Andres segovia biography. Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedic Dictionary

Andres Torres Segovia is a Spanish guitarist who is considered the father of the modern academic guitar.

Segovia is one of the few concert players in whose performance the critics could not find any shortcomings. On the contrary, each subsequent performance of the artist revealed new merits of his game, which is associated both with his outstanding talent, and with tense daily work to improve your skills.

Andres Segovia visited the USSR four times: in 1926, 1927, 1930 and 1936 and gave concerts in Moscow, Leningrad, Kharkov, Kyiv and Odessa with constant success. Segovia performed not only with concerts, but also met with local guitarists, listened to their game, spent methodical conversations And open lessons. This also affected the development of guitar art in the Soviet Union: after the tour, many professional musicians began to look at the guitar as an instrument worthy of serious study. The consequence was the opening of guitar classes in music schools ah (then technical schools), as well as in individual musical universities. An ardent supporter of Segovia was P. S. Agafoshin, who was the first in the USSR to create the "School of Playing six-string guitar", based on the methodological guidelines of the outstanding guitarist. Thus, Andres Segovia was not only an artist, but also an active promoter of his instrument.

Andres Segovia performed in Kharkov in 1926 and 1927. His concerts, tickets for which were sold out at lightning speed, were held in the hall of the first state Ukrainian opera on the street. Rymarskoy, 21, where the Kharkov Philharmonic is now located. Already at the beginning of the last century, this hall gained fame as one of the best acoustic structures. Half a century later, Segovia fondly recalled visiting both Kharkov itself and this amazing hall with its enchanting acoustics: "My memory with great pleasure revives trips to Soviet Union and all the friends that I left there... Kharkov is memorable and unforgettable to me. Its quiet cobbled streets are reminiscent of a guitar "piano", and with the power of construction the city is directed into the future, like a swift passage." Kharkovites should be doubly grateful to Segovia: both for the donated music and for the excellent feedback hometown who had heard a lot of unfair words addressed to him. For example, Sergei Prokofiev, who visited Kharkov at the same time (they even "crossed paths" with Segovia in the carriage of the same train and traveled in neighboring compartments), spoke very badly about the first capital of Ukraine. "In contrast to ugly Kharkov," he wrote in his diary in March 1927, "Kyiv is very beautiful."

While in the USSR, A. Segovia showed interest in young guitarists, and conducted open lessons with them. On March 27, 1927, he gave a concert especially for young Leningraders - students of P.I. Isakov. Segovia's communication with young guitarists continued in 1936 during his arrival in Leningrad, as evidenced by photographs depicting the Spanish artist with the students of V. I. Yashnev.

A. Segovia with students V.I. Yashnev. In the bottom row, Vil Belilnikov, second from the right, Liliana Sedletskaya, from the left in the bottom row. Leningrad, hotel "European", 1936

A. Segovia with V.I. Yashnev and his students. To the right of Segovia - Vil Belilnikov, to the left - Liliana Sedletskaya; behind Segovia is Vasily Ivanovich Yashnev. Leningrad, hotel "European", 1936

Segovia brought up a brilliant galaxy of guitarists - D. Williams, Julian Brim (Great Britain), Alirio Diaz (Venezuela), Jose Thomas (Spain), K. Parkening (USA), M. Gasbarroni (Italy) and others. The activities of Andres Segovia acquired such a scope because already at the very beginning of his musical career he considered the guitar as one of the components of the entire musical culture as a whole. With his help, the old was revived and was born new literature for guitar, he got interested in guitar professional musicians and composers, which led to a rise in interest in the art of playing on classical guitar. His musical activity considered and evaluated as an outstanding event of the twentieth century. In Venice, Segovia was awarded the most honorable prize - "Life Dedicated to Art".

Active activity concert artist did not prevent Segovia from teaching guitar in Santiago de Compostela, at the Chidzhana Academy of Music in Siena, at the University of Berkeley. At the same time, he enriches the repertoire with guitar transcriptions of works famous composers, as well as pieces for lute and vihuela.

