FERNANDO SOR
The Complete Studies
for Guitar
Newly engraved from early editions
Historical Notes by Matanya Ophee
Playing Suggestions & Commentary
by Richard Savino
CHANTERELLE
491
FERNANDO SOR
The Complete Studies
for Guitar
Newly engraved from early editions
Historical Notes by Matanya Ophee
Playing Suggestions & Commentaries
by Richard Savino
491
Chanterelle
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Fernando Sor
(1778-1839)
Portrait in the collection of Matanya Ophec
reproduced by kind permission
On the provenance of the Sor Portrait
The picture depicted above is, perhaps, one of the most widely known portraits of a guitarist-
composer. One can find it on many musical editions, record covers, concert programmes, T-
shirts, etc. Yet very little is actually known about the time and place the picture was created. So
far, our willingness to accept it as a true representation of the likeness of the composer is mainly
based on legend and tradition and not on any corroborative evidence. According to the first
edition of Brian Jeffery’s biography of Sor (Tccla, London, 1977), there were only three known
copies of this engraving, one each in the British Library, the Biblioth6que Nationale in Paris and
in the private collection of the author in London. The picture used here is taken from one of these
three copies, now in the collection of Matanya Ophee. Л close examination of the drawing
reveals some interesting features about it. On the top right comer of the engraving the following
words arc written in pencil:
de la part de M r A. Meissonnier / offert a M.r Albert
On the back of the engraving is this pencilled inscription:
Apres avoir indentifie la Sepulchre d F. Sor (1934) /Puis commemore le centenaire de
sa mort (1939) /j 'ai la satisfaction d 'acheter cc jour 27 Sept (1941) chez le bouquiniste
du quai. et pour 2fr/ son portrait (original). Andres Verdicr
The first inscription is of great interest. Antoine Meissonnier was Sor’s main publisher until
about 1828, when the composer severed his business relations with him and started with Pacini.
There is no definite identification of the Mr. Albert to whom Meissonnier offered this engraving.
The dancer and choreographer who accompanied Sor and Felicitd Hullin-Sor to Russia was
called Mr. Albert. It could well have been this man who was the recipient of the engraving. The
important point here, however, is the fact that the donor of the engraving was none other than
the publisher Antoine Meissonnier. While there is no way of proving the matter, there is a good
chance that the picture, drawn by Goubcau and lithographed by Bordes at the Engelman
lithographic printing works, was published by Meissonnier. If so, this would give the picture a
terminus antes quern date of 1828.
Apparently, Mr. Albert, whoever he may have been, or his descendants, must have disposed of
the picture at some point. Eventually, it made its way to the stock of a Parisian bouquiniste, those
famous book and print peddlers selling their wares along the banks of the Seine river, where it
was bought by Andres Verdicr in 1941, for 2 Francs. Brian Jeffery received the picture as a gift
from Vcrdicr’s widow. I acquired it in 1981 from Dr. Jeffery.
Matanya Ophee, Columbus, February 1996
PS: Curiously, there is no mention of this picture or of the gift of Mme. Verdicr to Jeffery in his
2nd edition of the Sor Biography (Soar Chapel, 1994).
CONTENTS
Read Me First.........................................................................4
Introduction..........................................................................5
Twelve Studies, opus 6 (Nos 1-12)....................................................10
Douze Etudes, opus 29 (Nos 13-24)....................................................32
Vingt Quatre Lemons Progressives, opus 31............................................62
Vingt Quatre Exercices Tres Faciles, opus 35 .......	93
Vingt Quatre Petites Pieces	Progressives,	opus 44...................................122
Introduction a I’Etude de	la	Guitare,	opus 60......................................136
Excerpts and Exercises from the Method .	.	.	.	.	.	.	.155
Playing Suggestions.................................................................167
Commentary..........................................................................173
Appendix:
I.	The Coste, Segovia & Sainz de la Maza editions, numbering etc. .	.185
II.	Suggested Grading.........................................................186
111.	Aguado on expression......................................................187
IV.	Thematic Index............................................................188
4
This edition first published 1996 by Chanterelle Verlag
Reprinted 1997 with minor emendations
Produced by Michael Macmceken
© Copyright 1996 & 1997 by Michael Macmceken
This edition contains new and original material and is strictly Copyright.
Catalogue Number
ECH 491
4
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
READ ME FIRST
1.	In this edition the studies are presented in the chronological order in which
they were originally published. See the section on Suggested Grading
(page 186).
2.	Each study has been engraved from the source which in the opinion of the
editor is closest to the composer.
3.	The notation in the source editions has been followed faithfully, inconsisten-
cies in barring and stemming have been regularised; but without changing the
value or musical function of any notes. All slurs have been retained
(see note 7 below).
4.	Variations between the various editions used and consulted are listed in the
Commentary (page 173). For clarity we have restricted this section to note
content; articulation is not covered. The versions chosen for this edition are
indicated with an asterisk (*).
5.	All original texts and fingerings have been retained, but with obvious errors
silently corrected. The original fingering is always set in roman in the music
text.
6.	All fingering in italics is editorial. Dotted slurs and items in square brackets
are also editorial. Precautionary accidentals have been added sparingly in
round brackets. All the foregoing are editorial and are not in the source
editions.
7.	Appoggiaturas are notated in this edition without slurs and not as they appear
in the source editions, where some have slurs to the main note and others not.
Today’s players will most probably choose to use slurs in most, if not all,
cases.
Catalogue No. ECH 491
ISBN 89044-199-8
ISMN M-2047-0000-4
Distributed by Chanterelle Verlag, Postfach 103909, D-69029 Heidelberg
This publication is available in good music shops worldwide
In case of difficulty please write to the publishers
This edition first published 1996 by Chanterelle Verlag
revised and reprinted 1997
© 1996 & 1997 by Michael Macmeeken
This edition contains new and original material and is strictly Copyright.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, sold, stored in a retrieval device,
broadcast or transmitted in any way or by any means without the express prior permission in writing of the publishers.
Photocopying this edition is illegal and may result in legal action.
Music engraving by Jan de Kloe
Cover design by Eva Maria Brandsiiidter
The detail of the portrait of Sor on the cover and the portrait on page 2 of this edition
are reproduced by kind permission of Matanya Ophee.
Manufactured in the United Kingdom by Hobbs The Printers Ltd, Totton, Hants
CHANTERELLE 491
INTRODUCTION
5
INTRODUCTION
by Matanya Ophee
Historical Background
The earliest collection of didactic pieces by Fernando Sor, the
12 Studies op. 6, was first published in London in 1815. The
last one, \helntroduction to the Study of the Guitar op. 60, was
composed in 1837, just two years before the composer’s
death.1 Together with the other collections contained in the
present volume the 12 Studies op. 29, the 24 Lessons op. 31,
the 24 Exercises op. 35 and the Twenty-four little pieces to
serve as lessons for beginners op. 44, this material so rich in
the wisdom and compassion of a great teacher has enjoyed the
respect and admiration of generations of guitar teachers and
their students. The didactic pieces written and published by
Fernando Sor throughout his entire creative life have re-
mained in print for well-nigh a century and a half now. In spite
of the appearance of more recent developments in guitar
literature, these pieces have demonstrated a resilience of
purpose seldom seen in guitar music of the early nineteenth
century. Indeed, this was, and will remain so, the mainstay of
guitar pedagogy.
Some of these collections were published during the compos-
er’s life time in secondary and tertiary editions in several
European countries. Over the intervening years they have
been reissued many times in one form or another, sometimes
even without mention of the composer’s name. There were
many editions also published in this century, the main one
being the famous collection of 20 studies published by Andres
Segovia in 1945. The great majority of guitarists of the last 50
years or so have come to know the music of Sor through
recordings and concert performances by Segovia, as well as
through this one slender volume. To this day, his collection
enjoys the acceptance of a large body of guitar practitioners.
In recent years we have seen a growing scepticism in a blind
acceptance of Segovia’s interpretative editorial practices. His
edition, we are often told, is not “what the composer wrote”.
Unfortunately, there are no extant autograph manuscripts of
the Sor Studies and we cannot really tell what the composer
wrote. All we have available to us are the many editions of
these collections, published during the composer’s life time,
often by himself, and later by his students and admirers.
Taking the first editions as a guide for what the composer
wrote, or perhaps meant to write, is not always a reliable
procedure. We have no idea what interventions were thrown
into these editions by their publishers or engravers. In later
life, Fernando Sor took direct responsibility for publishing his
own music. Before he broke off his business relationship with
the publisher Meissonnier in 1828, Sor may not have had
direct control of the final printed image of his music. It is
unwise to assign authoritative importance to the graphic
image of these editions without some corroborative evidence.
Fortunately, we do have a rather substantive tome of verbal
discussions of the music, particularly those of a didactic
nature, by the composer himself.
In 1830, within four years of his return to Paris in 1826,2
Fernando Sor published his own guitar method. As a volume
of pedagogical discussions, the book is able to throw a great
deal of light on the composer-educator’s philosophy. When
used in conjunction with the musical matter contained in the
studies, the pedagogical purpose of each of the various pieces
supposedly becomes crystal clear. Would it that this were so.
The difficulty lies in the fact that regardless of its title, the
guitar method by Fernando Sor is not a guitar method in the
traditional sense of the word. It is rather a manifesto, an
attempt to codify pedagogical theory in relation to applied
technique by throwing about ideas in a hotchpotch of fanciful
exaggerations and obvious contradictions. It is often difficult
to understand from this book what exactly Sor’s ideas were
about the guitar and its technique. His idea of what a method
should be is expressed by himself in no uncertain terms:
Methode. Traite des principes raisonnes sur lesquels sont
fondees les regies qui doivent guider les operations.
Method. A treatise of logical principles on which the rules
that should guide the operations are based. (My translation
MO.)3
In other words, according to Sor, his Method does not neces-
sarily contain instructions or rules for practical operations. It
is enough that it expresses the author’s philosophical princi-
ples. Actual musical instruction is to take place, he seems to
insinuate, in other contexts. Perhaps the most realistic descrip-
tion of the true nature of Sor’s book is contained in a mid-
nineteenth century version of it, edited and published by his
pupil Napoleon Coste. In the Introduction, Coste says:
There are three biographies of Fernando Sor currently in print. Brian
Jeffery, Fernando Sor, Composer and Guitarist, London, Tecla Editions,
1977, reprinted essentially unchanged in 1994. Also: Wolf Moser, Fern-
ando Sor Versuch eincr Autobiographic und gitarristische Schriften.
Cologne, Gitarre & Lautc Vcrlag, 1984. Also: Bernard Piris, Fernando
Sor, Une Guitare а ГОгёе du Romantisme, Paris, Aubier, 1989. All three
books seems to be based on the same material, mostly the writings of Sor
himself. Many questions about Sor’s personal biography still remain
unanswered.
Methode pour La Guitare /par / Fernando Sor. Paris, 1830. Facsimile
edition by Minkoff Reprint, Geneva 1981. It should be noted that the
Minkoff edition is a hybrid of two different editions. The text is indeed that
of the 1830 Paris edition. The illustrationsand the music examples, though,
are taken from the 1832 N. Simrock bi-lingual French/German edition.
All quotations from this book arc taken from the French original. The
English version translated by Arnold Merrick is much better known today.
Unfortunately, it contains several mis-translations and distortions of Sor’s
original intentions.
CHANTERELLE 491
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
6
Depuis Robert de Visee, peu d'artistes se distinguerent
dans ce genre de composition. Aussi lorsque Sor parut pres
de deuxsieclesplus tard, causa-t-il une vive sensation dans
le monde musical. Il etonna et ravit par le charme et la
nouveaute de ses creations qui resteront comme des mode-
les de science et du gout. Les succes de ce grand artiste ne
le mirentpoint a I’abri de la critique envieuse. Les tracas-
series qu 77 eut a essuyer de la part d’ignorants confreres
qui ne le comprenaient pas, lui aigrirent I’esprit et ce fut
sous ces fdcheuses impressions qu ’il ecrivit le texte de sa
Methode dans lequel il paraissait bien plus preoccupe de
repousser les attaques dont il croyait etre Tobjet et de
rendre guerre pour guerre, que de developper ces precep-
tes et de les mettre a la portee de tous. Ce defaut grave au
point de vue de I ’enseignement a ete send par le judicieux
editeur qui remet au jour I ’oeuvre de Sor*
Since Robert de Visee, few artists distinguished themselves
in this kind of composition. Also, when Sor appeared nearly
two centuries later, he caused a lively commotion in the
musical world. He astonished and enraptured by the charm
and the novelty of his creations which will stay as models
of science and taste. The successes of this great artist have
not sheltered him from envious criticism. The bickering to
which he was subjected by ignorant colleagues who did not
understand him, soured his spirit. It was under these trou-
blesome impressions that he wrote the text of his Method in
which he seemed much more preoccupied in repulsing the
attacks of which he believed himself to be the object and of
returning war for war, than of developing his precepts and
of putting them at the reach of all. This serious fault from the
point of view of teaching was felt by the discriminating
editor [Coste] who brought back to light the work of Sor.
(My translation - MO.)
This is the opinion of a disciple, a friend and an admirer to
whom Sor dedicated one of his major works, his op. 63,
Souvenir de Russie for two guitars. His views are expressed
with sorrow and understanding. He is certainly not hostile to
Sor and to his memory. When viewed in this light we are in a
better position to appreciate the extreme pain under which the
Sor Method was written, and perhaps guess at some of the
reasons for the exaggerations and contradictions contained
therein.
Sor begins his narrative by stating that his purpose is to discuss
his own personal technique and the reasons which brought
him to adopt it. Right from the very beginning he uses a quasi-
combative argumentation, which, in several important techni-
cal points, has caused readers and scholars to assign to him
ideas that he may have tried to promote in his book, however
surreptitiously, but which, on a closer examination of the
historical record, is liable to be distrusted as a true represen-
tation of Sor’s performance practice.
A good example of this premise is a statement by Sor that he
prefers to use only three fingers of the right hand because the
annular is too weak and, besides, it does not lie in the proper
alignment with the other three. His argument is accompanied
Napoleon Coste, Methode de Guitare par Ferdinand Sor. Paris,
Schonenberger, 1851 (Lcsurc), p.n. 1726. Copy in the Rischcl & Birket-
Smith Collection, Royal Library of Copenhagen. Reprinted by Lemoine c.
