Andrés Segovia

Andrés Segovia was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist who transformed the instrument's role in music.

Before his influence, the guitar was often seen as a smaller, more intimate instrument. Segovia helped elevate it to a respected concert instrument capable of filling large halls. He was known for a highly expressive musical personality and a wide palette of tone. His artistry helped revive the guitar's popularity during the twentieth century. Today, many professional classical guitarists are his direct students or the students of his pupils.

Segovia developed a highly specific and influential right-hand technique. While some believed he used a mix of fingertips and nails, Segovia insisted he used only his nails. He believed nails provided essential timbre differences and color variation.

He positioned his nails perpendicular to the strings to ensure the nail alone pressed the string. This method helped avoid unpleasant noises on the low E, A, and D strings. He also used a flexible thumb to create a voluminous, strong bass sound. Furthermore, he moved his right hand further to the right side of the instrument. This increased string tension and produced the round, powerful sound needed for large concert venues.

His musical repertoire was built upon three main pillars. The first pillar consisted of contemporary works written specifically for him. He forged deep working relationships with many great composers to expand the guitar's library. These included Manuel Ponce, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Joaquín Rodrigo. The second pillar involved transcriptions that Segovia created himself. He adapted classical works originally written for the piano, violin, lute, or harpsichord for the guitar. The third pillar was the revival of older works, such as those by Tárrega. These efforts ensured a diverse and professional body of music for future generations.

Segovia's early life in Spain shaped his musical direction. He was born on February 21, 1893, in Linares, Jaén. His uncle Eduardo recognized his aptitude and arranged violin lessons. However, these lessons were unhappy due to a strict teacher, so they were stopped. Segovia later moved to Granada to pursue a better education. While he was aware of flamenco music during his youth, he stated he did not have a taste for it. Instead, he focused on classical composers like Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega. He often described his early education as acting as both professor and pupil in one body.

His professional career began with a public performance in Granada in 1909.

He soon performed in Seville and later in Madrid. Despite his family's wish for him to study law, he remained dedicated to the guitar. In 1919, he completed a successful tour of South America. He visited Mexico in 1923, where the composer Manuel Ponce was highly impressed. In 1928, he began his first major tour of the United States. This tour was arranged with the help of the violinist Fritz Kreisler. During this era, he also began using a guitar made by the German luthier Hermann Hauser Sr.

Segovia's global connections led to many historic musical premieres. In 1921, he met Alexandre Tansman in Paris, who later wrote works like the prize-winning *Cavatina*. In 1932, he befriended Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in Venice. Because Castelnuovo-Tedesco did not play guitar, Segovia provided him with compositions to study. This led to the creation of the Concerto Op. 99 in 1939, the first guitar concerto of the twentieth century. Segovia premiered this work in Uruguay. He also maintained a long relationship with the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, who dedicated his *Twelve Études* to him.

Throughout his long life, Segovia received many honors and accolades. In 1958, he won a Grammy Award for his recording *Segovia Golden Jubilee*. In 1981, King Juan Carlos I of Spain ennobled him as the Marqués de Salobreña.

He continued to perform and record well into his later years. He even participated in a 13-part radio series titled *Segovia!* in 1984. Segovia passed away in Madrid on June 2, 1987, at the age of 94. He is buried in his birthplace of Linares.