A special merit of Segovia in the field of repertoire is the fact that he managed to convince many composers to abandon the established negative stereotypes in their views on the guitar and turn them to writing compositions for this instrument.

Formulating the goals of his work, Segovia wrote: "I have dedicated my life to four main tasks:

1. separating the guitar from thoughtless amusements of the folklore type;
2. providing her with a repertoire High Quality, composed of works of great importance in music and come from the pen of composers, usually writing for orchestra, piano, violin, etc .;
3. conveying the beauty of the sound of the guitar to the Philharmonic audience around the world;
4. influencing and influencing authorities in conservatories, academies and universities in order to include learning to play the guitar in the programs of these educational institutions on the same rights as the violin, cello, piano, etc."

"My whole being was seized with indescribable happiness when I started playing the guitar, because the sound in the bass was deep and sweet, and in the highs it was quivering and trembling. And her accent, her soul in her voice were expressed firmly and convincingly. I forgot about everything in the world except the guitar."

Spain, as if for centuries, has been gathering strength to create such a giant as Segovia. Segovia could not have been born outside of Spain, because it was here that the guitar was born. To the question: "When did you start playing the guitar?" Segovia replied: "Before I was born."

Andres Segovia was born in Andalusia, in the city of Linares, on February 21, 1893, and a few weeks later the family moved to Jaen. The wonderful art of improvisation by the folk guitarists of Andalusia and original culture this ancient land greatly influenced his attitude.

Monument to A. Segovia in Linares.

In his autobiography, Segovia described meeting his first guitar teacher:

"Once a flamenco guitarist came to our house. At the first strong rasgueado, I jumped off my chair and fell. But when he began to play beautiful folk melodies I was captured.
- Do you want to learn how to play? - he asked. I nodded in agreement."

In 1910, the first public concert of A. Segovia, organized by his friends, took place in the "Artistic Center" of Granada.

"On the way to the stage (my friend was carrying the guitar), an old flutist approached me:

- Do you know the guitarist who will play now?
I smiled and said:
We know each other well, we are close friends.
- Is he talented?
- Not at all. Now you will hear for yourself.
He was surprised by my unkind characterization close friend and asked:
- Are you jealous of him? - And with hostility turning away from me, he entered the hall. But after the concert, the flutist came to hug me and said:
“Indeed, your friend deserves both my congratulations and your envy.”

The first significant success of Segovia was associated with Seville. Inspired by success, he began to dream of a concert in the capital, however, the first performance did not bring the desired success.

In 1915, Segovia met the guitarist Miguel Llobet, thanks to whom he was able to give a concert in Barcelona in January 1916. However, they did not seek to let the guitar into large halls. She was not popular instrument, and everyone thought that the strength of her sound was insufficient, and she simply would not be heard in a large room.

The turning point in the fate of the guitar was a concert at the Palau Chamber Music Palace in Barcelona, where Andres Segovia finally received permission to perform. The beauty of sound acoustic guitar literally captivated the audience.

The atmosphere of Renacimiento, the movement for the revival of folk traditions in the music and culture of Spain, contributed to the further success of Segovia. Over the next six years, the guitarist won recognition for his instrument not only in the concert halls of Madrid and Barcelona, but also in other cities in Spain. To this must be added the success of two tours to South America in 1919 and 1921.

The main problem that Segovia seeks to solve is the creation of an original professional repertoire. He made creative contacts with other musicians and personally made requests to many composers. Manuel de Falla, responding to his request, wrote the play "In Memory of Debussy". Federico Moreno Torroba - dances, nocturnes, plays, preludes, Castilian Suite, Castilian Concerto. In 1919, Segovia made a transcription of Albéniz's piano piece "Legend", which had a truly legendary future.

The 20s were the time of birth new era in guitar art and the beginning of the world recognition of Segovia. Each performance of Segovia was perceived as a miracle, as the discovery of a new one. He sought to overcome stereotypes and establish the guitar as a solo instrument.