1880. Copy of the reprint in the collection of Matanya Ophcc.
by a geometric drawing of the flat hand and the alignment of
its fingers in that position. The argument appears convincing,
except that it is based on the faulty notion that the fingers
remain in that alignment even when the hand is curved into a
playing position above the strings. It may well have remained
so in Sor’s own hand, but human anatomy, a subject dear to his
heart, allows for an infinite variety in hand construction
between individuals. In any case, the argument is usually
taken out of context to mean that Sor never used the annular.
There are many pieces in Sor’s vast output that can be played
with only three fingers and indeed are meant to be so played.
On the other hand, there are many other pieces that simply
cannot be performed without the annular. In fact, the penulti-
mate chapter in the book is devoted to the R.H. annular and its
use. In it, Sor describes the conditions that require the use of
that finger and explains the modifications in hand positions,
which he is forced to make in order to accommodate the
annular. Another issue in which Sor is less than candid, is the
matter of R.H. fingering for scales. He says:
Quant d la main droite, je n ’ai jamais vise a faire des
gammes detachees, ni avec une grand vitesse, parce que
j ’ai cru que la guitare ne pourrait jamais me rendre d ’une
maniere satisfaisante les traits de violon, tandis qu’en
profitant de la facilite qu ’elle presente pour Her les sons,je
pourrais imiter un peu mieux les traits de chant.
As for the right hand, I have never aimed to play detached
[pluckedl scales, nor with a great speed, because I have
believed that the guitar could never offer me in a satisfac-
tory manner the features of the violin, while in taking
advantage of the facility that it presents in tying the sounds,
I could better imitate features of singing. (My translation -
MO.)
And then Sor provides a musical example (Ex. 29 - see page
156 in the present edition) which depicts a scale passage in
legato, with a lengthy verbal rationalisation of his preference
for legato scales against scales played detache, a term used in
reference to rapid R.H. alternation in m.i.m.i. and similar
patterns. To close the discussion, Sor says:
Si le lecteur desire apprendre a detacher avec vitesse les
notes d’un trait d‘execution, je ne puis mieux faire que de
le renvoyer a la Methode de M. Aguado, qui, excellent dans
ce genre d ’execution, est dans le cas d ’etablir les regies les
plus refiechies et les mieux ca leu lees la-dessus.
If the reader wishes to learn to pluck the notes of a passage
with speed, I cannot do better than send him to the Method
of Mr. Aguado, who excels in this manner of execution, and
in which he established the most thought-out and the best
calculated rules about it. (My translation - MO.)
An important observation must be made here: the only method
by Aguado available in the French capital in 1830, must have
been the 1826 Methode Complete translated into French by
Francois de Fossa. It is not likely that Sor would have directed
his French readers to the Spanish versions of this book, even
if they were available. In that book, Aguado expresses the
notion that scale passages should be performed in an i.a.i.a.
alternation. Can we then assume that Sor approved of i.a.i.a.
fingering for scales? Probably not! In a simplified version of
CHANTERELLE 491
INTRODUCTION
7
thsEscuela published с. 1834, (op. 6) Aguado provides a first-
hand testimony on the matter. This testimony was perhaps
based on observations and discussions with Sor himself, made
while living and working in close proximity in Paris.
Pour executor les gammes je prefererais Г index et le
medius a I 'index et I 'annulaire commeje lepratiquaisjadis.
Mon experience m ’aprouve que les raisons de Mr. Sorpour
cette preference sont decisives.
To execute scales I prefer the index and medium fingers
[i.m.i.m.] to the index and annular [Aa.Z.a.] fingering I used
to practise before. My experience proved to me that Mr.
Sor’s reasons for this preference arc decisive.
(My translation - MO.)
This is a testimonial by his friend Aguado. It tells us how Sor
actually played scales, in effect, repudiating Sor’s own pro-
nouncements as made in his Method. It has also long been
assumed that most scale passages in Sor’s music should be
played as legato as possible. The legato-in-scales was one of
the major aspects of the teachings of the Russian masters of the
seven string guitar such as Andrei Sychra, Mikhail Vyssotsky
and Semion Aksionov. As much as Sor speaks highly of this
type of scale playing, and while he might have picked up the
idea from the Russians, there is little evidence of it be found
in his published music. The apparent attempt to promote an
idea must then be viewed with a certain degree of scrutiny.
Other aspects of Sor’s technique such as the restriction of R.H.
fingers top., i. and ли., cannot be accepted as general maxims
but rather considered in the context of his actual compositions.
The rationale for the present selection
Publishers and editors, traditionally, have had differing crite-
ria in determining which compositions or collections of pieces
from the entire output of Fernando Sor properly belong in an
anthology destined for use in the teaching process. As a matter
of definition, we have to agree that each and every piece
written by Sor can be said to have had a didactic purpose,
whether the composer himself so described it in his titles, or
in his various writings, or not. Of course, the use of the entire
output of Sor in the formation of guitarists is a practice we can
only applaud and encourage. As a first undertaking in present-
ing this entire output in a usable format, the selection for the
present volume is limited to those collections to which a
reference has been made by Sor in his Method. We also chose
those collections that contain a reference to the didactic nature
in their titles, or in the prefaces attached by the composer to
their first editions.
In his Method, Fernando Sor defines the nature of his various
didactic collections which were published prior to 1830. He
says:
Exercices. Morceaux de musique dont chacun a pour but
de nous rendre familiere Г application des regies. Les
exercices sont la pratique des theories etablies par la
methode (que je considere la partie speculative), comme
I 'emploi de I 'equerrepour elever uneperpendiculaire n 'est
que le resultat de la demonstration de cette figure:
Exercises. Pieces of music, each having as an objective to
make us familiar with the application of the rules. Exercises
are the practice of theories established by the method
(which 1 consider the speculative part), as the use of the
square for raising a perpendicular is the result of a certain
geometrical demonstration. (Translation by Arnold
Merrick.)5
Lemons. Morceaux de musique dont chacun ne doit pas
avoir pour but I'exercice d’une seule regie, mais aussi
celles employees dans les leqons precedentes, et meme
d 'initier I 'ecolier dans quelques exceptions.
Lessons. Pieces of music, where each does not need to have
for its object the exercise of a single rule, but also [may deal
with] the rules employed in the lessons preceding, and even
the initiating of the student in some exceptions. (My trans-
lation - MO.)6
Etudes. Exercices des exceptions et des regies dont I 'appli-
cation presente plus de difficultes.
Studies. Exercises on exceptions, and on rules offering
difficulties in their application. (Translation by Arnold
Merrick.)
In his preface to his edition of the 24 Exercises, op. 35,7 Sor
insinuates that the reason for writing this collection was the
observation made by others that the previous work, the 24
Lessons, op. 31, were not presented in a gradual progressive
manner, an observation he later repeated in the Method itself.
This time, he assures his prospective readers, the material is
carefully graduated and deals with the same problems ad-
dressed in the24 Lessons. Moreover, it is designed to provide
the facility needed for accompaniment and will better prepare
the student to approach the 24 Lessons. In the last paragraph
of that preface, Sor makes a pre-publication pitch for his as yet
not published Method'.
The figure used by Sor is a simple geometric construction which proves that
a line drawn from point M, the conjunction of two circles whose centres lie
equidistant from point C (the point of equal division of the line AB) will
form a right angle between lines MC and AB. The relevance of the drawing
and its logic to the argument about the nature of exercises, seems obtuse on
first reading. Its significance may lie in private or public arguments Sor
may have had with his colleagues with which we are not conversant today.
In his English translation, Arnold Merrick solved the dilemma by simply
making an obscure reference to the drawing without duplicating it.
Arnold Merrick translates this passage thus: Lessons, pieces of music, each
having for its object not the exercise of a single rule, but also of the rules
employed in the lessons preceding, and even the initiating of the learner in
some exceptions. While this rendition is in impeccable English, it does not
precisely render the same sense of the original text.
This was one of the earliest compositions published by Sor himself and
distributed by Pacini. It was listed in the Bibliographic de la France,
according to Jeffery, in September 1828, almost a year and a before the
publication of the Methode in 1830. Sec page 93 of the present publication.
CHANTERELLE 491
FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Ces exercices seront tres utiles surtout aux personnes qui
etudieront d ’apres la methode que je suis sur le point de
publier, car mon but principal a ete de mettre en pratique
la theorie qu ’elle renferme.
These exercises will be very useful to persons who shall
study according to the method which I am about to publish,
as my principal purpose has been to put to practice the
principles contained therein. (My translation - MO.)
This text tells us that Fernando Sor had formulated the
principal theories expounded upon in the Method. For all we
know, the book may have been written already by 1828 and in
the process of being prepared for publication. It also tells us
that by this time Sor was convinced of the wisdom of present-
ing the student with technical difficulties in a carefully gradu-
ated manner. If the exercises in fact are a practical rendition of
a given theory or rule, Sor has not seen it fit to identify
precisely in each exercise the theoretical rule to which it is
relevant. Obviously, it would have been confusing to readers
in 1828, since the theoretical text was not yet available.
Conversely, the Method itself does not contain any direct
reference to the practical application of any of its theories in
these Exercises. While the 24 Studies and 24 Lessons are
repeatedly mentioned in \heMethodright from its very begin-
ning, the 24 Exercises are mentioned then briefly at the end of
the book, and repeat the assertion that they were meant to
present a simpler and more graduated version of the Lessons.
Hence, we cannot determine which theoretical principle is
given to which practical illustration in each of the Exercises.
The best we can make of Sor’s definitions of the different
character of exercises, lessons and studies is that he simply
meant that each of the categories represent another degree in
an ascending scale of technical difficulty.
For this reason, although the present book of teaching material
by Sor is arranged in a chronological sequence of opus
numbers or dates of publication, the editor's suggested grad-
ing list may be consulted to form a picture of a gradual
exposition of the technical level of each of the collections and
the individual pieces in them. It is obvious from several
statements made by Sor that the material was meant to be
studied in the sequence in which it was presented by the
composer and that each of the pieces, in the 24 Studies op. 6
& op. 29 at least, is based on the piece that precedes it and on
the one that follows. The wise and compassionate teacher,
needless to say, will find that different sequences of study may
work better with particular students.
About this edition
The present new Urtext edition of Sor’s didactic pieces takes
a different approach to that taken by other, even quite recent,
editions. In preparing the material for publication, we strove
to maintain a close adherence to the composer’s own state-
ments regarding the pieces as they appear in his various
writings. At the same time, each individual reference was
evaluated against other available historical evidence to deter-
mine the extent to which it truly represents Sor’s applied
technique, the way he actually performed these pieces him-
self. Another important issue we had to consider was that as
much as historically informed performance practice has been
of great benefit to performing musicians, we must be aware
that the purpose of these pieces is to help in the formation of
today s beginner, intermediate and advanced guitarists. What-
ever their impact may have been on Sor’s students in the early
nineteenth century, we must consider the impact they have
today, on our students. The general formative preparation
they offer is not only applicable to playing the concert level
larger works by the same composer, but also to the entire
repertoire of the classical guitar as it is practised today, and as
it will be practised in the future. Hence, their usefulness must
not be handicapped by an imperceptive attachment to a false
understanding of the composer’s intentions.
The Coste Connection
As stated before, the material used in preparing this edition
consists of the original editions, correlated with statements
made by the composer and with a point-by-point evaluation of
the veracity of these statements. Besides the various testimo-
nies by Aguado regarding his friend Sor, we have a powerful
direct testimony by one of Sor’s last and most important
students, the French guitarist Napoleon Coste (1805-1883).
Coste added a supplement to his 1851 edition of the Sor
method, containing 26 pieces by Sor, arranged in four books.
Coste’s title to the set is worded as follows:
26 Etudes pour la guitare / par Ferdinand Sor, Revues,
classees, et doigtees d’apres les traditions de I "auteur par
N. Coste.
26 studies for the guitar by Ferdinand Sor, revised, ordered
and fingered according to the traditions of the author by N.
Coste.
In choosing this particular wording, Coste is telling us in fact
that each and every change made by him to these pieces was
based on information he received directly from his teacher, the
composer, Fernando Sor. This is a first hand testimony directly
relating to Sor’s activity as a teacher and his use, in the privacy
of his teacher’s studio, of printed material of his own
compositions. As pointed out by Erik Stenstadvold,8 the Coste
compilation must have been the major source for the variant
readings of Sor’s original text as they appear in the famous
edition of 20 Sor Studies by Andres Segovia. In his article, Mr.
Stenstadvold takes the view that these changes were made by
Coste, as indeed they were. Even though he quotes the same
wording to the Coste text as printed above, Mr. Stenstadvold
does not allow for the evident likelihood that these changes
were made by Coste, because his teacher might have changed
his own view of the works. In our view, it is unwise to always
take first editions as a final authority for musical texts,
Erik Stenstadvold, Coste’s Contributions to the ’20 Studies by Sor\
Soundboard XI/2, 1984, p. 136.
CHANTERELLE 491
INTRODUCTION
9
particularly when such editions did not enjoy the full
participation of the composer in the publishing process, as
must have been the case at least with opp.6, 29 and 31. The
intimate relationship between teacher and student, working
throughout a series of studies, is a perfect environment for the
teacher to point out misprints, change fingering, change, add
or delete accidentals, rewrite the polyphony and other changes
we have all observed our own teachers apply to the printed
editions they worked on with us. When the teacher is also the
composer of the pieces in question, such alterations become a
powerful historical source. Obviously, Napoleon Coste
preserved the annotations made to his copy, and 22 years after
the composer’s death, he published them as his personal
testimony. A point by point comparison of the Coste-published (
variants with the original editions reveals that the changes and
corrections are always based on sound musical sense. We
must allow, of course, for the possibility that mis-prints and
other errors had crept into the Coste edition as well. Therefore
we have tried to evaluate all of Coste’s variants and decide
which ones are based on deliberate change prompted in all
probability by Sor himself, and which ones are the result of
typographical errors. The edition incorporates Coste’s textual
variants when they seemed to the editor to be justified on
musical grounds. Moreover, in the case of pieces in this book
which were not used by Coste, the editor has made some
changes of his own, all of which are listed in the Commentary
on pages 173-184 of this publication.
Matanya Ophee, Columbus
1996
Acknowledgements
The publishers are indebted to Jan de Kloe, Matanya Ophee and Robert Spencer
for making this edition possible.
Thanks are also due to:
Marie-Madeleine Doherty
Robert Doherty
Heiner Donath
Andrejs Liepins
Gilly Macmeeken
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
TWELVE STUDIES, OPUS 6
Allegro moderate
© 1996 by Michael Macmeekcn, Chanterelle Verlag. Revised 1997
Contains new and original material and is strictly copyright
All rights reserved - photocopying this edition is ILLEGAL
CHANTERELLE 491
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н----------.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andante
or: p p p i m i
(filll	(fill
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perdendosi
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Andantino
/
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Andante allegro
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Moderate
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Maestoso	111	&	11
ф!	фш V I CIH
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
The title page of Merrick’s translation of “Sor’s Method”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832)
at approximately 65% of its original size
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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TWELVE STUDIES, OPUS 29
to serve as a continuation of the first twelve studies |op.6|
Andante lento
^7
Cin-------------------------------.
