Fernando Sor's
guitar duets were written in Paris during the
last twelve years of his life. He travelled extensively and enjoyed a productive musical life, composing in the major genres of
the day: ballet, opera, chamber music, symphony,
solo song, etc. His broad
experiences and expertise gave his
guitar music a sophistication unmatched by few
of his guitarist-composer contemporaries.
Fernando Sor | Lithograph of Sor by M.N. Bate
His twelve sets
of guitar duets, all published between 1828 and
1839, include: L'Encouragement Op. 34,
Divertissement Op. 38, Six Valses Op. 39, Les
Deux Amis Op. 41, Six Valses Op. 44,
Divertissement Militaire Op. 49, Le Premier Pas
vers moi Op. 53, Fantaisie Op. 54, Trois Duos
Op. 55, Trois Petits Divertissements Op. 61,
Divertissement Op. 6, and Souvenir de Russie Op.
63. Ten of the twelve duos—op. 34, 38, 39,
44, 49, 53, 54, 55, 61 and 62—were written for
amateur guitarists. This intention is evidenced
by dedications to favorite pupils, technical
instructions, plentiful fingerings and pedagogical
titles. Like
most chamber music of this era, these pieces
were designed for performance at informal gatherings
and social events.
Many of these duets espouse lighter musical content and technical demands than
Sor's earlier solo masterworks, e.g., Introduction
and Allegro, Op. 14. Sor, like many musicians, survived by teaching and writing for
amateur players. He was well aware of the
detrimental effects of economic necessity on
good art. Sor's own attitude towards writing
"art" and making a living seems to echo a
universal woe among musicians:
A
very celebrated guitarist told me that
he had been obliged to give up writing
in my manner, because the editors had
openly declared to him, it is one thing
to appreciate compositions as a
connoisseur, and another as a music
seller; it is necessary to write silly
trifles for the public. I like your
work but it would not return me the
expenses of printing.' What was to be
done? An author must
live!
Even though Sor
wrote his share of "silly trifles," his harmonic and melodic inventiveness
reigned above most of his peers. A
friend and fellow guitarist, Napoleon Coste,
made a revealing statement about Sor's
music by stating that they would "remain
as models of science and good
taste."2 "The "science and good
taste" of his music dwelled within the safe
confines of the Classical period—a style that
reached its apex a generation earlier—and,
thus, contributed to his downfall as a composer.
Already at hand in Paris were many of the
leading proponents of the Romantic style: Hector
Berlioz, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Frederic Chopin,
Franz Liszt, and Niccolo Paganini. As Sor's
popularity in larger forms waned, his
involvement with the guitar as a means of
subsistence increased. The fruits of this
increased involvement with the guitar include a
treatise on guitar playing (Methode pour la
Guitare, Paris: 1830), much pedagogical solo
literature, and twelve guitar duos.
Lacote Guitar 1835 | Pierre-Rene Lacote (1785-1855) | Metropolitan Museum of Art | The label inside this Lacote guitar bears Sor's signature, suggesting the Spanish maestro endorsed this model.
Musical
Style
Sor was not an
innovator or a trend follower. Instead, he was
steadfast in his adherence to Classical era
traditions. His music teams with every element
of the Classical style as if a textbook example.
Melody dominates and is lyrical and smooth.
Melodic configurations are often based on chord
structures. Ornaments such as the turn, trill
and appoggiatura are used extensively, often
being written out and forming a lyric part of
the melody.
L'Encouragement, Op. 34, guitar 1,
beginning
Fernando Sor | L'Encouragement Op. 34 theme (Frary Guitar Duo)
Divertissement, Op. 62, guitar 1, measure
30
Sor's musical
form is predicated on the idea of contrasting
one melody homophonically with a second melody.
Usually he groups two or four contrasting or
complementary phrases in a period, ending with a
clearly marked cadence. Forms are precise and
clear, with sections marked off by cadences. His
formal structures are those common to the
classical divertimento: binary form, ternary
form, and the theme and variation. These forms
are expressed mainly in short dances like the
mazurka, polonaise, waltz, gallop, and so forth.