Andres Segovia and guitar conquer Paris, London, Buenos Aires. In 1928, on the day when the seventh concert in Buenos Aires was to take place, the world-famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein gave a concert at the same hour opposite, at all previous performances of which, as well as at Segovia concerts, the halls were overcrowded. But the fears about the "duel" of the guitar with the piano were in vain: constantly hanging signs near the halls where Rubinstein and Segovia performed, reported: "there are no empty seats."

If in the 20s the name of the great guitarist was associated with the birth of a new art, then in the 30s he could rightfully be called the creator of the guitar art of the 20th century. His noble goal was to elevate the guitar, and only a highly artistic professional repertoire could provide a worthy place for the guitar. Segovia did not stop searching for new compositions, turning to different composers. Moreno Torroba, Pablo Casals, Joaquin Rodrigo, Federico Mompu, Gaspar Cassado, Manuel Ponce, Vila Lobos and many other European and American composers responded to his requests. Many did not compose for the guitar before meeting Segovia. Thanks to Segovia, a guitar class was introduced in most conservatories and music schools in the world. Since 1955, he worked with students in the picturesque Italian city Siena, and then taught in Santiago de Compostela, a medieval city in Spain (in Galicia), where, since 1958, for the entertainment of wealthy tourists, two-week festivals called "Music in Compostela" began to be held, the main purpose of which was to promote the Spanish old and contemporary music. The organizers of the festival attracted Segovia to participate in them, who began to conduct classes with students here. The place where they were held Big hall with stone vaults, - resembled a church or a monastery. Silence, the harsh architecture of the feudal castle with its courtyards, fragrant roses, walls covered with climbing grapes. In this environment, every instruction of an authoritative musician was perceived with almost religious awe, and classes were remembered for a lifetime.

Guitar by Hermann Hauser, 1937, Munich, Germany. Concert guitar of Andres Segovia "s from 1937 until 1962. Gift of Emilita Segovia, Marquesa of Salobrena, 1986 (1986.353.1). Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

SEGOVIA Andres (1893-1987) - an outstanding Spanish guitarist and teacher. As a child, he studied piano, violin and cello, while at the same time he independently studied guitar. Listening to folk music, playing flamenco and studying musical literature helped him. In 1909, the first concert of Segovia took place, but world fame came to him in 1924, after a concert in Paris. Segovia's playing is marked by exceptional virtuosity and depth of interpretation; he expanded the technical and expressive possibilities of the guitar, introduced classical and modern music into the repertoire (many works in his own arrangements), raised guitar performance to a high artistic level. For Segovia, the works of H. Turina, H. de Manen, A. Roussel, M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco, S. Scott, E. Vila Lobos, A. Tansman and others were written and dedicated to him.
Segovia is one of the few concert players in whose performance the critics could not find any shortcomings. On the contrary, each subsequent performance of the artist revealed new merits of his game, which is associated both with his outstanding talent and with hard daily work to improve his skills.
Andres Segovia successfully toured the Soviet Union in 1926, 1927 and 1936, and once again - in December 1929 - was passing through the USSR, returning home by train along the Trans-Siberian Railway after touring Japan and China. In the USSR, he gave concerts with constant success in Moscow, Leningrad, Kharkov, Kyiv, Odessa and several other cities of the country. Segovia performed not only with concerts, but also met with local guitarists, listened to their play, conducted methodical talks and open lessons. This also affected the development of guitar art in the Soviet Union: after the tour, many professional musicians began to look at the guitar as an instrument worthy of serious study. The result was the opening of guitar classes in music schools (then technical schools), as well as in separate music universities. P. S. Agafoshin was an ardent follower of Segovia, who was the first in the USSR to create the "School of Playing the Six-String Guitar", based on the methodological guidelines of the outstanding guitarist. Thus, Andres Segovia was not only an artist, but also an active promoter of his instrument.
While in the USSR, A. Segovia showed interest in young guitarists, and conducted open lessons with them. On March 27, 1927, he gave a concert especially for young Leningraders - students of P.I. Isakov. Segovia's communication with young guitarists continued in 1936 during his arrival in Leningrad, as evidenced by photographs depicting the Spanish artist with the students of V. I. Yashnev.
A. Segovia with students of V.I. Yashnev
In the bottom row, Vil Belilnikov, second from the right, Liliana Sedletskaya, from the left in the bottom row.