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Fig. I.
Fig. 4,
Fig. 6.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
CHANTERELLE 491

40
FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Lento assai
Study
16.
or: ami m i
m i d m i
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To improve layout this page contains no music..
Fig. 1.
Fig. 8.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andante
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Fig. 11. Right hand.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE491
50______________________________FERNANDO SOR - THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR__________________________________________
Cette dtude doit etre jouee presquc piano, mais on doit attaquer les Play this study almost piano, plucking the strings at the point where
cordes a 1'endroit ой les vibrations sont plus proIongees.	notes will sustain the longest.
[from the original edition]
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52___________________________FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR_________________________________
Toute cette etude est en sons harmoniqucs. Les numeros indiquent la The entire study is to be played in harmonics. The numbers indicate the
touche vis-a-vis laquelle on produira les sons, [from the original edition]	frets at which the sounds arc to be produced.
il doit en resulter.
[actual sound]
CHANTERELLE 491
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Fig. 15.
В
Fig. 16.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Cette etude suppose ГёсоНег assez familiarisd avec 1’harmonie pour
que les positions successives de la main gauche ne 1 ’embarrassent nullement.
Le but principal cst d’habituer le pouce de la main droite a choisir la note
convenable sans que la main change de place, [from the original edition]
For this study it is assumed that the pupil has sufficient knowledge of
harmony to cope with the pitfalls of the changing left hand positions. The
principal goal of this study is to train the right hand thumb to choose the
correct string without moving the hand out of position.
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
3 (DIBLo
A portrait of Sor by Hyppolytc-Benjamin Adam
from A. Ledhuy and H. Bertini Encyclopedic Pittoresque de la Musique, Paris (1835)
reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
TWENTY FOUR PROGRESSIVE LESSONS, OPUS 31
BOOK1
Cette le<?on n’cxige que la connaissance des notes. Son but principal est
d’habituer ГёсоНсгa bicn placer la main gauche, [from the original edition]
The lesson only requires knowledge of the notes. Its principal goal is to
get the pupil used to positioning the left hand correctly.
CHANTERELLE 491
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Andantino
p
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Le but de cette le<?on est d’habituer Ic pouce & chercher les cordes qu’il The goal of this lesson is to train the right-hand thumb to find the strings
doit attaquer, sans dSranger la main, ct й marquer les quatre temps.	it is to pluck without disturbing the position of the right hand, as well as to
[from the original edition] mark the four beats.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Lc but de cette Ie<?on est de faciliter la liaison des tierces et des sixtes. The goal of this lesson is to improve legato when playing thirds and
[from the original edition] sixths.
CHANTERELLE 491
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Moderate
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Andante
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FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR

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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Sor at the Choir School of the Monastery of Montserrat
from A. Lcdhuy and H. Bertini Encyclopedic Pdtoresque de la Musique, Paris (1835)
reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
82____________________________FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR_______________________________________
Le but de cette le?on est d’habituer I’ecolier a donner au pouce de la The goal of this lesson is to train the pupil to alternate the right hand
main droite la veritable direction, en le faisant alterneravec 1’index pour les thumb and the index finger with the proper movement when playing the
triples croches.	[from the original edition] 32nd notes [demiscmiquavcrs].
Andante
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83
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Cette lepon peut etre jouee moins vitc que le mouvement indique, mais
ayant pour but de prendre possession des accords, il est utile d’en presser
le mouvement a mesure qu’on la joucra avec plus de facilite.
[from the original edition]
This lesson may be played less rapidly than the indicated tempo.
However, as its goal is to improve chord-playing, the tempo should be
increased correspondingly as progress is made.
Lesson
20.
Andante allegro

CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andantino cantabile
Lesson
21.
3
i
P
3 14 13

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87
Tempo di marcia
CHANTERELLE491
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FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Mouvement de priere religieuse
<//
Lesson
23.
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
To improve layout this page contains no music.
A Portrait of Sor
from the following publication:
Method for the Guitar by Fernando Sor
Condensed, Re-written, and Edited by
Frank Mott Harrison
to which is added a
Portrait and biographical sketch of the author; his twenty four exercises,
and his twenty four studies for the guitar
Robert Cocks & Co., London (с. 1896)
reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer
CHANTERELLE 491
TWENTY FOUR VER Y EASY EXERCISES, OPUS 35
93
TWENTY FOUR VERY EASY EXERCISES, OPUS 35
BOOK1
AVERTISSEMENT
Plusicurs personncs ont trouve que mes vingt-quatre lemons pour les
commen^ants exigcaient des progres un peu trop rapides, et qu’elles
etaient disposees de manicrc a mettre I’ecolier a meme d’acquerir un
grand talent: quo ccttc disposition n’ctait point cclle qui convient £ ceux
qui ne visant qu’a devenir d’unc force mediocre, ct qui ne pouvant donner
unegrande assiduitc a 1’ctude se contentent de pouvoir s’accompagncr ct
de jouer quelques morceaux agreables sans qu’ils soient d’unc grande
difiicultc. La justessc de ces observations m’a decide a composer ccs
Exercices qui peuvent suffire a donner la facilite neccssaire pour
s’accompagncr et mettre I’ecolier cn etat de s’occuper des 24 lemons s’il
desire augmenter son talent; ces lemons lui paraitront alors moins di ffi ciles
puisqu’il aura deja exdcute ce qui fait le fond de chacune.
Ces exercices scront tres utiles surtout aux personncs qui ctudicront
d’apres la methode que je suis sur le point de publier, carmon but principal
a ete de mettre en pratique la thcoric qu’elle renferme.
[from the original edition]
NOTE:
Many felt that my twenty-four lessons for beginners advanced too
quickly and that they were organised so as to help the student acquire great
proficiency, and that this arrangement was not one to suit those who, only
wanting to attain a low level and not being able to devote sufficient time
to study, would have been satisfied with being able to accompany
themselves and to play a few pleasant pieces which arc not exacting. The
soundness of these observations led me to compose these Exercises
sufficient to make the pupil feel at case when accompanying himself and
to attain the level to tackle the twenty four lessons should he wish to
improve his proficiency. These lessons will then seem less difficult since
he will already have covered the essential work of each one.
These exercises will be very useful, particularly to those studying
according to the method which I am about to publish, as my principal
purpose has been to put into practice the principles contained therein.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Allegretto
p p
(till
(*) or: p m p i
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FERNANDO SOR THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andante
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR

4
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Andante
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104
FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andantino moderate»
No. 12

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BOOK 2
Andante
105
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No. 15
Allegretto
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Moderate
/
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FERNANDO SOR ♦ THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Allegretto
P pipi	p	p pipi p
p m i p	p
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Fig. 19.
Illustrations from “Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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—
Tempo di minuetto
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Andante
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To improve layout this page contains no music.
Fig. 24.
Illustrations from "Sor’s Method for the Spanish Guitar, translated from the original by A. Merrick”. London: Cocks & Co. (c. 1832).
Reproduced by kind permission from a copy in the collection of Robert Spencer.
CHANTERELLE 491
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Le doigt qui fait la plus haute note doit la conserver tant qu’il n’est pas	The finger playing the highest note [in each passage] must sustain it
oblige d’en faire une autre.	[from the original edition] until it is required to play another note.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
TWENTY FOUR LITTLE PROGRESSIVE PIECES, OPUS 44
AVERTISSEMENT
On dira, sans doutc, que cet ouvrage dcvait faire partie de ma methode,
et quc par consequent j’ai eu tort de le publier separement. On aurait raison
si en ecrivant la methode j’cusse eu un but bien different de celui qui m’a
decide a entreprendre ce travail. Si le seul mobile qui me conduisait cut
etc le debit de mon ouvrage je n’aurais consulte que le desir de ccux qui
n’en font acquisition que dans 1’espoir d’y trouver beaucoup de jolis
morccaux faciles a dcchiffrer, auxquels ils portent cxclusivemcnt lour
attention, nc regardant dans la partic instructive que le doigte de la gamme
dans trois ou quatre tons tout au plus; mais je me devais a moi meme non
sculcmcnt de nc point trompcr le lecteur, mais encore d’empecher qu’il se
trompe, en evitant tout ce qui pourrait lui faire negligcr 1’objct principal.
Celui qui voudra sinccrcment apprendre me saura gre d’une omission dont
d’autres me blameront pout etre; car en executant les morceaux contenus
dans ce cahier il у trouvera appliques des principcs qui etant deja fixes
dans sa memoire lui donneront une lumiere d’apres laqucllc il trouvera
Г execution bien plus facile que s’il les eut cssaycs avant d’etre bien
cimente dans les principcs fondamentaux. Ceux qui n’aimeraient pas une
methode telle quej ’entends qu’elle doit etre nc doivent pas faircacquisition
de la mienne: ccs 24 morccaux etant tous doigtes sont assez pour les mettre
a meme de jouer machinalcmcnt de la musique composcc dans le genre de
cellc que des esprits bicnvcillants qualifient d’injouablc tout en disant
qu’ils la jouent.	[from the original edition]
NOTE
It will surely be said that this work should be part of my method, and
that consequently I was wrong to publish it separately. That would have
been justified if, when writing the method, I had a quite different goal from
the one which convinced me to undertake this project. Had the sales of my
book been my only guiding motivation, I would have only satisfied the
whims of those who bought it, hoping to find lots of pretty pieces, easy to
sight-read to which they could devote all their attention, looking only at
the instructions for fingering scales in three or four keys at most. I owed
it to myself, however, not only not to deceive the reader, but also to spare
him from deceiving himself, by avoiding anything which could distract
him from the principal objective. He who sincerely wants to learn will be
grateful to me for an omission on account of which I will probably be
criticised. When he plays the pieces contained in this book, he will find
that some of the principles already inscribed in his memory will be
clarified. He will then find performing the pieces much easier than if he
had tried them before these fundamental principles were sufficiently
embedded. Those who are not interested in a method as I conceived it are
advised not to purchase mine. These twenty four pieces, all being
fingered, are sufficient to enable them to play this style of music
mechanically, and which well-intentioned spirits characterise as
unplayable, while at the same time claiming to be able to play it.
Ne levez le doigt qui presse une corde jusqu'a ce quc vous en ayez
besoin pour etre employ^ ailleurs.	[from the original edition]
Do not release a finger pressing down a string until it is needed
elsewhere.
Andante
No. 1
i m a tn i
m i a
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No. 6
Moderate
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FERNANDO SOR THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Allegretto
Andantino
CHANTERELLE 491
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127
No. 10
Allegretto
w	m
WnW
1 P P k P P зр
p
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Allegretto
Tempo di minuetto moderate
CHANTERELLE 491
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Andante
No. 15
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INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE GUITAR, OPUS 60
AVERTISSEMENT
Cet ouvrage est, selon moi d’une grande importance, en ce qu’il
remplit deux objets ordinairement incompatibles: celui qui voulant
apprendre a jouer de la guitare nc viserait qu’a Г acquisition d’un talent
mediocre se trouverait I’ayant fait (au moyen de ces lemons) a peu de frais
d’etude: et loin de se trouver engage dans une route opposee a celle qu’on
doit suivre pour aboutir a un grand talent, j ’ai eu soin que malgre la facilitc
des morceaux, leur texture renfermat les principes d’cxccution qui forment
la base de ce qu’il pcut у avoir de plus compliquc; et il scrait dans le cas
de continuer, s'il le voulait, sans la necessite (malheureusement trop
commune) d’etre oblige de desapprendre pour chcrchcr un autre point de
depart.
On trouvera, d’aprds cela, que cet ouvrage devrait faire partie de ma
methode: ma conscience m’a empeche d'agir ainsi. Celui qui ne desire
plus que ce que cet ouvrage pcut cnscigner, pour ainsi dire, machinalemcnt,
n’a pas besoin d’acheter un livre aussi coQteux: Et au surplus, je serais
tombe dans ce que je blame; e’est a dire, dans cet usage de rcmplir une
methode d’exemples facilcs a executer, qui flattent 1’oreille, et qui
contribucnt a ce qu’on nc regardc pas le texte, qui est scion moi ce qui
constituc la veritable methode.	[from the original edition]
NOTE
This a very important work in my opinion, as it fulfils two objectives
which are usually incompatible: the person wishing to learn to play the
guitar with mediocre proficiency will accomplish this by means of these
lessons and at low cost; while far from being taken along a path contrary
to the one to be followed in order to achieve high proficiency. I have been
careful that, despite the facility of the pieces, their contents include
performance principles which form the bases of what can be more
complicated; so that the student will be in the position to continue, if he
wants to, without the necessity (unfortunately too common) of being
compelled to go back and search for a new point of departure.
After consideration of these arguments, some people will think that
this work should be included in my Method: my conscience prevented me
from doing so. He, not wishing anything more than what this work can
teach, that is to say mechanical playing, docs not need to buy such an
expensive book: and besides I would have fallen into the same trap that I
criticise; that is to say, the practice of filling up a method with pieces which
are easy to play, which flatter the car, and which encourage the student to
ignore the text, which is in my mind the real method.
Les six premieres lemons nc sont quo pour s’cxcrccr a trouver ou chaquc
note doit etre produite. Neanmoins, en suivant le doigte indique, et en ayant
soin de ne pas lever Ic doigt place jusqu’a ce qu’il doive etre employe
aillcurs, ou quo la cordc qu’il presse doive produirc une note plus bas ou a
vide, on parviendra, sans s’en apcrccvoir, a contractor Г habitude de bien
placer la main gauche.
Les lemons dont le mouvement n’est point marque doivent etre etudiees
lentement, et elles doivent augmentcr de vitesse en raison du degre
d’assurancc auquel I’dldve sera parvenu. [from the original edition]
The first six lessons serve only as exercises for finding where each note
is to be produced.
Nevertheless, by following the indicated fingering and being careful
not to lift any finger until it is needed elsewhere, or until the string it is on
must be played at a lower fret or as an open string, the student will
automatically acquire the habit of positioning the left hand correctly.
Lessons with no tempo indication should be studied slowly, increasing
speed progressively as self-confidence is gained.
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Cette le(;on n’est pas autre choscquc le developpement de la prec6dente.
