The Andres Segovia Archive
dave payne
today I received six of them in the mail (Berkeley's Quatre Pieces is
still being printed). These are all very nice looking titles, rivalling
even Orphee in cover design.
The best looking of the six has to be Scott's Sonatina, with an oil
pastel called "A Landscape" on the front cover, by none other than Cyril
Scott himself. The others aren't far behind however. Martelli's Quatre
Pieces pour guitare is adorned by a Cezanne oil on canvas called "The
Great Pine", de Breville's Fantaisie (a title added by the editor to the
untitled original) is adorned by de Vlaminck's "Paysage" (another oil on
canvas), Collet's Briviesca is adorned by Val Citores' "Briviesca"
(another oil on canvas), and Peyrot's Theme et Variations pour guitare
is adorned by Yakunchikova-Weber's "Les Balcons de Jerusalem", yet
another oil on canvas. Bringing up the rear, but still beautiful, is
Mompou's Cancion y Danza para guitarra with a miniature of Alfonso X de
Castilla y Leon (upon whose theme Mompou's piece is based) on its front
cover.
The back cover of all six titles is fittingly highlighted by a
photograph of The Andres Segovia Monument (statue) in Linares, Spain.
It's hard to tell from the photo, and I've Never Been to Spain, but the
statued Segovia (?) looks more like a satisfied conqueror of distant
lands than a simple string plucker (then again I guess in a way Segovia
was a satisfied conqueror of distant lands). I can't tell if his right
hand is leaning on the hilt of a sword or on the knob of some kind of
cane. It's definitely not a guitar.
Besides the fine artwork on the covers, each title also contains
background information on the composer and the environment he/she
composed in. 5 of the titles contain a photo of the composer (an
original drawing by Henri Collet is substituted for a photo of Henri
Collet). All in all these six titles are very classy publications,
amongst the best I have ever seen, and deserve a place in any discerning
guitarist's library. After feasting my eyes on them I can't wait to see
what visual treats the other titles in the series have in store.
Dave Payne,
the...@interlog.com
PS :) As if the beautiful covers and the bios weren't enough, these
things also contain music. In addition to the printed score each title
contains a copy of the manuscript that it was derived from (so far I
have noticed one omission however - the "variation VII" referred to in
the foreward to the Peyrot piece is not contained in the manuscript
section of the copy that I have). I haven't played with them enough yet
to comment much on the music, but I think I see why Segovia didn't
perform most of them. They are for the most part different from the kind
of stuff Segovia did play. I hear in some of these pieces (particularly
in the Scott and the Martelli, but also the Peyrot and de Breville)
things not quite like any other guitar pieces I've heard. The de
Breville is a (for me) tricky, but interesting and fun exercise in
stating triples of identical notes. Peyrot's grave theme is hard (for
me) to make natural sounding on the guitar I use, but most of the
variations seem to work nicely. The Mompou song and dance is just what
you might think it would be - a Mompou song and dance. Collet's piece
might be the most Segovia sounding of the six. The Scott and the
Martelli are the biggest interpretive challenges. Although I want to
learn all six of these pieces, Scott's Sonatina and Martelli's Quatre
Pieces beckon the most. I'm already hooked on the opening page of the
Sonatina - hooked on the "how to make it sing" puzzle.
Klaus Heim
"dave payne" <the...@interlog.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:3CE4CD07...@interlog.com...
>
> I recently ordered 7 pieces from the new Segovia Archive collection
I'd just like to underline what Dave said and am in full agreement with it.
I wouldn't put the music in "P.S." though ;-) It's fantastic! Especially the
Martelli. What wonders appear here after 70 years in hiding. I also like the
de Breville and Peyrot pieces. Congratulations to Angelo Gilardino for these
wonderful editions and also thanks to Allan Clive Jones for the very
informative introductions.
Klaus
Angelo Gilardino
"dave payne" <the...@interlog.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:3CE4CD07...@interlog.com...