A. Segovia with V.I.Yashnev and his students
To the right of Segovia - Vil Belilnikov, to the left - Liliana Sedletskaya; behind Segovia is Vasily Ivanovich Yashnev.
Leningrad, hotel "European", 1936
Segovia brought up a brilliant galaxy of guitarists - D. Williams, Julian Brim (Great Britain), Alirio Diaz (Venezuela), Jose Thomas (Spain), K. Parkening (USA), M. Gasbarroni (Italy) and others. The activity of Andres Segovia gained such scope because at the very beginning of his musical career he considered the guitar as one of the components of the entire musical culture as a whole. With his help, the old literature for the guitar was revived and new literature was born, he interested professional musicians and composers in the guitar, which led to an increase in interest in the art of playing the classical guitar. His musical activity is considered and evaluated as an outstanding event of the 20th century. In Venice, Segovia was awarded the most honorable prize - "Life Dedicated to Art".
The vigorous activity of the concert artist did not prevent Segovia from teaching guitar in Santiago de Compostela, at the Chidzhana Academy of Music in Siena, at the University of Berkeley. At the same time, he enriches his repertoire with guitar transcriptions of works by famous composers, as well as pieces for lute and vihuela.
A special merit of Segovia in the field of repertoire is the fact that he managed to convince many composers to abandon the established negative stereotypes in their views on the guitar and turn them to writing compositions for this instrument.
Formulating the goals of his work, Segovia wrote: "I have dedicated my life to four main tasks:
the separation of the guitar from the thoughtless amusements of the folklore type;

providing it with a high quality repertoire, composed of works that have great importance in music and composers who came out of the pen, usually writing for the orchestra, piano, violin, etc .;

bringing the beauty of the guitar sound to the philharmonic audience around the world;

"My whole being was seized with indescribable happiness when I started playing the guitar, because the sound in the bass was deep and sweet, and in the highs it was quivering and trembling. And her accent, her soul in her voice were expressed firmly and convincingly. I forgot about everything in the world except the guitar."

Spain, as if for centuries, has been gathering strength to create such a giant as Segovia. Segovia could not have been born outside of Spain, because it was here that the guitar was born. To the question: "When did you start playing the guitar?" Segovia replied: "Before I was born."
Andres Segovia was born in Andalusia, in the city of Linares, on February 21, 1893, and a few weeks later the family moved to Jaen. The wonderful art of improvisation of the folk guitarists of Andalusia and the original culture of this ancient land greatly influenced his attitude.
In his autobiography, Segovia described meeting his first guitar teacher:

"Once a flamenco guitarist came to our house. At the first strong rasgueado, I jumped off my chair and fell. But when he began to play beautiful folk melodies, I was captured.
- Do you want to learn how to play? - he asked. I nodded in agreement."

In 1910, the first public concert of A. Segovia, organized by his friends, took place in the "Artistic Center" of Granada.

"On the way to the stage (my friend was carrying the guitar), an old flutist approached me:
- Do you know the guitarist who will play now?
I smiled and said:
We know each other well, we are close friends.
- Is he talented?
- Not at all. Now you will hear for yourself.
He was surprised by my unkind characterization of a close friend and asked:
- Are you jealous of him? - And with hostility turning away from me, he entered the hall. But after the concert, the flutist came to hug me and said:
“Indeed, your friend deserves both my congratulations and your envy.”

The first significant success of Segovia was associated with Seville. Inspired by success, he began to dream of a concert in the capital, however, the first performance did not bring the desired success.
In 1915, Segovia met the guitarist Miguel Llobet, thanks to which he managed to give a concert in Barcelona in January 1916. However, they did not seek to let the guitar into large halls. She was not a popular instrument, and everyone felt that the power of her sound was not enough, and she simply would not be heard in a large room.
The turning point in the fate of the guitar was a concert at the Palau Chamber Music Palace in Barcelona, where Andres Segovia finally received permission to perform. The beauty of the sound of an acoustic guitar literally bewitched the listeners.