[from the original edition]
This lesson is nothing more than the development of the preceding one.
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m
a a a
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Andante
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Allegro moderate
No. 17
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Le but de cette le<?on est de faire prendre aux doigts en un seul The goal of this lesson is that the fingers learn in one movement to take
mouvement la configuration qui produit Г accord dont les notes successives up the shape of the chord to be played, of which the successive notes form
nc sont que Г expression detailice.	[from the original edition] part.
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rine
a
l p p
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FERNANDO SOR ♦ THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Cette le$on a pour but la fixitd du doigt sur lequcl est basde 1’execution
d’un passage.	[from the original edition]
The goal of this lesson is to learn to maintain the finger, on which the
performance of a passage is based, securely in place.
. CII
I rr
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m
i
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(*) Many slurs on this page are editorial (♦♦) or: a p i a
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Allegro moderate
No. 24
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154	FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
N.B. Dans les sons harmoniques, les notes inferieurcs indiquent
I’operation a faire, et les notes supdricurcs le resultat a produirc.
Le 3 surlignd indique que le son doit sc produirc cn dcssous de la
troisidme touche, car sur cllc il n’en existe point, ct cn dessus on en
produirait un autre un ton et demi plus haut. [from the original edition]
N.B. As regards the harmonics, the lower notes indicate the string and
have a fret location. The upper notes show the pitches to be produced. The
number 3 with a line above it [indicated in the music as III1] indicates that
the point of contact is to be found slightly behind the fret [between the 3rd
and 4th fret], this is because the harmonic produced in front of the third fret
[between the 2nd and 3rd fret] sounds one and a half tones higher.
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EXCERPTS AND EXERCISES FROM THE METHOD
155
Included in Sor’s Method arc a number of exercises that arc appropriate for inclusion in this book. For some of these I have chosen to reprint Sor’s
original text, for others I have chosen to paraphrase and condense his lengthy and somewhat exaggerated prose. All quotes, examples, plate numbers and
references are taken from the 1832 Merrick translation.
Right hand arpeggios
plate V, examples 20 - 23; original text: page 20.
Sor states that he employs only the fingers p, i & m for examples 20, 21 & 22, but for no. 23 admits that he is forced to use the right hand ring finger.
Interestingly, he also states that he could have added a greater number of combinations that arc similar to no. 23 but suppressed this urge because they
would lead away from his manner of playing and make greater use of the ring finger.
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Slurred scales
plate VII, example 29; original text: page 21.
“...I have never aimed to play scales staccato, or detached, nor with great rapidity, because I have been of [the] opinion that I could
never make the guitar perform violin passages satisfactorily, while, by taking advantage of the facility which it offers for connecting or
slurring the sounds, I could imitate somewhat better the passages of an air or melody. For this reason, I play only the note which commences
every group composing the passage. In the passage, example the twenty-ninth, I play the first of the slurred notes and as I hold the fingers
of the left hand in such a position that the extreme joints may fall perpendicularly, their sudden pressure occasions, (besides the state of
vibration in which the string is found,) that the stroke against the fret made with force, in consequence of that sudden pressure of the finger,
still increases the vibration, which continues after the new length of string has been so determined, producing the note which I required.”
(Merrick translation)
Quite lengthy prosc to justify and describe playing slurred scale passages. In this regard Sor’s manner of playing & phrasing is not unlike that of many
18th century German lutenists such as Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750) whose tablatures contain numerous examples of just this kind of scale execution.
Scalewise thirds
plates VIII - X, examples 33 - 38; original text: pages 24 & 25.
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Scalewise on sixths
plate X, examples 47 & 48; original text page 26.
After examining Sor’s method and performing works from each collection of studies it becomes clear that Sor considers the understanding and
application of thirds and sixths to be of paramount importance to playing the guitar. In his Methode alone he devotes almost five full pages of text to the
nature, fingering and theoretical application of thirds and sixths. While this is obviously an important topic to him, much of this text describes and justifies
his basic fingering of these intervals. It is apparent that Sor considered it essential for a guitarist to know the linear application of these intervals on two
adjacent strings, especially those between the first/second and second/third strings, for the mensuration of the instalment.
After the player acquires these basic skill he then further develops their application with a series of exercises on plates XI through XVI. Sor describes
this knowledge and skill as the “Application of the Theory of Thirds and Sixths.”
Sor’s preoccupation with this “theory” most likely lies within his own pedagogical background. It should not be forgotten that during the late eighteenth
century, the exact same time that Sor himself was pursuing his studies, the guitar was often used as a basso-continuo instrument. In the chapter of his method
devoted to accompaniment Sor states the following:
“I should like to explain how I reasoned with myself in order to form accompaniments; but, besides it being impossible, without using
terms which I ought to avoid employing, this rather belongs to the treatise which I intend to publish, On Harmony applied to the Guitar.
I shall, however, point out everything that the simple knowledge of thirds and sixths may render intelligible.”
Speaking as someone who regularly plays continue, on both guitar and lute, I can attest to the benefits of understanding the execution of thirds and
sixths on the guitar and how this knowledge facilitates the creation of an accompaniment. To me, it is clear that throughout his life Sor continued to draw
on this essential aspect of his education and wished to communicate it to succeeding generations of guitarists.
Ex. 47
Ex. 48
1.
EXERCISES IN THIRDS
Moderate
tn	।	m	I ।
j1-i!r 1 ’Zr ktr tr1
* p	Pi
P	i I	m i
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m	VII
m a m i
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FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
i p i p
EXERCISES IN SIXTHS
5
17
21
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/
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EXERCISE IN THIRDS AND SIXTHS
p m i P
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PLAYING SUGGESTIONS
by Richard Savino
Much has been written about Fernando Sor’s etudes for solo guitar.
They are without question one of the cornerstones of the classical
guitar repertoire and one of most studied collections of pedagogical
works written for the instrument. Since they were first issued they
have been published repeatedly with fingering and commentaries
added by various editors. So one might ask: why another edition of
these works?
The answer is two-fold: in the case of the editions by Napoleon Coste
and Andres Segovia, what we have are selections from Sor’s original
oeuvre, completely removed from their original settings. Valid as they
are, they give no hint of the original context of the works. Furthermore,
while Segovia’s edition is certainly a respected fixture of modem
guitar pedagogy, it is not what Sor originally composed. Segovia,
being of another era and feeling compelled to disseminate his own
teaching philosophy quickly, felt the need to change tempo and
dynamic markings of these works as suited his tastes. It is interesting
that in the repertoire of studies for other instruments, such as the piano
etudes of Chopin and Debussy, the cello studies of Popper or the violin
caprices of Paganini, the accepted pedagogical editions are those that
are complete. Yet guitarists have often found themselves in the
position of learning these pieces outside the context of their compo-
sition. It is as if one had only been exposed to a selected Minuet or
Rondo from a Mozart Sonata. While it is true that access to facsimile
editions of these works has been readily available for some time, for
the most part they lack performing suggestions and/or fingering,
something a modem teaching tool should provide.
Recently another incomplete compilation of these works has appeared
and although the editor has attempted to provide a commentary, his
suggestions are based purely on his own interpretation of Sor’s
technical approach. While considering and understanding this techni-
cal approach certainly gives greater insight to Sor’s original pedagogi-
cal intent, as well as interpretive devices that initially might not be
considered by modem players, we must consider his technique in
relation to that of his contemporaries. Sor’s technique was an anomaly
and, as Matanya Ophee has pointed out, his Method is often a defence
of the principles that he adhered to. This is not meant to condemn Sor’s
approach to playing, rather, it is to help us better understand the
function of these pieces as he conceived them and then to apply this
to alternative technical approaches. It is a particularly thorny issue
since Sor played without right-hand fingernails and in a manner that
was closer to 17th and 18th century lute technique than early nine-
teenth century guitar technique. This is easily seen by comparing the
playing instructions contained in his Method with those of his contem-
poraries: Dionisio Aguado, Mauro Giuliani, Matteo Carcassi, and
Ferdinando Carulli. It is my belief that Sor would have expected
someone such as Aguado or Giuliani to execute these works in a
personalised manner, much as he himself demonstrated in his Method
by offering an entirely different version of his own to~ replace a
variation by Giuliani onLaSentinelle by J. N. Hummel in a manner that
more suited his own technique.1
We must consider the kind of instrument that Sor played: in general,
early nineteenth century guitars had shorter string lengths, narrower
necks and smaller bodies, all of which facilitated certain fingerings
that are close to impossible on a modem classical guitar. Hopefully I
bring a careful consideration of these issues to this edition. I will
remain true to most if not all of Sor’s original articulations and
fingerings and offer an alternative means of execution when appropri-
ate. On occasion I offer practice and performance suggestions that
address technical issues other than those stated or implied by Sor.
It is also important to consider the Coste and Segovia versions of the
works. Coste was a direct inheritor of Sor’s pedagogy and although
some of his left-hand fingering deviates from the earlier editions, it
appears this is a result of the kind of instrument he played. The guitar
of Coste’s generation began to adopt some of the physical character-
istics of the modern guitar, principally in the areas of string length and
neck width. Since some of his fingerings have very practical applica-
tions, I have occasionally opted to include them as the basis for the
present edition. Regarding the Segovia edition, which was based on
Coste’s, it is he to whom we are all indebted for preserving Sor’s
legacy in this century and I recommend that those who study his
edition consult David Tanenbaum’s masterful essays on these stud-
ies.2 Such diverse and alternative approaches to important technical
and musical issues can only enrich our own interpretations.
Finally, it is imperative for us to go beyond the technical application
of these works and to recognise that they were also the result of a
creative and fertile mind. To perform them merely as mechanical
exercises demeans their value and undermines Sor’s intent. The
studies arc pieces of music bom out of a rich tradition that transcends
the instrument. They not only show us a pedagogical path but also
provide a window through which we can experience the London and
Parisian salons of the early nineteenth century where musical trends
were established. They belong to both, a singular personality whose
musical sensibilities evolved though a lifetime, as well as a period of
transition in music represented by composers belonging to the genera-
tion of 1830.
Editorial approach:
With regard to fingering, as stated above I remain faithful to Sor’s
original indications but will offer alternatives when warranted. On
occasion, these fingerings might be in conflict with an interpretive
ideal and in such situations it is the responsibility of the player to
determine the final means of execution.
Differences in editions:
For the most part I have subjectively determined which parts of these
editions to include here. My choices arc listed in the Commentary on
page 173.
Performance practice: ornaments, tempi, rubato etc
This is a very complicated issue, one too great to address in detail here,
but one that needs to be discussed. First, it is absolutely imperative to
consider the composing and performing environments from which
these works emanate. An awareness of the change in style that
occurred in Sor’s compositions between the early Spanish and the later
Parisian period is essential for understanding the works. I know of no
better source for this than Brian Jeffery’s book: Fernando Sor,
Composer and Guitarist.3
Similar stylistic traits can also be found in the works of his contempo-
raries such as Chopin and I recommend extensive listening to pieces
by composers beyond the sphere of the guitar.
It is particularly surprising that there is not a single trill indicated in any
of Sor’s studies yet there are a number of occasions where he inserts
Fernando Sor, Method for the Spanish Gidtar, trans. A. Merrick London: R.
Cocks, 1832), example 88, plate XXII.
David Tanenbaum, The Essential Studies', Fernando Sor’s 20 Estudios, (San
Francisco: Guitar Solo Publications, 1990.
Brian Jeffcry, Fernando Sor, Composer and Guitarist, (London: Tecla Editions,
1977).
CHANTERELLE 491
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168
grace notes. Since Sor left no suggestions regarding the interpretation
of such symbols we must rely on other nineteenth century sources.
Many early nineteenth century guitar tutors specify that grace notes
are to be interpreted as appoggiaturas that are played on the beat and
are generally given half the value of the note that they precede. The
exception to this is Dionisio Aguado who states that:
“The appoggiatura is a little note the brief value of which is taken
out of the following note and has to be played rapidly. It is played
like two slurred notes, but very rapidly.”4 (my translation)
I find the even division application to be most appropriate for settings
with slower tempos and undotted rhythms, and Aguado’s recommen-
dation more appropriate for dotted rhythmic figuration and faster
tempos.
Since a few of Sor’s studies exploit harmonics, I feel that it is
important to remind the reader that natural harmonics will sound
clearer if plucked half way between the bridge and the base of the
soundhole. Furthermore, harmonics on the third fret should be fin-
gered slightly in front of, and those on the fourth slightly behind, the
fret in order to produce a more resonant sound. See Sor’s preface to
op.60-25 on page 154 of the present edition.
It is also of great importance that we consider the overall issue of early
nineteenth century interpretation. Dionisio Aguado’s summary at the
conclusion of his Methode Complete pour la Guitare, opus 6 (Paris,
1826) 5 is an excellent introduction to this subject. It is further
expanded in his Nuevo Metodo para Guitarra (1843)6 and it is that
version that has been translated and included in the Appendix on page
187.
For those who arc interested in a broader survey of this topic 1
recommend my article “Essential Issues in Performance Practices of
the Classical Guitar, 1770-1840” contained in: Playing the Lute,
Guitar and Vihuela: Essays on Historical Practice and Modern
Interpretation, edited by Victor Coelho and published by Cambridge
University Press.
The Studies
Opus 6
No. 1 (page 10)
Sor begins his opus 6 etudes with a texture consisting of 3 parts, two
upper and one lower, that will become familiar to the reader. The
objective here is to strengthen the right-hand thumb by giving it the
melodic line while the accompaniment remains in the upper two
voices.
Although Sor gives no indication as to whether the upper voices
should be sustained or dampened, logic suggests the former. I base this
assertion on the tempo and harmonic rhythm of the piece which
changes in either full or half bar increments.
As with many of his works, Sor would probably have played the upper
two parts with i&nt, but I see no reason why one shouldn’t experiment
with fingerings such as m & a in order to develop this motion further.
No. 2 (page 11)
This study reverses the texture found in Number 1. Here the melody
is in the upper voice while the accompaniment remains in the lower
two. Since this piece has a faster harmonic rhythm than the first, I find
it more satisfying to play the lower parts with a short articulation while
sustaining the upper part.
4 Dionisio Aguado, Nuevo Metodo para Guitarra, (Madrid: Campo, 1843),
(Reprint edition Heidelberg: Chanterelle, 1995), Volume 2, page 33.
5 The Spanish edition of Aguado’s opus 6, Nuevo Metodo de Guitarra (Madrid:
Campo c.1840), is included in the Chanterelle Reprint edition, Volume 1.