> PS :) As if the beautiful covers and the bios weren't enough, these
> things also contain music. In addition to the printed score each title
> contains a copy of the manuscript that it was derived from (so far I
> have noticed one omission however - the "variation VII" referred to in
> the foreward to the Peyrot piece is not contained in the manuscript
> section of the copy that I have).
Perhaps I have not been clear enough in my foreword, David. The last
variation of the set was written twice. The variation I published in the
edited text is the second one - much a better remake of the first one.
Because I reproduced it in my edition exactly as it stands in the original,
only with my fingering added, I thought it was enough, in the facsimile
reproduction of the manuscript, to offer only the discarded variation, so as
to allow the reader to compare the two texts, and to come to the obvious
conclusion I reached. Your observation makes me wondering if, instead, it
would have been better to include also the facsimile reproduction of the
accepted variation...
> I haven't played with them enough yet
> to comment much on the music, but I think I see why Segovia didn't
> perform most of them. They are for the most part different from the kind
> of stuff Segovia did play. I hear in some of these pieces (particularly
> in the Scott and the Martelli, but also the Peyrot and de Breville)
> things not quite like any other guitar pieces I've heard.
Surely, this is the music of 20th century music guitarists have always
complained to have missed, due to Segovia's orientations in the repertoire.
We have a new repertoire now, and a chapter of guitar music history has to
be rewritten.
AG
Terlizzi
>It's fantastic! Especially the
>Martelli. What wonders appear here after 70 years in hiding. I also like
>the
>de Breville and Peyrot pieces. Congratulations to Angelo Gilardino for these
>wonderful editions and also thanks to Allan Clive Jones for the very
>informative introductions.
I am really enjoying these editions!!!
For me, alot of this music is very interesting historically, in context of the
Segovia repertoire, for its irregular meters and phrasing more than its harmony
and form . I think the Adagio from the Joan Manen Sonata, with its roving
harmonies, albeit in a recitativo context, or the extended harmonies of Ponce's
sonata 3 are more abstract than, say, the Scott or the Martelli. The Scott
uses easy to hear whole-tone harmonies and the baroque character of the
Martelli reminds me more of Absil than Martin -for there is nothing of the
octave displacement and chromatic saturation of Frank Martin in the Martelli
I speculate that the modernist aspect of this music that (perhaps) disturbed
Segovia sense of style is the use 5/4,10/8, meter changes, irregular groupings
of notes and beaming across the bar line (like the beginning of the De
Breville).etc. That's what put off the man. He liked his compas sunnyside up,
not scrambled!
mark delpriora
Klaus Heim
"Terlizzi" <terl...@aol.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:20020517082240...@mb-fx.aol.com...
I do feel though that these pieces were definitely written with Segovia and
his music in mind. No Schoenberg, Webern, or Berg here. Even if Segovia
didn't play the pieces, for whatever individual reasons, the possibility
that he could have is definitely there.
What I like about the included manuscripts is that I get to see something
which I hardly ever see in guitar scores: phrasing slurs.
Klaus
Terlizzi
>and
>his music in mind
>didn't play the pieces, for whatever individual reasons, the possibility
>that he could have is definitely there.
created a style.
I would love to hear some of Martelli's chamber and orchestral music.
Interestingly, he appears in the '82 groves dictionary but was deleted from the
2000 edition.
Today, I found some favorable descriptions of his chamber works in a chamber
music reference book and found a description in one of Slonimsky's references
that his Concerto for Orchestra is in an atonal idoiom.
There is also a piano piece of 1931 with the title "guitare".
mark
Erik Swanson
website but I couldn't tell if they sold directly to the United
States.
Thanks,
Erik
Allan Jones
I notice that the newly published items in the Segovia Archive series
are now available on-line from the Berben web site (priced in euros).
For the English-language search facility on the site go to
http://www.berben.it/doc/htm/eng/
and click on 'Authors'. Then enter the composer's name for prices etc.
The currently available authors in this series are Scott, Martelli,
Ferroud, Breville, Collet, Mompou (two works), Peyrot and Berkeley.
