Andrés Segovia

Through his artistry and unflagging championship of the guitar, Andrés Segovia elevated a once humble instrument into a great vehicle for virtuosity and beguiling lyricism. Segovia also substantially increased the guitar’s repertoire by inspiring leading composers to write for him, while himself writing original compositions and transcribing works by composers such as Albéniz, Granados and J.S. Bach. Segovia’s pupils included John Williams, and his influence has been acknowledged by famous guitarists including Julian Bream. Segovia’s technique—plucking principally or even exclusively with his nails and with his right hand further away from the fingerboard than was customary—produced a remarkably resonant sound that projected effectively in the concert hall. Born in Linares, Jaén, in 1893, Segovia had some music lessons as a child but was essentially self-taught as a guitarist. He was particularly attracted to the works of Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega, using the latter’s Capricho árabe (Arabian Caprice) as “the pièce de résistance of my repertoire”. Segovia first performed in public in Granada, aged 16, in 1909. He gave his first professional concert in Madrid in 1912, performing works by Tárrega and his own guitar transcriptions of works by J.S. Bach. In 1919 he made the first of several successful tours of South America, and subsequently met Villa-Lobos, inspiring the Brazilian composer to write his 12 Guitar Études (1928-29), based on the improvisatory chorões style of Brazilian street musicians. The Mexican Manuel Ponce also composed several works for Segovia, including the guitar concerto Concierto del Sur. Segovia toured widely in Europe and also inspired several European composers to write works for him including Albert Roussel, Alexandre Tansman, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Frank Martin, Darius Milhaud and Joaquín Rodrigo, who dedicated his Fantasía para un gentilhombre to Segovia. In recognition of his contributions to music and the arts, Segovia was ennobled in 1981 by King Juan Carlos I, who gave Segovia the hereditary title of Marqués de Salobreña. Segovia died in 1987 in Madrid, aged 94.