6 Ibid., p. 143-145.
Although Sor might have played the entire melody with the nt finger
I suggest a more varied approach. For those wishing to develop a
strong a finger articulation, try playing the melody with only that
finger using first rest stroke and then free stroke. In performance I use
a combination of m & a.
No. 3 (page 12)
The apparent objective here is to develop left-hand slurs in alternation
with short, detached chords. While Segovia gave this work an Allegro-
moderato designation 1 find andante to be a more appropriate tempo,
based on the 4/4 time signature and the manner in which Sor has
juxtaposed the two primary elements of the study.
1 suggest that the work be performed with a literal interpretation of the
durations present which will necessitate a rapid muting of each chord.
To accomplish this Aguado suggests a combination of rapidly lifting
off the left-hand fingers while simultaneously placing the right-hand
fingers onto the strings that were just plucked. An alternative is to
rapidly lay the right-hand thumb across these strings. Since every slur
in the work consists of three notes, careful attention should be given
to the placement of all three left-hand fingers in order to avoid buzzing.
On the modem guitar some of these three note slurs are particularly
difficult to execute and one might wish to consider some of Segovia’s
fingerings when working on this piece. Careful attention should also
be paid to the lovely texture Sor creates at the conclusion of the study
by setting the slurred figure above and below a G-B pedal figure in the
middle voice.
No. 4 (page 13)
This study develops repeated note figuration in the bass in alternation
with block chords. While the first 16 bars emphasise short articula-
tions, Sor changes this in the developmental section beginning at bar
17 where he switches to sustained chords. The original texture is re-
established in bar 33 and the piece concludes with an eight bar coda.
The study is also interesting in that Sor apparently uses texture as a
means of dynamic variety. Note how the chords change between three
and four voice textures. While a number of other editors have filled in
these chords I feel that Sor is purposely, and effectively, manipulating
the texture of these passages and I have left them as they were
originally published.
Sor intended the repeated notes throughout the study to be played with
a thumb/index alternation/? ip. While this seems quite logical for bars
1-16 and bars 33-48, bars 17-30 can be played effectively with a
variety of right-hand finger alternations. If the player decides to
execute this latter passage with Sor’s likely combination, I suggest
playing the chords on each downbeat with p m a in order to keep the
index finger free for the immediately following thumb/index alterna-
tion. In his edition of these works Brian Jeffery advocates a strum with
p on beat three of each bar of this same passage. His rationale is based
on the fact that the chords each have a downward stem in the London
edition of the works, but he fails to inform the reader that this was
changed in the later Meissonnier and Coste editions. Furthermore, I
feel that a “strummed” articulation gives an unnatural extra accent to
beat three of the passage. Due to the difficult stretch contained in bar
22, players should take care to isolate bars 21 & 22, practising them
slowly with a slightly lowered left-hand thumb so as not to strain the
left wrist tendons.
No. 5 (page 14)
Number five provides an opportunity to develop arpeggios with a
right-hand thumb motion that jumps a string. Since the harmony is
presented in block chords and moves in 1/2 bar or 2 beat increments,
I find it helpful to play through the work first as a sequence of chords.
Once these chords are learned I suggest two basic right-hand combi-
nations for performance: p i p i m i orp p p i m i. It is also beneficial
to experiment with other combinations such asp i p nt a nt, pipiai
or even pp i nt a m.
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No. 6 (page 16)
Number six is one of Sor’s most renowned studies. Here the primary
objective is learning to execute scale-wise thirds in what should sound
like an effortless manner. The problem is that performing the work is
far from effortless. While Segovia chose to limit left-hand shifts and
concentrate more on finger independence, Coste employs regular
hand position shifts that use the first finger as a pivot. Although both
are valid approaches I find the latter more effective.
Bars 100-101, 103-104 and correspondingly similar passages, betray
the opinion of some that Sor rarely, if ever, used his a finger. If this
finger is avoided then one is required to use three fast repetitions of
either i or m, not a practical alternative. Segovia’s solution was to slur
to an open ‘E’; while this is a very effective and legato solution, there
are no slurs here in any of the early editions. Be that as it may, one
should feel free to chose a solution best suited to one’s own aesthetics.
No. 7 (page 18)
This is an extension of the previous study in thirds but here they are
broken and some are embellished with an ornament that is best
described as a written out main-note trill. To facilitate left-hand
dexterity, I suggest first practising this as a sequence of harmonic
thirds.
No. 8 (page 21)
A beautiful and carefully crafted work in a three voice texture. Take
great care in maintaining these voices throughout. Particular attention
should be given to the canon-like passage that begins in bar 10 and the
sequences in bars 26-32 and 32-38. In these latter passages note how
the treble part in bar 26 becomes the bass in bar 32 while each is
accompanied by a lovely chromatic descent in the middle voice.
No. 9 (page 22)
This is Sor’s first study in a minor key and contains a dark and florid
melody. Its apparent technical goal is to improve the execution of
sixths in a legato context. To this end one should be sure to hold every
note for its full duration. Interestingly, the work is not unlike a short
single movement mono-thematic Sonata.
No. 10 (page 24)
Number 10 is a vigorous study in octaves that develops right/left-hand
coordination and curiously concludes with the British national anthem
“God Save the King”.
Although I have attempted to finger the work in a way that provides
for a fluid left-hand motion, bars 52 and 60 are very difficult to execute
on a modem guitar and I have therefore provided alternative fingerings.
No. 11 (page 26)
This is a beautiful study that is prelude-like and blends an atmospheric
harmonic wash of sound with a slow melody in the upper voice. It
provides an excellent opportunity to develop a strong a finger articu-
lation, using either rest or free stroke, and right-hand thumb coordina-
tion.
No. 12 (page 30)
Study number 12 is a more homophonic work that consists of an upper
voice melody with an inner voice accompaniment in thirds. While the
most logical fingering for these inner voices is p & i, I suggest
additional experimentation with i & m in order to develop independ-
ence between these fingers and a. I find many of Segovia’s fingerings
in this study to be very good and have incorporated some of them into
the present edition.
Opus 29
No. 13 (page 32)
Opus 29 begins with a study designed to strengthen left-hand barring.
Set in the context of an arpeggio study, Sor chose the key of В flat
which demands clean and consistent left-hand banes. I suggest two
possible right-hand fingerings for the arpeggio figure: p m i p m i or
p a m i m i.
No. 14 (page 34)
This study exploits the alternation of rapid melodic figuration that is
ornamental in nature, with a more static homophonic texture. In order
to execute the figures cleanly one should resist the temptation to
perform the work any faster than the Andante moderate tempo
indicated.
No. 15 (page 38)
In a manner similar to the previous study, number 15 alternates block
chords with arpeggios. On occasion these chords require a stretch that,
on the modem guitar, might be difficult for some players. In particular,
an acceptable alternative to the A major chord on beat 2 of bar 2 would
be to play the same chord as on beat 1. Note that in bars 18-29 Sor
exercises the displacement of the right hand-thumb by moving the
triplet figure to the treble voice. Throughout this study Sor is very
particular about rests and sustained notes, so pay close attention to the
durations of the upper voices in bars 42-56.
No. 16 (page 40)
This study presents a triplet tremolo pattern with the melody in the
lower voices. While Sor would probably have &pmi fingering for the
repeated ‘E’s’, I personally find it more musical and technically
beneficial to experiment here with a variety of right-hand combina-
tions. Certainly similar studies by some of Sor’s contemporaries such
as Giuliani and Carulli show this to be an acceptable practice.
No. 17 (page 42)
Study number 17 addresses many of the issues that Sor considers
important and explores in other studies. These include sixths, thirds,
short articulations and block chords. It is also one of Sor’s more
contrapuntal studies and is reminiscent of the quasi baroque-like
texture that was often employed by composers such as Haydn and
Mozart. I suggest continuing the short articulations introduced in bar
1 throughout the piece in order to maintain the clarity of line.
No. 18 (page 46)
In this work Sor returns to a texture he first introduced in study 12, that
of an upper voice melody and bass accompanied by middle voices, but
here the middle voices are in sixteenth note triplets rather than even
eighth notes. This again presents us with a situation where Sor would
most likely have played the melody withm and the middle voices with
p 8l i. While this is certainly a legitimate fingering I find it most
effective to play the melody with a and the middle voices with i & m;
this allows for a lighter touch on the inner voice accompaniment.
Personally, I deviate from this when the inner voices arc separated by
a string and when there is a dotted rhythm in the upper voice; on each
of these occasions using the p & i fingering for the inner voices.
No. 19 (page 48)
The objective of number 19 is to develop left-hand slurs within a three
or four voice texture. This is a particularly important technique to
master and one must be very careful not to hit an adjacent string with
the finger that is executing the slur. While it might also seem that Sor
has capriciously notated staccato notes throughout the study I would
tend to fault the original engraver. My own inclination is to interpret
the dots as an indication to give articulation and clarity to the repeated
pedal note throughout the piece.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
No. 20 (page 50)
With this study we get Sor’s first “performance suggestions”. From
his rather succinct suggestion we know that he would like the work to
be performed quietly with a dolce, sustained sound quality. While this
certainly suggests a harp-like sound as is described in his Method, it
can also produce a sound that is similar to an nineteenth century piano
with leather, rather than felt hammers played with the pedal down. The
other obvious objective of the work is to alter and develop the kind of
texture found in study number 19, but here we find the melody in the
middle voice and the pedal note in the treble. Careful attention should
be paid to this balance.
No. 21 (page 52)
Here is a study in the playing of natural harmonics that I find
deceptively difficult for two reasons: first, the fingerboard of the
modem guitar, being longer and wider than the guitar of Sor’s day,
does not allow for a facile fingering of some passages and chords such
as the one found in bar 6; and second, certain melodic passages that use
notes created on different frets need to be very carefully balanced since
not all natural harmonics sound with equal volume.
No. 22 (page 54)
Study number 22, in E flat major, is Sor’s second effort in presenting
a work with a flat key signature and contains more extensive left-hand
barring due to the lack of open string pitches common to this key.
Structurally and gesturally I find the work to be reminiscent of a short,
single movement mono-thematic Sonata with an early Haydn-like
feel.
No. 23 (page 56)
Sor begins the study with a comment assuming a “sufficient knowl-
edge of harmony to cope with the pitfalls of changing left-hand
positions,” and then articulates that its primary objective is to train the
right-hand thumb to choose different strings without displacing the
entire right hand. It seems clear that Sor expected the thumb to pluck
those notes with downward stems, I encourage all to experiment with
this fingering. However, my own personal choices are dependent on
the specific passage. In general, I often use two thumb strokes when
two notes are no more than three strings apart. Otherwise I usually
employ p & /, and in the treble part, 1 use either i/m or m/а when the
melody is on two adjacent strings, or i/a when there is a string
separating them.
No. 24 (page 58)
The final study of opus 29 is a work that exploits an upper melodic line
accompanied by an inner voice arpeggiated figure. It is a good
workout for the left hand, containing many barres and stretches that
need careful practising and is an apt work for the finale of such a
significant opus. Although the study lacks a specific tempo designa-
tion, I tend to feel it as an Allegretto dance movement, not unlike a
concluding gigue.
Opus 31: 24 Progressive Lessons
According to Sor, lessons are different from studies. Quoting from
Matanya Ophee’s introduction to this edition, Sor himself described
them as: “pieces of music, where each does not need to have for its
objective the exercise of a single rule, but also [may deal with] the rules
employed in the lessons preceding, and even the initiating of the
student in some exceptions.” With this description Sor gives himself
a lot of flexibility, quite appropriate for works that he considers to be
placed squarely between the goals of studies and exercises. Whatever
the case, he does seem to be attempting to provide works that are, at
least initially, a little less difficult than those contained in opp.6 & 29.
Although the title states that they arc “progressive” lessons, it appears
that his musical sensibilities quickly over-ran his pedagogical intent,
something he was forced to admit in his preface to opus 35. For the
most part these lessons are relatively self-explanatory and contain a
more thorough fingering than those in opp.6 & 29, therefore my
comments will be less frequent and detailed.
Nos. 1 & 2 (page 62)
Sor begins by remaining true to his Progressive Lessons title with two
short and relatively easy works that explore the first position.
No. 3 (page 63)
This lesson provides a good opportunity to develop three finger
passage-work in the right hand. I have provided an initial fingering as
a suggestion.
Nos. 4 & 5 (pages 64-65)
Numbers 4 and 5 present a treble melody in a generally homophonic
texture. The goal here is to maintain a balance between the separate
voices while permitting the melodic line to project through.
No. 6 (page 66)
As Sor specifies in the preface to this lesson, its goal is to develop the
displacement of the right-hand thumb. Take care to note that on beat
4 of bars 10 and 15 the thumb also needs to pluck two adjacent strings
simultaneously.
No.7 (page 67)
Practising this arpeggio study can be an effective way to develop
execution of a strong rest or free stroke melody with a free stroke
accompaniment. I find both to be of great benefit.
No. 8 (page 68)
HereSor revisits the homophonic texture he introduced in lessons 4 &
5, while beginning to explore upper positions. One should practise the
scale-wise thirds in bar 14 very slowly until they can be executed in
a smooth legato fashion. I have altered Sor’s fingering slightly in bar
25 in order to keep the passage more legato.
No. 9 (page 69)
Lesson 9 further develops playing a sustained melody with an
arpeggiated accompaniment figure. As with lesson 7 one should
experiment with a variety of right-hand finger combinations in con-
junction with either rest or free strokes in the melody. I offer a couple
of right-hand fingerings as two possibilities. This lesson also intro-
duces some new chord forms and 1 find it beneficial to work on them
as a sequence of block chords.
No. 10 (page 70)
Sor specifically states that the particular goal of number 10 is to
“facilitate” [improve] legato when playing thirds and sixths. As a
means of accomplishing this he employs a number of double slurs and
fingerings that, on the modem guitar, gives a less than desired result.
In particular I am referring to his fingering in bars 19 & 21, where for
each of these I have provided an alternative.
No. 11 (page 71)
An introduction to the key of F major, this lesson begins to make
greater use of 1/2 barres.
No. 12 (page 72)
Sor concludes book 1 of opus 31 with a dark and effective piece that
exploits a flurry of right-hand activity in alternation with thirds and
sixths. Of particular interest is bar 8 (1 st ending) which shows that Sor
considered cross-string to be an effective means of legato and an
equivalent to a left-hand pull-off slur. I have also provided a fingering
that honours Sor’s carefully notated bass note durations for beats 3 &
4 of bars 10-17. These bass notes can also be effectively muted with
the right-hand thumb. Bar 23 presents a very difficult stretch and I
suggest preparing it as a “block” D minor chord. For those who find
this passage excessively difficult, I suggest playing this chord with a
full barre in the 7th position which incidentally provides an interesting
change of colour. A similar difficulty is presented in bars 46 & 47
where I have provided an alternative fingering.