Allan
Terlizzi
>Ferroud, Breville, Collet, Mompou (two works), Peyrot and Berkeley.
Man, I am so curious about the Berkeley!
Mark
dave payne
finish printing) I received the Berkeley piece in the mail today. Its
front cover highlight is an oil on canvas by John Theodore Waterman
Greenridge called Portrait of Lennox Berkeley. Very nice :)
Dave Payne,
the...@interlog.com
Angelo Gilardino
> True to the word of Berben (they said it would take another week to
> finish printing) I received the Berkeley piece in the mail today. Its
> front cover highlight is an oil on canvas by John Theodore Waterman
> Greenridge called Portrait of Lennox Berkeley. Very nice :)
>
> Dave Payne,
> the...@interlog.com
>
>
The name of this artist does not appear in the books about history of art I
have at hand. He was a successful architect who begun his career as a
painter. He was a fellow of the young Berkeley when both were staying in
Paris - the composer was a student of Nadia Boulanger after a suggestion by
Maurice Ravel. The portrait was kindly made available for reproduction of
the cover of the volume by the Berkeley estate.
AG
Terlizzi
Klaus Heim
"Angelo Gilardino" <ange...@inwind.it> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:8VwG8.1469$e5.2...@twister1.libero.it...
>
> The name of this artist does not appear in the books about history of art
I
> have at hand. He was a successful architect who begun his career as a
> painter. He was a fellow of the young Berkeley when both were staying in
> Paris - the composer was a student of Nadia Boulanger after a suggestion
by
> Maurice Ravel. The portrait was kindly made available for reproduction of
> the cover of the volume by the Berkeley estate.
It says nowhere explicitly, who selected the paintings for the covers. I
assume it was you?
Klaus
Angelo Gilardino
"Klaus Heim" <klh...@hotmail.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:acec35$p2tq9$1...@ID-89355.news.dfncis.de...
> It says nowhere explicitly, who selected the paintings for the covers. I
> assume it was you?
>
> Klaus
Indeed. I like "reading" paintings as well as music, though - I am afraid -
my skills are not equally developped in the two fields.
AG
Angelo Gilardino
"Terlizzi" <terl...@aol.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:20020521154358...@mb-mf.aol.com...
> All this talk about covers makes me think i should get a nose job!
>
>
It's too late Mark, you have been registered with your current nose, and any
attempt to change the situation could produce only, as an obvious result,
the cover of your next work entirely occupied by your noses - the former and
the latter ones. The title of the work, needless to say, could be only
"Changes".
AG
Terlizzi
mark
Allan Jones
Terlizzi wrote:
> Man, I am so curious about the Berkeley!
I think it's an excellent piece. The influence of Ravel is clear.
There's a lovely slow movement in a Saraband rhythm.
Allan
Terlizzi
>There's a lovely slow movement in a Saraband rhythm.
What I find very interesting and intriguing, having not seen the music, is how
on earth no one knew about this! Berkeley worked with two major figures in the
guitar world, Bream and Gilardino, and he never mentioned his connection to, or
composition for, the "grandfather" of us all: Segovia!
Thus, I look forward not only to this music but also to your notes, Allan!
I once studied privately with a teacher who studied with Frank Martin in the
early 1930's. One day he went for a lesson and Martin said (I paraphrase) "
Hey, listen to this piece I have just written for Segovia", then Martin sat
down and played it for him on the piano"
I am surprised anecdotes like this didn't float around. At least enough to get
to my neck of the woods.
best,
mark delpriora
Matanya Ophee
>What I find very interesting and intriguing, having not seen the music, is how
>on earth no one knew about this! Berkeley worked with two major figures in the
>guitar world, Bream and Gilardino, and he never mentioned his connection to, or
>composition for, the "grandfather" of us all: Segovia!
Perhaps he had his reasons for being reticent about it, or, has
happened before, he simply forgot about it?
