's version somewhat negatively ("travesty of the original" ... "bears little resemblance to the original"), even though the title immediately makes it clear, that it is not the original, but was adapted and augmented by Coste (augmented incidentally, with numerous pieces of high quality). Today Coste's version is highly regarded in its own right (the title mentioning of Sor, possibly being more a sign of respect, than what Jeffery has termed "a disservice to his friend’s memory"). Matanya Ophee has written: "He [Coste] is certainly not hostile to Sor and to his memory".
; mentioning "that the celebrated Düssek had the texture of the orchestra in view when he wrote for the pianoforte the passage in example twenty-seventh, plate VII."
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
originally written in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by guitarist and composer Fernando Sor
Fernando Sor
Josep Ferran Sorts i Muntades was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer. While he is best known for his guitar compositions, he also composed music for a wide range of genres, including opera, orchestra, string quartet, piano, voice and ballet...
.
The method was written with the early romantic guitar in mind (Sor mentions some 19th century guitar-builder: J. Panormo, Schroeder of Petersburg, Alonso of Madrid, Pages and Benitez of Cadiz, Joseph and Manuel Martinez of Malaga, Rada, and Lacôte of Paris), but it is not only about instrumental technique, but also includes details about the theory of scales, harmony, sonority, composition, and above all music as an art.
French and German edition
The first edition was in French and appeared in Paris in 1830 with the title of ‘’’’ Brian Jeffery (the modern publisher of A. Merrick's old English translation) mentions: "It is the only version known to have Sor’s direct authority. Now extremely rare, it was never reprinted; indeed, an early biographer of Sor (Baltasar Saldoni in his Diccionario de Efemérides de Músicos Españoles, I, Madrid, 1868) says (he does not state on what authority) that Sor destroyed the plates." During the same period Simrock in Bonn had brought out a parallel French and German edition: Méthode pour la guitare = Guitarre-Schule (Bonn : N. Simrock, 1831).English Edition
The English edition is a translation from the original in French made by A. Merrick, the organist of Cirencester, and published in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Cocks & Co. probably in 1832, as "Method for the Spanish Guitar". (It is interesting that the French and German versions do not carry the word "Spanish" in the title). This version is today available from Brian Jeffery's Tecla Editions.
Brian Jeffery mentions: "Later in the century, in 1897, Frank Mott Harrison published in London a Method for the Guitar by Ferdinando Sor, a work of small value which says (of course wrongly) that the original was written in Spanish."
Coste's adapted and augmented version
After Sor’s death, Napoléon CosteNapoléon Coste
Claude Antoine Jean Georges Napoléon Coste was a French guitarist and composer.-Biography:Napoléon Coste was born in Amondans , France, near Besançon. He was first taught the guitar by his mother, an accomplished player. As a teenager he became a teacher of the instrument and appeared in many...
, one of his pupils, published a revision of the original called (alt.). Matanya Ophee states that in Coste's revised and augmented version, there is an introduction which is helpful in better understanding Sor, and some of the circumstances under which Sor wrote the original method.
Brian Jeffery controversially regards Coste's version somewhat negatively ("travesty of the original" ... "bears little resemblance to the original"), even though the title immediately makes it clear, that it is not the original, but was adapted and augmented by Coste (augmented incidentally, with numerous pieces of high quality). Today Coste's version is highly regarded in its own right (the title mentioning of Sor, possibly being more a sign of respect, than what Jeffery has termed "a disservice to his friend’s memory"). Matanya Ophee has written: "He [Coste] is certainly not hostile to Sor and to his memory".
Various details
In the method (in plate VII, example 27), Sor quotes bars 22 to 25 of Sonata Op.35, No.1 by Jan Ladislav DussekJan Ladislav Dussek
Jan Ladislav Dussek was a Czech composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music abroad in the second half of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century...
; mentioning "that the celebrated Düssek had the texture of the orchestra in view when he wrote for the pianoforte the passage in example twenty-seventh, plate VII."
External links
- A Brief History of Spanish Guitar Methods by Matanya Ophee
- Sor: Method for the Spanish Guitar - The preface to the Tecla edition by Brian Jeffery
- Sor, teaching, and the Enlightenment by Brian Jeffery
Historical sources
- Seven years of the King's theatre by John EbersJohn EbersJohn Ebers was an English operatic manager, notable for his promotion of Italian opera in London in the 1820s.-Early life:Ebers was the son of German parents, was born in London about 1785...
; published by Carey, Lea & Carey, 1828 - Bibliographie de la France by Adrien Jean Quentin Beuchot, Cercle de la librairie (France); publisher: Au Cercle de la Librairie, 1851
- Recensionen: Guitarre-Schule von Ferdinand Sor Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung; published by Breitkopf und Härtel, 1832
- Diccionario biográfico-bibliográfico de efemérides de músicos españoles by Baltasar Saldoni