Composer Biography: Fernando Sor (1778-1839)

Fernando Sor (1778-1839) was a Spanish guitarist born in Barcelona. Sor studied opera and guitar, but most of his music education occurred during his time as a chorister at the monastery of Montserrat. Numerous sources state slightly varied information regarding Sor’s time in the military, with some referring to military school and others to fighting with the Spanish army. He took on an administrative role for a brief period of time before moving to Paris.

Sor’s musical output began to take off during his time in Paris. Soon he moved again to London for much of his career. He wrote many works for the guitar but is known for his immense output of instructional guitar methods. The Sor studies as arranged into a collection of twenty by Andres Segovia is played by guitar students everywhere. This made him responsible for the development of modern guitar technique.

His compositions were written in a late-Classical and early-Romantic style. Sor played on a romantic guitar which were a precursor to the larger modern guitars that guitarists play today.

Notable Compositions:

Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart Op. 9

Grand Solo Op. 14

Studies Op. 60

20 Studies (arranged by Andres Segovia)

Various other short pieces and studies

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