Fernando Sor: Works, Music, and Legacy
Fernando Sor composed, performed, and taught music which challenged assumptions of what the classical guitar could do. Sor wrote in a wide range of genres, including operas, ballets, string quartets, songs, and pieces for solo classical guitar. Sor’s works for guitar encompass a diverse array of music. This includes sonatas, fantasias, divertimentos, variations, and studies, among other works. During his prolific career, Sor performed throughout Europe for royalty and in public concerts. In the process, he brought his polyphonic approach to the instrument to a broad audience.
Sor also wrote a guitar method. This work, titled Méthode pour la Guitare, which is an exposition of Sor’s musical philosophy as it is a method for learning how to play the classical guitar. His pedagogical approach favors the use of reason and critical thinking. Sor focuses on providing the student with tools to then learn and think for themselves. These tools include learning music theory, harmony, counterpoint, and basic musicianship skills. He advocates learning these skills alongside the technical skills that are specific to guitar. Sor’s method also demonstrates his approach to fingering, which is based on the intervals of thirds and sixths.
Sor was not the first guitarist to write complex music for the guitar or elevate its status. His approach was likely influenced by past guitarist/composers such as de Murcia, Moretti, and Basilio, as well as Haydn and Mozart. However, what sets Sor apart is that he was one of the few guitarists of his time to combine these influences into a musical and pedagogical approach that challenged assumptions and perceptions surrounding the instrument. In doing so, he helped pave the way for the guitar to be taken seriously as a formidable instrument in its own right.
Resources:
Heck, Thomas F., Harvey Turnbull, Paul Sparks, James Tyler, Tony Bacon, Oleg V. Timofeyey, and Gerhard Kubik. “Guitar.” Grove Music Online. Edited by Deane Root. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.
Page, Christopher. “New light on the London years of Fernando Sor (1815–1822).” Early Music 41, no. 4 (November 2013): 557-569.
Ribiero Alves, Júlio. “The History of the Guitar: Its Origins and Evolution.” Marshall Digital Scholar (Fall 2015): 1-169.
Sor, Fernando. Method for the Spanish Guitar. London, UK: Tecla Editions, 2003.
Wade, Graham. Traditions of the Classical Guitar. Richmond, UK: Overture Publishing, 2012.