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No. 13 (page 75)
Sor begins book 2 of opus 31 with the kinds of shorter and simpler
pieces that began the collection. Number 13 presents a simple melody
in C major that is only slightly varied and remains in the guitar’s lower
positions (I-II1).
No. 14 (page 76)
In his book 100 Graded Studies for the Classical Guitar, Frederick
Noad correctly points out the licder-like quality of this piece. I suspect
that the tied ‘G’ in bar 22 might be a misprint. In any event I feel that
the passage is more effective when the ‘G’ is re-articulated on beat 2.
No. 15 (page 77)
The objective here is to develop an inverted mordent, or main note
trill-like ornament in conjunction and alternation with scale-wise
thirds. I find that bars 17-22 have a lighter feel when played with
fingers i, m & a. I have provided an alternative for bar 23 which
contains an awkward fingering present in the Meissonnier and Coste
editions.
No. 16 (page 78)
A familiar study from the Segovia collection, this is the first lesson to
exploit a florid bass melody while also developing left-hand stretches.
No. 17 (page 79)
This is a lesson in keeping a melody sustained over an Alberti bass. In
bar 18 one might wish to reverse Sor’s left-hand fingering for the ‘C#’
and ‘B’ which is quite awkward. If Sor’s fingering is retained be sure
to lift the ‘C#’ after placing 4 on ‘D’, as it will facilitate playing the
‘C#’. In addition, if the stretch on beat 2 of bar 33 is too difficult, bars
33 & 34 can be played in the 5th position.
No. 18 (page 80)
Lesson 18 is similar in key and nature to Sor’s more famous exercise
in В minor, opus 35, number 22. It has a prelude-like character with
some lovely chromaticism.
No. 19 (page 82)
Here Sor begins to explore right hand speed and although he indicates
that its specific objective is to develop the thumb/index alternation,
this study is also effective in developing other right-hand finger
combinations. To this end I suggest working on a variety of combina-
tions for study purposes but usually employing a i m i for perform-
ances. Since each of these repeated note figures occurs on an off-beat,
I suggest that they should not be accented too strongly and that they
should be phrased towards the following downbeat. Sor has also
carefully notated very specific rests which I feci should be interpreted
literally and executed with a variety of right and left-hand muting
techniques.
No. 20 (page 84)
A lesson in playing short detached chords that are most effectively
executed with similar damping techniques to those introduced in
lesson 19.
No. 21 (page 86)
As Sor indicates, this lesson should be played Andante cantabile or
“singingly”. This is particularly difficult to accomplish in bar 10
which contains difficult left-hand stretches and needs to be worked
slowly and deliberately.
No. 22 (page 87)
Lesson 22 picks up on the “block” chord technique that was introduced
in lesson 20 and is to be performed in a “Tempo di marcia”.
No. 23 (page 88)
This lesson is deceptively difficult, especially in bar 15 where each of
the four voices needs to be heard clearly. As Sor indicates, the player
should impart a dignified and religious character to this work.
No. 24 (page 90)
Sor concludes opus 31 with a work in E major that exploits a variety
of technical and musical issues: arpeggios, sustained melodies, bar-
ring, right-hand thumb motion and extensive left-hand stretches.
Some of these stretches are all but impossible for many players so I
have re-fingered bar 53 and its corresponding passages and have also
provided an alternative fingering to bar 69.
Opus 35: 24 Very Easy Exercises
While some of these pieces fall into the very easy category, others
clearly do not. As with the previous opus Sor includes copious left-
hand fingering to which 1 have made some additional contributions.
Nos. 1 & 2 (pages 93-94)
The first two exercises arc basic studies in the first position that should
be practised paying close attention to dynamics.
No. 3 (page 94)
This work concentrates on thirds and uses a more expanded harmonic
vocabulary than number 1.
No. 4 (page 95)
Number 4 remains in the 1st position but begins to develop a more
contrapuntal texture which must be brought out.
No. 5 (page 96)
This study, primarily in thirds, is very effective in developing a variety
of finger alternations such asp m,pi or a combination of both. Legato
playing, particularly in the pedal passage of bars 17-24, should be
emphasised throughout.
No. 6 (page 97)
Number 6 is an exercise in playing legato thirds and is more difficult
than one might assume from looking at the page. Paying close
attention to left-hand fingering should minimise problems.
No. 7 (page 98)
An exercise in playing arpeggios, the work is also useful in developing
repeated right-hand thumb articulations.
No. 8 (page 100)
This is a straight forward exercise in arpeggios presented in a waltz
with trio formal scheme.
No. 9 (page 101)
Although Sor specifies that this arpeggio study be played Andante, be
careful not to play it too slowly since it is in cut time and the harmonic
rhythm moves by the half-bar.
No. 10 (page 102)
This is an exercise that addresses broken chords and introduces the key
of F major.
No. 11 (page 103)
A study in short detached chords, the piece serves as a good warm-up
to opus 31, number 20. Since the piece begins with the tonic on the
second beat it should be carefully phrased so as not to overemphasise
the weak half of the bar.
No. 12 (page 104)
One of Sor’s loveliest miniatures, this exercise in sixths makes
especially good use of the key of F major due to its rare scordatura.
No. 13 (page 105)
A famous work from the Segovia collection and an excellent exercise
in playing a melody with an Alberti bass accompaniment. While the
work can be helpful in developing a strong rest stroke melody against
a free stroke accompaniment, I suggest reserving that application for
practice sessions only since it makes for too heavy an interpretation.
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FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
No. 14 (page 106)
An exercise in playing dotted rhythms in a mainly two part texture.
No. 15 (page 107)
This piece in thirds and sixths explores the higher positions of the
guitar. The conjunct, linear quality of the melody suggests a legato
approach that should be practised slowly and carefully so that finger
shifts are imperceptible to the listener.
No. 16 (page 108)
Here Sor combines elements of the previous two studies - thirds, sixths
and dotted rhythms, employing short, detached articulations set to a
mazurka-like rhythm:/J JbJh-1 recommend a literal interpretation
of his carefully notated durations and rests and suggest that the grace
notes be played very short and right on the beat.
No. \7 (page 110)
Another work from the Segovia/Coste collections, the exercise ex-
plores playing a legato melody against a bass line that fills in the
harmony while imitating the rhythm of the treble part. The overall
effect is that of a clearly heard melody in an arpeggiated texture which
suggests that the lower parts should be allowed to sustain. Although
this seems to contrary to Sor’s carefully notated score, I believe that
here he was relying on notational conventions in order to present a
legible part. This sustain is also supported by both Sor and Coste’s
fingerings.
Although some have advocated playing all the downward stemmed
notes withp, I personally find it more musically satisfying with ар &
i alternation. This allows for a lighter touch on a part that is essentially
accompaniment. One should also feel free to experiment with both rest
and free strokes in the treble voice.
No. 18 (page 111)
An excellent exercise in playing two note chords using p a & i rn in
alternation. The exception occurs in bars 13-16 and all other occasions
where the off-beat chords are separated by a string. In these situations
I find a p rn fingering more effective.
No. 19 (page 112)
This piece provides another rare example of Sor’s approach to right-
hand fingering. It is a short exercise that exploits repeated notes, two
strings barres and open fifths reminiscent of an “aire militaire.” The
1828 Pacini edition of the work again shows us that Sor considered it
essential to be able to play repeated notes, on either a treble or bass
string, with some right-hand combination that included the thumb. In
bars 34-45 it shows us that Sor would also use the thumb for weaker
parts of the beat. While this fingering can be used to great effect and
should certainly be developed, I personally find it preferable to
employ a fingering that would probably have been used by one of his
Parisian colleagues, Carulli or Aguado, and have included this alter-
native in the score.
No. 20 (page 114)
Exercise 20 is a lovely, prelude-like miniature that explores an open
string or “campanella” texture set to a “Tempo di minuetto.” I find it
to be a work that can effectively develop all four right-hand fingers and
have provided a fingering that takes advantage of this.
No. 21 (page 116)
A work that suggests legato playing in a homophonic texture. Left-
hand shifts should be carefully worked on so as to attain the smoothest
manner of execution.
No. 22 (page 118)
One of Sor’s most famous studies, this work in В minor possesses
some of the most important qualities we associate with Sor’s playing:
sustain, legato and sensitivity. The original Allegretto tempo also
implies a more prelude-like quality often absent in many interpreta-
tions of the work.
No. 23 (page 119)
Here Sor returns to a texture he introduced in number 7, that of a rapid
arpeggio figure followed by chords. This particular work is very
useful in that it develops fitting 5, 6 and 7 note arpeggio figures into
a single half-beat unit. In reality, Sor is creating a harmonic “wash of
sound” that is followed by two staccato chords. Partial right-hand
thumb sweeps and full left-hand barres feature prominently.
No. 24 (page 120)
Sor concludes opus 35 with a vigorous study in E minor that provides
a good workout for the right-hand thumb as well as providing some
significant stretches for the left hand.
Opp. 44 & 60 (pages 122-154)
These collections bear a number of similar traits. Each begins with an
“ Avertissement” where Sor discusses certain issues pertaining to the
works, while also explaining his reasons for publishing each one. Sor
describes each of these opera as “progressive” works, and, for the most
part, that is how they are presented. Each is thoroughly fingered for the
left hand, yet they are still lacking right-hand fingering. Given the
nature of these pieces, that they are intended for beginner and
intermediate level players, I have taken the liberty of giving more
complete right and left-hand fingerings. Please note that they are not
to be interpreted as the only way to execute a passage, rather they are
suggestions based on a philosophy of pedagogical intent: that of hand
and finger development. As was stated earlier, occasionally such
fingerings might be in conflict with an interpretive ideal and in these
situations it is the responsibility of the player to determine the final
means of execution. I also feel that each of these work is relatively self-
explanatory and have therefore chosen not to comment as I have for
the previous collections.
Lessons From the Method (page 155-166)
After examining Sor’s Method and performing works from his collec-
tions of studies it becomes clear that Sor considered the understanding
and application of thirds and sixths to be of paramount importance to
understanding the guitar. In his Method alone he devotes almost five
full pages of text to the nature, fingering and theoretical application of
thirds and sixths. This is obviously an important topic to him and much
of his text describes the fingering of these intervals on two adjacent
strings, especially those on strings one and two, and on two and three,
for the mensuration of the instrument. After introducing these basic
skills, he then develops their application further with a series of
exercises on Plates XI to XVI.
One might wonder why Sor was preoccupied with what he called the
“Application of the Theory of Thirds and Sixths”. The reasons for this
might very well lie with his own pedagogical background. It should
not be forgotten that during the late eighteenth century, precisely when
he was pursuing his studies, the guitar was often used as a basso-
continuo instrument. Speaking as someone who regularly plays
continuo, on both guitar and lute, I can attest to the benefits of
understanding the execution of thirds and sixths on the guitar. Appar-
ently Sor continued to draw upon this essential aspect of his education
and was committed to communicating it to succeeding generations of
guitarists.
Richard Savino,
1996
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
173
COMMENTARY
by Richard Savino
in collaboration with Jan de Kloe and Michael Macmeeken
Source Editions used for this Publication
Twelve Studies op.6
Milhousc, London (с. 1815-17)’ [Milh]
Meissonnier, Paris (с. 1816-22)1 [Meiss]
Simrock, Bonn (с. 1824-5)’ [Sim]
Douze Etudes op.29
Meissonnier (1827)’
Simrock (1830)’
Vingt Quatre Lemons op.31
Meissonnier (1828)2
Simrock (1830)’
Vingt Quatre Exercises op.35
Pacini, Paris (с. 1828)2 [Рас]
Simrock (1830)’
Vingt-quatre Petites Pieces Progressives, op.44
Pacini (1831)2
Introduction a L'Etude de la Guitare, op.60
Pacini (1831)2
Method for the Spanish Guitar (English - trans. Merrick)
Cocks, London (1832)3
Methode complete pour la Guitare par Ferdinand Sor,
redigee et augmentce de nombreux exemples et lemons, suivis
d’une notice sur la 7e corde par N. Coste...”
Schonenberger (с. 1851 )4 [Coste]
Collections consulted
Twenty Sor Studies selected, fingered and edited by
Andres Segovia
Edward B. Marks, New York (1945) [Seg]
30 Estudios de F. Sor seleccionados у digitados por
Regino Sainz de la Maza
Union Musical Espanola, Madrid (1960) [SdlM]
The Meissonnier re-issue of opus 6 corrects some errors in the earlier
English publications and introduces some new ones.
Coste’s editions of Twenty Six Studies, inscribed “revues, classdes et
doigtdes, d’apres les traditions de 1’autcur par Napoleon Coste”, correct
several errors in the early editions. They also incorporate some changes and,
unfortunately in a few cases, introduce new errors as well as perpetuating
some of the old. They are however abundantly and interestingly fingered
and have been used in the present edition as source material in preference
to the earlier editions. In the Chanterelle reprint edition of the Complete
Works of Fernando Sor all these Coste studies arc included, so those
wishing to study his fingering and articulation in full detail should consult
that publication.
The Segovia edition of 20 of Sor’s studies introduced several changes
in tempi and note content. Segovia also added his own fingering and
articulation indications. The Sainz de la Maza edition incorporated most of
these changes as far as note content is concerned and includes his own
fingering, which is quite different to that of Segovia. True to the spirit of
their times both these Maestros introduced many elements reflecting their
personal taste, and both changed the order.
Schonenberger's editions continued to be issued on the same plates by
Lemoine and Meissonnier by Hcugcl, meaning that many of these early
editions have been commercially available until well into this century, and
in a few cases even today. These later issues have also been examined.
The following music examples show the various changes in note
content in the editions referred to above. Articulation and fingering have not
been included. The version adopted for this edition is marked with an
asterisk (*). This is the version we feel is closest to Sor and most
appropriate. While some variants arc obviously errors, for others the correct
choice is a matter of taste. The following table not only shows the historical
perspective of these variants but displays them transparently so that the
player can effectively exercise his or her own judgement.
op. 6 -1
op. 6 - 4
Milh, Meiss	* Coste, SdlM
A reprint edition is available from the Da Capo Press, New York (1970)
See Erik Stcnstadvold, Caste's Contributions to the '20 Studies by Sor\
Soundboard X1/2,1984, p. 136.
Dated by Brian Jeffery: Fernando Sor Composer & Guitarist, London, Tccla
Editions, 1977
Listing in the Bibliographic de la France quoted by Brian Jeffery (pp.cit.)