Matanya Ophee
Editions Orphe'e, Inc.,
1240 Clubview Blvd. N.
Columbus, OH 43235-1226
614-846-9517
fax: 614-846-9794
http://www.orphee.com
Angelo Gilardino
When the publication was under print and I couldn't add anything to it, I
was informed that sir Lennox had told something about his Segovia pieces to
somebody. According to such a witness, it was Segovia to encourage Berkeley
to write the pieces. No documents, just words.
AG
Terlizzi
Since it was just words, you probably couldn't have used it the notes, anyway.
Unless the person was willing to be named and was, of course, reputable.
mark
Angelo Gilardino
> Thank you , Angelo.
> Since it was just words, you probably couldn't have used it the notes,
anyway.
> Unless the person was willing to be named and was, of course, reputable.
> mark
True, Mark. The person was willing to be names and is, of course, reputable,
but no longer at my eyes.
AG
Allan Jones
>
> What I find very interesting and intriguing, having not seen the music, is
how
> on earth no one knew about this!
This has puzzled me too. Somehow I don't think Berkeley forgot it. Until we
have more evidence all we can do is speculate. Here is my speculation. The
piece is an early work (but not an inferior work). Many composers do not
wish their early works to be circulated. Maybe Berkeley felt that this piece
wasn't in his mature style and therefore did not wish to broadcast the fact
of its existence. It is certain that Berkeley had several works performed in
Paris during his years of residence there, but these works no longer
survive. Presumably they were withdrawn by Berkeley himself. That we owe the
survival of this guitar work to Segovia, who chose not to play it, is indeed
ironic.
> Thus, I look forward not only to this music but also to your notes,
Allan!
A kind thought, but actually the notes for this work have been supplied by
Peter Dickinson (a Berekeley authority) and of course by Angelo.
Allan
Angelo Gilardino
"Allan Jones" <removethisbi...@waitrose.com> ha scritto nel
messaggio news:ueqk768...@corp.supernews.com...
>
>
>
> >
> > What I find very interesting and intriguing, having not seen the music,
is
> how
> > on earth no one knew about this!
>
> This has puzzled me too. Somehow I don't think Berkeley forgot it. Until
we
> have more evidence all we can do is speculate. Here is my speculation. The
> piece is an early work (but not an inferior work). Many composers do not
> wish their early works to be circulated. Maybe Berkeley felt that this
piece
> wasn't in his mature style and therefore did not wish to broadcast the
fact
> of its existence. It is certain that Berkeley had several works performed
in
> Paris during his years of residence there, but these works no longer
> survive. Presumably they were withdrawn by Berkeley himself. That we owe
the
> survival of this guitar work to Segovia, who chose not to play it, is
indeed
> ironic.
Why do we enjoy so many rescues of works which are unknown of which were
considered lost?
It is simple - and not speculative at all. Because composers did not know
how to write for guitar and then they passed to Segovia what they considered
a first draft of a piece, of which it was not the case of doing a clean
copy, because it had to be re-written after Segovia suggestions and
corrections. In fact, this happened to all the pieces published in the
Schott-Segovia collection. But those pieces which Segovia decided not to
play, or whose performance he post-posed sine die, remained notated only in
THAT single manuscript, of which the guitarist was the unique owner!
AG
dave payne
clear in the forward. I was just assuming that the manuscript version of
all the printed music was automatically included, so that the manuscript
version of the discarded variation would be intended as an additional
item (not as a replacement item).
Dave Payne,
the...@interlog.com
Angelo Gilardino wrote:
>
>Perhaps I have not been clear enough in my foreword, David. The last
>variation of the set was written twice. The variation I published in the
>edited text is the second one - much a better remake of the first one.
>Because I reproduced it in my edition exactly as it stands in the original,
>only with my fingering added, I thought it was enough, in the facsimile
>reproduction of the manuscript, to offer only the discarded variation, so as
>to allow the reader to compare the two texts, and to come to the obvious
>conclusion I reached. Your observation makes me wondering if, instead, it
>would have been better to include also the facsimile reproduction of the
>accepted variation...
>
...