Rhythm is simple
and organized into short patterns punctuated by
rhythmic cadences. The breaking up of a chord in
a repeated rhythmic pattern, Alberti bass, is
often used as a formal rhythmic device: (See
Example 4) Sor's harmony is simple, consisting
of primary, seventh and secondary dominant
chords and an occasional modulation to a nearby
key. Harmonic rhythm is slow and subordinate to
the melody. His textures are predominantly
homophonic.
Le Premier Par vers moi, Op. 53, guitar 1,
measure 19
Sor's
Best Duets
Four of Sor's
duos are deserving of special mention:
L'Encouragement, Les Deux Amis,
Fantaisie, and Souvenir de Russie.L'Encouragement is a favorite among
performers because of its beauty of
melodic invention and the fact that Julian Bream and John Williams recorded it. Sor carefully fingered the first guitar
part. The format is typical of Sor's duets: an
introduction, a lyric theme, a number of
variations (3), coda, and a dance, in this case
a waltz.
Fernando Sor | L'Encouragement Op. 34, Variation 4 (Frary Guitar Duo)
The
Fantaisie is noteworthy as one of the few
works of Sor, along with his seguidillas, to
incorporate Spanish nationalism. The work is
bright, vigorous, often syncopated, and is full
of rhythmic variety. Sor specified the use of
rasgueado in the second guitar part, a
percussive strumming technique associated with
Southern Spain. Again, he begins with a slow
introduction, a theme and variations, and ends
with a flashy Dans le genre
Espagnol.
Les Deux
Amis and Souvenir de Russie were
dedicated to the professional guitarists
Dionisio Aguado and Napoleon Coste. Sor's duets
are usually arranged in a solo and accompaniment
relationship: the second guitar provides a
harmonic/ rhythmic backdrop against which the
first guitar shines in a solo line. In Les Deux
Amis and Souvenir de Russie this format is largely
abandoned in favor of a fuller, more equal
relationship: emphasis lies on the ensemble
rather than a soloistic first guitar
part.
Les Deux
Amis is Sor's greatest duo. The formal
structure is again designed around a slow and
lyric introduction, a theme and variations, and
a dance, this time a mazurka. The texture is
nearly orchestral at times, demanding the full
sonority of both guitars:
Les Deux Amis, Op. 41,
beginning
The title
Souvenir de Russie is misleading in its
suggestion of romantic exoticness. In reality,
the work is pleasantly classical and Western European in
conception. Supposedly, the work is based on a
theme by M. T. Vyssotski, the Russian
guitarist-composer. The mood, texture and
technical demands are light in comparison to
Fantaisie or Les Deux Amis. Sor's favorite form
is again used: a dramatic slow
introduction, theme and variations with a coda,
and a peppy Allegretto in 2/4 as a
finale.
Lighter Duets
Trois Duos Op. 55, Trois Petits Divertissements Op. 61 and Divertissement Op. 62 are somewhat lighter in nature than L'Encouragement, Les Deux Amis,
Fantaisie, and Souvenir de Russie. Not that they're easy but movements are shorter and a little less demanding technically. Also, easy on audience ears! My favorites are the three duets from Op. 55—multiple movement works in a solo and accompaniment
relationship. When the Frary Guitar Duo plays these pieces we switch between guitar one and two at repeats and/or between movements. If a phrase repeats, we swap roles for an antiphonal effect. Here's an example of role switching in the second variation and finale from Duo Op. 55 No. 3:
Final Blurb
If you're an intermediate level classical guitarist, you'll find most of these works within your
grasp. Enhance your duet enjoyment by switching parts at repeats or between movements (otherwise Guitar II will be stuck on endless accompaniment). Grab your duet partner and try a Sor duet tonight!
Fernando Sor | Duo Opus 55, No. 1: Andante (Frary Guitar Duo)
Fernando Sor | Duo Opus 55, No. 1: Allegretto (Frary Guitar Duo)
End
Notes
1Ferdinand
(Fernando) Sor, Method For The Spanish
Guitar, trans., A. Merrick (London: R. Cocks
& Co., c. 1832; reprint, New York: Da Capo
Press, 1971), p. 43.
2Méthode
complete pour la Guitare para Ferdinando
Sor, ed., N. Coste (Paris: Schonenberger),
p. 45.
Musical
Style