CHANTERELLE 491
174
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Commentary to music pages 14-22
op. 6 - 8
Milh	* Mciss, Coste, Scg, SdlM
op. 6 - 6
op. 6 - 8
Coste
Milh, Mciss	• Coste, Scg, SdlM
op. 6 - 6
♦ Milh, Mciss, Scg, SdlM Coste
op. 6 - 7
op. 6 - 9
Coste
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
175
Commentary to music pages 22-27
op. 6 - 9
op. 6 - H
Milh, Mciss	• Scg, SdlM
ТУ	ТУ
op. 6 - 9
op. 6-10
op. 6-10
Milh, Mciss
op. 6-10
♦	Milh, Mciss
op. 6 - I 1
• Milh, Mciss, Sim	Scg, SdlM
op. 6 - 11
• Milh, Meiss, Sim
Scg, SdlM
op. 6 - 11
op. 6 - 11
Milh, Mciss	* Scg, SdlM
CHANTERELLE 491
176
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Commentary to music pages 28-34
op. 29-13
Meiss
op. 29-13 Note: in Meiss bars 1-20 arc repeated
* Meiss, Coste, Sim, SdlM Seg
op. 29-14
Meiss
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
177
Commentary to music pages 34-35
op. 29 -14
Meiss
op. 29- 14
Mciss
op. 29 - 14
op. 29- 14
op. 29-14
CHANTERELLE 491
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Commentary to music pages 38-47
op. 29-18
Mciss, Coste
•SdlM
Mciss
op. 29-18
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
179
Commentary to music pages 48-59
op. 29 - 22
op. 29 - 22 (SdlM bar numbers +1)
op. 29 - 22 (SdlM bar numbers +1)
Meiss	♦ Coste, Seg, SdlM
op. 29 - 22 (SdlM bar numbers +1)
op. 29 - 24
op. 29 - 24
Meiss, Sim
CHANTERELLE 491
180
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Commentary to music pages 60-82
op. 29-24
op. 31-13
Meiss
op. 29 - 24
Mciss, Sim	*
[ ^a
op. 31 - 4
op. 31 - II
op. 31-16
op. 31 - 12
op. 31-16
op. 31 -16
op. 31 -12
Mciss
op. 31-18
op. 31 - 19
Mciss, Sim	* Coste, Scg, SdlM
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
181
Commentary to music pages 83-90
op. 31 - 20
Mciss, Costc	♦ Scg, SdlM
op. 31-20
Mciss, Costc	* Scg, SdlM
op. 31 -20
Mciss, Sim, Costc	* Scg, SdlM
29
op. 31 -20
Mciss, Sim
20
Costc, Scg, SdlM
op. 31 -20
Mciss, Scg, SdlM	* Costc
op. 31 -21
op. 31-22
* Meiss	Coste
op. 31-22
Mciss, Costc
op. 31 -23
Mciss
CHANTERELLE 491
182
FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
op. 35 - 7
Commentary to music pages 98-110
Meiss
op. 35 - 15
Рас	• Coste
op. 35-11
Meiss, SdlM
op. 35 -16
Рас, Coste, Seg, SdlM
op. 35 -14
op. 35 - 16
op. 35 - 14
op. 35-17 (pick-up bar)
Рас • Coste, Seg SdlM (no pick-up bar, bar numbers +1)
/
op. 35-14
op. 35 -14
Meiss
op. 35-17 (SdlM bar numbers +1)
CHANTERELLE 491
COMMENTARY
183
Commentary to music pages 112-121
op. 35 • 20
op. 35 - 20
op. 35 - 23
♦ Рас	Coste
op. 35-2!
Рас, Sim
op. 35 - 22
op. 35 - 22
op. 35 - 24
op. 35 - 24
op. 35 - 24
CHANTERELLE 491
184
FERNANDO SOR THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
Commentary to music pages 121-153
op. 35 - 24
op. 35 - 24
Pae
op. 60- 14
Рас
r
* Costc
SdlM
op. 60-18
op. 44- 18
op. 60 - 20
op. 44- 18
op. 44-19
op. 60 - 24
CHANTERELLE 491
______________________________________________________________________185
THE COSTE, SEGOVIA AND SAINZ DE LA MAZA EDITIONS
Numbering and Tempo Indications
Opus	Original tempo	Coste No. / Tempo		Segovia No. / Tempo		Sainz de la Maza No. / Tempo	
op.6-1	Allegro moderate	6	-	4	Allegretto	7	Allegretto
op.6-2	Andante Allegro	7	-	3	Allegretto	6	Allegretto
op.6-3	-	-	-	11	Allegro moderato	19	Allegro moderato
op.6-4	Allegretto	10	Allegretto	-	-	12	Allegretto
op.6-6	Allegro	17	Allegro	12	Allegro	20	Allegro
op.6-8	Andantino	16	Andantino	1	Lento	3	Lento
op.6-9	Andante Allegro	19	Andante Allegro	13	Con calma	23	Con calma
op.6-11	Allegro Moderate	-	-	17	Movido	15	Movido
op.6-12	Andante	-	-	14	Andante	24	Andante
op.29-13	Andante Lento	23	-	19	Lento	28	Lento
op.29-14	Andante Moderato	20	-	-	-	-	-
op.29-17	Allegro Moderato	25	Allegro Moderato	20	Moderato	29	Moderato
op.29-18	Andante	26	Andante	-	-	26	-
op.29-20	Moderato	-	-	-	-	22	Andante
op.29-22	Andantino	24	Andantino	18	Andante expressivo	30	Andante expressivo
op.29-23	Allegretto	-	-	16	Allegretto	27	Allegretto
op.31-15	-	18	-	-	-	-	-
op.31-16	Moderato	22	-	8	Lento	21	Lento
op.31-17	-	-	-	-	-	5	-
op.31-19	Andante	13	-	10	Molto moderato	18	Molto Moderato
op.31-20	Andante Allegro	14	-	9	Tranquillo	17	Tranquilo
op.31-21	Andantino cantabile	4	Andante cantabile	7	Moderato	13	Moderato
op.31-22	Tp° di marcia. mod.	21	Tp° di marcia. mod.	-	Andante expressivo	-	-
op.31-24	Allegro moderato	-	-	-	-	25	Allegretto Moderato
op.35-9	Andante	-	-	-	-	2	Andante
op.35-11	Allegretto	-	-	-	-	10	Allegretto
op.35-13	Andante	1	-	2	Allegretto	4	Allegretto
op.35-14	Andante	2	-	-	-	-	-
op.35-15	Allegretto	3	-	-	-	16	-
op.35-16	Moderato	5	-	15	Allegretto Grazioso	14	Allegro Grazioso
op.35-17	Moderato	8	-	6	Allegro grazioso	11	Allegro grazioso
op.35-18	Andantino	-	-	-	-	1	Andantino
op.35-19	Moderato	15	Allegretto	-	-	-	-
op.35-22	Allegretto	9	-	5	Moderato	8	Moderato
op.35-23	Andante	12	-	-	-	-	-
op.35-24	Allegro moderato	11	-	-	-	9	-
CHANTERELLE491
186
FERNANDO SOR THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
SUGGESTED GRADING
by Richard Savino
The following table lists Sor’s studies in levels of increasing difficulty, with level 1 being
the least and level 5 being the most difficult. The factors I considered for determining these
levels were based on the following criteria: positions, density of texture, the number of
voices and degree of activity, complexity of right and left hand fingering, keys and
interpretive depth. While some works might not appear to be extremely difficult from a
technical perspective, there might be some more sophisticated interpretive issues that need
to be addressed.
As was discussed in the earlier commentary, Sor dealt with pedagogical issues for beginner
and intermediate students more in opp. 60, 44, 35 and 31. Therefore, works from these
collections will be found more frequently in levels I, II and III. Similarly, opp. 6 and 29,
which are generally of a more advanced nature and will be found more frequently in levels
III, IV and V.
Level 1: Elementary
op. 60: 1 - 11
op. 44: 1 - 3
op. 35: 1 -4
op. 31: 1,3, 11
Level II: Novice
op. 60: 12-21
op. 44:4-11, 14-16
op. 35: 5, 9, 13, 14, 17, 18,22
op. 31:2,4-7, 9, 13, 18, 23
op. 6: 1,2,8
Level III - Intermediate
op. 60: 22 - 25
op. 44: 12, 13, 17-23
op. 35: 6, 8,10 - 12,15,16, 19 - 21,23,24
op. 31: 8, 10,12, 14, 17, 20-22, 24
op. 6:3-5, 9, 19
Level IV - Advanced Intermediate
op. 35: 7
op. 31: 15, 16, 19
op. 6: 7, 10, 11
op. 29: 17, 20-22
Level V - Advanced
op. 6: 6, 12
op. 29: 13- 16, 18,23,24
THE GRADING
of the Sor Studies in the 1997 Syllabus of
the Associated Board of the Royal
Schools of Music, London.
Grade II
op.44-1
op.60-6
op.35-1
op.60-4
Grade III
op.44-14
op.60-5
op.60-7
Grade IV
op.31-3
op.31-14
op.60-12
Grade V
op.31-4
op.31-5
op.31-18
op.60-16
Grade VI
op.31-22
op.35-8
op.35-16
op.35-21
Grade VII
op.6-3
op.6-7
op.31-19
op.31-24
Grade VIII
op.29-17
op.29-22
op.29-24
CHANTERELLE 491
APPENDIXIII
187
AGUADO - ON EXPRESSION
From the Nuevo Metodo para Guitarra, Madrid 1843
(fourth section)
On Expression
§ 292 Table of names and abbreviations which indicate modifications in
sound.
§ 287.	The sublime in art in so far as it concerns the player consists of
imparting true feeling to works of music, bringing out on the instrument the
ideas of the composer in such a way that the sounds transcend the ear to
reach the heart of the listener. This is known as expression.
§ 288.	To obtain this quality one must be sensitive. This is how the player,
involved in what he is playing, transmits his feelings to the listener who
shares them with him.
§ 289.	In vocal music the text usually indicates the appropriate articulation;
but this is not so for instrumental music. In spite of being an imitation of
vocal music, it has an inarticulate character and for that reason it is more
obscure. That is why the composer, once he has arranged the phrasing and
construction as best he can, precisely indicates certain important character-
istics, more than in the case of vocal music, by using the signs in the table
in § 292 so that the player can adapt the type of sound accordingly. At the
same time the tempo is indicated because the correct expression and
character of a piece would certainly be lost if it were played Presto or
Allegro instead ofLargo or Andante, or vice versa. Without deviating from
the main indications in the piece the player still has a vast amount of creative
freedom to bring out his talent by making sounds clear then dark, similar to
the undulations of expressive speech, whose rules emanate from the heart
and nowhere else.
§ 290	Table of principal Tempi given to works of music.
Largo, is a very slow speed whose duration is two or three
seconds [per bar].
Larghetto, is slower than Largo.
Adagio, is slower than Larghetto.
Andante, is a moderate speed.
Andantino, a modification of Andante.
Allegro, a lively speed. e
Allegretto, is a modification of Allegro.
Presto, is a rapid speed.
Prestissimo is the fastest of all.
General Considerations on how to impart expression into music
§ 291	Music is a language containing ideas with which phrases and then
passages are formed. Generally, each musical idea is expressed in two
successive bars: the idea starts in the first and concludes in, or at the end of,
the second. Its conclusion must be piano, to distinguish it from the next. A
phrase may contain two ideas and consequently consist of four bars. The end
of the phrase, or fourth bar, must be played piano. Sense can be made by
playing the beginning loud and gradually reducing the volume until the end
of the phrase in the fourth bar. One must also, however, bear in mind the
melodic design of the phrase. When the phrase ascends one normally
increases the sound, when it descends one reduces it. This principal is
applied to each idea, notwithstanding that the notes on the first beat must be
heard more noticeably that those on the second. To indicate this effect the
sign called the regulador [regulator] < > is placed over the idea or phrase.
Moreover there arc also, among others, the following expression signs.
Italian name
piano
pianissimo
forte
fortissimo
mezzo forte
dolce
crescendo
diminuendo
ad libitum
a piacere
perdendosi
piu morendo
Abbreviation	Meaning
P	soft or restrained
PPorP™	very soft
F	loud
FF or F."°	very loud
mez. F	moderately loud
dol	sweetly
cres	increasingly loud
dim	decreasingly loud
ad lib	at the player’s pleasure
a piac	the same as above
perd	increasingly distant
piu mor	fading away little by little
§ 293	One may also sub-divide the sense of an idea, by applying/orte and
piano to the two parts of a bar, or each half thereof. The guide for this
depends on the type of expression ones wishes to impart on the music, which
is dictated by sensitivity and good taste.
§ 294	On playing a melodic line in the upper voice together with its bass and
intermediate accompanying voice, as well as following any other indica-
tions, be careful to ensure that the melody, being the principal part, really
stands out. The accompaniment stays piano, and the bass must be clearly
heard (Lesson no. 22).
§ 295	When used opportunely and not too often, the slur, appoggiatura and
mordent help to heighten expression. There is another category of orna-
ments which vary certain melodic lines. These ought to be simple so as not
to distort the principal idea and, as in the case of all ornaments, must obey
the rules of good taste. The following example shows five different
variations on the second bar of Sor’s Fantasia, op.7
ЕЛЕМГГ.О.
§ 296W	hen playing solo, the expressive needs of certain short passages call
for altering the tempo slightly, either speeding up or slowing down. On
these occasions it seems as if one has strayed momentarily out of tempo,
after which playing is resumed with the same exactitude as before.
§ 297	Finally, the guitarist must look to teachers of merit for models of
expression, irrespective of which instrument they play. He ought to listen
to them carefully and imitate them until he has formed his own particular
taste and style.
(translated by Michael Macmeeken)
Dionisio Aguado: Nuevo Metodo para Guitarra, Madrid 1843: Reprint edition with an introduction by Dr. B. Jeffery, Chanterelle Verlag Heidelberg, 1995:
Volume 2, pp. 143-5
CHANTERELLE 491
188
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
op. 6
THEMATIC INDEX
op. 6
op. 6
Allegro moderato
page 10
2
Andante allegro

op.
op. 6
3
op.
op.
page 32
Andante lento
l 29-13
op. 29-14
i. 29-15
l 29-16
- 7
Andantino
1
7
Andante moderato
— 7
Lento assai
page 34
page 38
page 40
op. 6
op. 6 -
op. 6 -
op. 6
6
page 16
page 18
page 21
Allegro
У
Allegro
Andantino
op. 6
op. 6
op. 6
page 22
Andante allegro
page 24
Moderato
10
Maestoso
10b
page 25
op. 6
op. 6
page 48
op.
>. 29-19
op.
i. 29 - 20
op. 29-21
op.
l 29 - 22
op. 29-23
op.
i. 29 - 24
page 52
Andantino
page 56
page 62
Andante
Moderate
page 50
Lento
op. 31 - 1
page 54
page 58
CHANTERELLE 491
APPENDIX IV - THEM A TIC INDEX
189
page 62
Andante
op. 31 -2
op. 31 - 3
op. 31 - 4
Andantino
op. 31 -5
page 63
Allegretto moderate
Andante
page 64
page 65
op. 31 -9
op. 31 - 10
Cantabile
page 70
page 71
Moderato
op. 31 - 11
op. 31 -16
op. 31 -17
op. 31 - 18
op. 31 - 19
op. 31 -20
op. 31 -21
Andantino cantabile
page 86
op.31-22
op. 31 -23
op. 31 -24
op. 35 - 1
op. 35 - 2
op. 35 - 3
CHANTERELLE 491
190
FERNANDO SOR  THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
page 95
op. 35 - 12
op. 35 -13
op. 35 - 14
op. 35-15
op. 35-16
Andante	PaSe116
op. 35 - 24

page 123
op.
op.
Allegretto
►.44-2
page 123
Andantino
►.44-3
Andantino
op. 44 - 4
op. 44-5
page 124
CHANTERELLE 491
APPENDIXIV - THEMA TIC INDEX
191
page 125
Moderate
op. 44 - 6
page 125
Andante allegro
op. 44 - 7
op. 44 - 9
op. 44 - 10
op. 44-11
page 127
Andantino
Andante
page 127
page 128
op.44 - 12
	1	<	
	h	1	
Allegretto
page 129
op.44 - 13
page 129
Tempo di minuetto moderato
op. 44-14
op. 44- 17
op.44 - 18
Marche
page 132
page 133
op.
Andante
op. 44-21
Andantino
i. 44 - 22
op. 44-23
page 134
Allegro moderato
page 134
op
•.60-1
op.
op.
op.
>.60-2
op. 60-3
•.60-4
op. 60-5
op. 60-6
op. 60-7
page 136
page 137
page 137
page 138
CHANTERELLE 491
192
FERNANDO SOR • THE COMPLETE STUDIES FOR GUITAR
op. 60-17
Allegro moderato
page 145
page 146
op. 60-11
op. 60-12
page 142
op. 60 - 14
op. 60 - 15
op. 60-16
Andante	page 143
op. 60-18
op. 60-19
op. 60 - 20
Allegretto
page 150
op. 60 - 21
op. 60 - 22
op. 60 - 23
op. 60 - 24
op. 60 - 25
Ж
CHANTERELLE491
Chanterelle®
COLLECTED EDITIONS	CARCASSI, M. 25 Etudes Melodiques, op.60 VSynbcrg ECH 470 CARLEVARO, Abel Microestudios 1-5 with 7 Preliminary Exercises ECH 791 Microestudios 6-10 ECH 792 Microestudios 11-15 ECH 793 Microestudios 16-20 ECH 794 Introduction у Capricho ECH 701 Milonga Oriental ECH 723 Aires de Vidalita ECH 724 Carievaro Masterclass Vol. 1: 10 Sor Studies ECH 711 Vol. 2: Villa-Lobos: 5 Preludes & Chore ECH 712 Vol. 3: Villa-Lobos: 12 Studies ECH 713 Vol. 4: ).S. Bach: Chaconne ECH 714 CARULLI, F. 6 Divertissements Brillants op. 317 ECH 428 CASTET, Francois My Guitar & Me ECH 997 CLASSICAL Book of Guitar Solos (EGTA) Early intermediate 19th Century Solos ECH 2112 CORDERO, E. 2 Piczas Afro- Antillanas Nana para una Negrita, El Cumbancherito ECH 722 FABINI, E. El Poncho (A. Rapal) ECH 710 FALLA, M. de Homenaje, 'Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy" (Vol. 5 of Llobet’s Guitar Works) ECH 895 FENICIO, E. 3 Chores Brasileiros ECH 763 GAR OTO" 3 Chores ECH 740 GERSHWIN, G. (Arr. Morel) Preludes Nos. 1-3 ECH 704 GIULIANI, M. 6 Preludes op.83 ECH 427 GNATTALI, R. 10 Studies ECH 727 3 Concert Studies ECH 728 Alma Brasileira ECH 743 Saudadc ECH 729 GRANADOS, E. (see Llobet, Collected Works) IVANOVIC, V. 6 Cafe Pieces ECH 778	CATALOGUE OF GUITAR MUSIC							GIULIANI, M. Six Variations wr L'air «a Schisseri und a Reindt» op.38, for guitar, flute, violin & viola. ECH 526 CARLEVARO, Abel Fantasia Concertante for guitar, string quintet & percussion, score & parts for hire ECH 707H Pocket Score ECH 707PS Guitar Part ECH 715 GIULIANI, M. Six Variations sur L'air «a Schisseri und a Reindl» op.38, for guitar & orchestra (flute, 2 horns, violin 1, violin II, viola, cello, contra-bass) score & parts ECH 525 SOR, Fernando Violin Concerto Pocket Score ECH 499 WEISS, J. S. Concerto for Lute & Strings, arranged lor guitar, 2 violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass & (opt.) keyb’d conTuo Complete (score * 1 set of parts) ECH 530 Score only ECH 531 Guitar & Keyboard Parts only for performance as duo ECH 532 Extra string parts (each) ECH 533 Manuscript paper book 40 pp quality paper and beautiful cover engraving, ECH 999 ARTZT, Alice Rhythm • an imaginiiiw Guide (or guitarists ECH 717 CARLEVARO, Abel Mi Cuitarra, Mi Mundo ECH 706 FERNANDEZ, Eduardo Techique, Mechanism & Learning ECH 718 IZNAOLA, R. "Kitharologus" The Path to Virtuosity ECH 730 On Practising ECH 738 SIMIC Miro/ FORSLIND, Bo	II TREATISES, |lAIJL\ILJRLS,
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Selected Concert Works: Trois Rondo Brillants op.2, Six Menuets et Six Vaises op. 12, Le Menuet Affandangado op. 15, Le Fandango Varie op. 16, Gran Solo de Sor (arr. Aguado) ECH 400 albEniz, i. (see Llobet, Collected Works) BACH J. S. Goldberg Variations ECH 101 BAROQUE Book of Guitar Solos (EGTA) Intermediate Solos Grades lll-V ECH 2111		KAPLAN, J. A. Sonatina para Violao arr. Picrri ECH 744 KLEYNJANS, F. Capriccio Hommagc a Legnani ECH 703 LAURO, A. 4 Estudios en Imitation es ECH 720 LEGNANI, L Gran Studio op.60 ECH 429 36 Caprices op.20 ECH 440 LLOBET, M. Prcludio, Estilo ECH 896 LOPES, H. Lingua de Preto ECH 771 LOVELADY, W. London Rhapsody ECH 702 MANJpN, a. J. Leyenda, Aire Vasco ECH 430 MODERN TIMES Specialty (ommtiMorM'd graded guitar solos from famous contemporary composers, edited byRobert Brightmort • cxc client leadxngrcpcrtwrvl Volumes 1 • 5 ECH 751 -ECH 755 MOREL, Jorge Preludio у Giga ECH 705 MURO, J. A. Basic Pieces Volume 1: ECH 781 Volume 2: ECH 782 OPITZ, B. 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Original graded solos in 3 volumes Solo Now! - Book 1 ECH 2101 Solo Now! - Book 2 ECH 2102 Solo Now! - Book 3 ECH 2103 SOR, Fernando The Complete Studiei in Urtext Ophce/Savmo opp.6, 29, 31. 35, 44 60 and Exercises from SoPs Method ECH 491 VALVERDE, J. (see Collected Edition Llobet) VILLA-LOBOS, Heitor Modinha, О Ginete do Pierrozinho Sam Lage ECH 777 Histnrias da Carochinha: ECH 745 VIOZZI, Giulio Sonata per Chitarra ECH 721 VOLLMER, L [see Guitar Solos Opitz, &) ALBENIZ, 1. (see Collected Editions, llobet) CARLEVARO, Abel Arenguay Duo Concertante ECH 709 CASTELNUOVO TEDESCO, M. Fuga Elegiaca for 2 guitars ECH 726 COSTE, N. (see Collected Editions) DAQUIN, L-Claude (see Collected Editions, llobet, EBEN, Petr 33 Czech Folksongs ft Pupil and Teacher (EGTA) ECH 2211 FERRANTI, M-A. Zani de (see Collected Editions) FERRER, Jose Minuet, Vais ECH 529 HAYDN, Joseph London Symphony 1 s movement arranged b Carulli ECH 510 LOPEZ- CHAVARRI, E. (see Collected Editions, llobet) MENDELSSOHh С Л I aW		ONE + ONE A new scries of duos for Pupil and Teacher • developed by EGTA UK • great teaching material One * One - Book 1 ECH 2201 One + One • Book 2 ECH 2203 One One - Book 3 ECH 2205 SCHUBERT, F. G minor Quartet (D.173) arranged by julian Bream in A minor for two guitars CCH 540 TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter (see Collected Editions, llobet) FERRANTI, M-A. Zani de )S (see Collected Editions) CAMPO, Frank 3 Studies for Guitar Quartet (score + parts) ECH 719	 ANTHOLOGIES Lieder Volume 1: BEETHOVEN: Adelaide, Andenkcn HAYDN: An den Mond  SCHUBERT: Der I Wanderer op.4 no. 1, 1 Ungeduld op 25 no.7, 1 Dvr liedlcr op.38, Die и zurnende Diana op.36 no.l, Nachtstuck op.36 no.2 ECH 504 Lieder Volume 2: С. M. VON WEBER: Romance - Uber die Berge op.25 no.2, Serenade, Die Zeit op. 13 no.5, Wiegenlied op. 13 I- no.2. SPOHR: Romance aus Zemirv и nd Azore. Sechs Deutsche Lieder op.37 (Mignons Lied, Lebenslied, Die Stimme der Nacht, Liebesschwirmerei, CetrennteLiebe, Lied beim Rundtanz) Sechs Deutsche Lieder op.41 (Des Madchens Sehnsucht, An Mignon, Klageied von den drei Rosen, Lied aus Aslagas Ritter, Der erste Kuss, Vanitas! Vanitatum Vanitas) Sechs Deutsche Lieder op. 72 (Fruhlingsglaubc, Schiffedied der Wasserfee, Chasel, Beruhigung, An Rosa Maria, Schlaflied) KELLER: Der Traum ECH 505 BERLIOZ, H. 25 Romances (an. Berlioz) for voice & 1 guitar У ECH 513 CORDERO, E. 4 Works for Voice & Guitar Zenobla, La Hija del viejo Pancho, Cadencia, El Viaje definitivo J, ECH 708	I । । ! i 1 1 1 1	SOR, Fernando Music for Voice & guitar - 34 Italian, French & Spanish Songs with guitar accompaniment ECH 497 BURGMULLER, Friedrich Trois Nocturnes for cello & guitar ECH 527 COSTE, N. (sec Collected Editions) EASTWOOD, Tom Uirapum for Oboe (or Flute) & Guitar ECH 508 GAUDE, T. Sonata op.24 for flute (violin or oboe) & guitar ECH 518 GIULIANI, M. La Battaglia di Marengo for flute & guitar (1 st publication of wo<k attributed to Mauro Giuliani) ECH 541 GNATTALI, R. Sonatina for Flute & Guitar ECH 741 Sonata for Cello & Guitar ECH 742 MOLINO, F. 3 Duos op.61 for flute (vln or oboe) & guitar ECH 512 3 Duos op. 16 for flute (vln or oboe) & guitar ECH 520 PAGANINI, N. Sonata Conccrtata [M.S.2) for guitar & vln Gazzdlorw ECH OOI Grand Sonata (M.S.3)(or guitar & vln ECH 002 Sonata per la Gran Viola ECH 009 PORRO, Pierre 6 Sonatas op.11, Ouverture No. 10 for Guitar & Violin ECH 302 FOSSA, F. de 3 Trim Concertants, op. 18 (or guitar, violin & violoncello IVynbrq; ECH 506 PRINTEMPS, Jacques Trio Conccrtant pour fl, vln & guitare op. 18, ECH 528 FOSSA, F. de Quartet op. 19, No. 3		AMAT, J. C. Guitarra Espanola (1639) ECH 601 GORLIER, S. & MORLAYE, G. 4 Renaissance Guitar Books (1551-5) ECH 102 GRANATA, Gio. B. Soavi Conccnti di Sonate Musicali per la chitarra...(!692) ECH 103 MATTEIS, N. The False Consonances of Musick or Instructions on playing...(1682) ECH 602 MURCIA, Santiago de Resumen de a com pa nar la Guitarra con la Parte...(1714) ECH 108 MUDARRA, A. Tees Libres en Cifras para Vihuela (1546) ECH 201 STRAUBE, R. 3 Sonatas for guitar & Cembalo, 2 Sonatas for guitar with violin accompaniment 4 Duos for 2 Guitars | La Buona Figliula.Thc Parting Arabella, The Favorite Man|, a selection of English, Scotch & Italian Songs and 32 Solo Lessons (Note: All in modern notation for the English Guitar in C Major tuning). ECH 202 Due Sonate a Liuto solo (1746) tablature ECH 203 BARRIOS, Agustin The Complete Historical Recordings on 3 Compact discs. CHR 002 BARRIOS, Agustin 20 Famous Guitar Recordings on 1 Compact disc. 73 Minutes playing time (selections from CHR 002| CHR 003 LLOBET, Miguel The Complete Historical Guitar Recordings 1925-9, now digital mastering on CD CHR 001
SOR: COnPLETE S ISBN W 9	1	1 ।	TUPIES ECH 411| MEL BAY 1-078663705-8		fseeC lk>b& MS,		ollected Editions, t) INC. U । - I э1 ‘	MARIN, Jose 51 Tonos for voice & Performing with tablature tation 11	for 2 guitars, violin, violoncello (with an alternative viola part for the 2nd guitar) score ♦ parts ECH 524		The Nails of the Guitarist ECH 996 WYNBERG, S. (see Ferranti, Zani de)	E & OE. НсккЧЬспg 01.199» Price list is available on cknvuxf Price* may vary from country to country All items subject to defcvery
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