The atmosphere of Renacimiento, the movement for the revival of folk traditions in the music and culture of Spain, contributed to the further success of Segovia. Over the next six years, the guitarist won recognition for his instrument not only in the concert halls of Madrid and Barcelona, but also in other cities in Spain. To this must be added the success of two tours to South America in 1919 and 1921.
The main problem that Segovia seeks to solve is the creation of an original professional repertoire. He made creative contacts with other musicians and personally made requests to many composers. Manuel de Falla, responding to his request, wrote a play "In memory of Debussy". Federico Moreno Torroba - dances, nocturnes, plays, preludes, "Castilian Suite", "Castilian Concerto". In 1919, Segovia made a transcription of the piano piece Albeniz "Legend" for a truly legendary future.

The 1920s marked the birth of a new era in guitar art and the beginning of Segovia's worldwide recognition. Each performance of Segovia was perceived as a miracle, as the discovery of a new one. He sought to overcome stereotypes and establish the guitar as a solo instrument.
Andres Segovia and guitar conquer Paris, London, Buenos Aires. In 1928, on the day when the seventh concert in Buenos Aires was to take place, at the same hour opposite, the world famous pianist gave a concert Arthur Rubinstein, at all previous performances of which, as well as at the concerts of Segovia, the halls were overcrowded. But the fears about the "duel" of the guitar with the piano were in vain: constantly hanging signs near the halls where Rubinstein and Segovia performed, reported: "there are no empty seats."
If in the 20s the name of the great guitarist was associated with the birth of a new art, then in the 30s he could rightfully be called the creator of the guitar art of the 20th century. His noble goal was to elevate the guitar, and only a highly artistic professional repertoire could provide a worthy place for the guitar. Segovia did not stop searching for new compositions, turning to different composers. Moreno Torroba, Pablo Casals, Joaquin Rodrigo, Federico Mompu, Gaspar Cassado, Manuel Ponce, Vila Lobos and many other European and American composers responded to his requests. Many did not compose for the guitar before meeting Segovia. Thanks to Segovia, a guitar class was introduced in most conservatories and music schools in the world. Since 1955, he taught students in the picturesque Italian city of Siena, and then taught in Santiago de Compostela, a medieval city in Spain (in Galicia), where, since 1958, for the entertainment of wealthy tourists, two-week festivals called "Music in Compostela", whose main purpose was to promote Spanish ancient and modern music. The organizers of the festival attracted Segovia to participate in them, who began to conduct classes with students here. The room where they were held - a large hall with stone vaults - resembled a church or a monastery. Silence, the harsh architecture of the feudal castle with its courtyards, fragrant roses, walls covered with climbing grapes. In this environment, every instruction of an authoritative musician was perceived with almost religious awe, and classes were remembered for a lifetime.

In the history of Spain, there was no artist who would have been so active in promoting Spanish music around the world. Once, explaining why the guitar is a favorite instrument in Spain, Andres Segovia said that one Spaniard is already a whole society, just like one guitar is a whole orchestra!
See also:

Vladimir Bobry about some technical methods of Andres Segovia (Brief summary of the book by M. Weisbord "Andres Segovia", M., Muzyka, 1981)

Denis Kolvah "Technique of Segovia"

A collection of materials about Segovia, containing the most significant publications about him in the Soviet press and literature (many of which are presented in photocopies of the originals), read in a special issue of our electronic journal"History of the guitar in faces" (2012, No. 3) - "Segovia in the Soviet press and literature".

DISCOGRAPHY

Centenary Celebration
Complete 1949 London Recordings
EMI Recoding Volumes 1 and 2
Poet of the Guitar

Segovia Collection
Ponce, Rodrigo, Torroba
My Favorite Works
Purcell, Scarlatti, Handel, Bach, Frescobaldi
Five Centuries of the Spanish Guitar
Castelnuovo Tecesco

Short spanish pieces

Joaquin Rodrigo / Andres Segovia: Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre for guitar & orchestra
I		Villano y Recercarre...............................................
II		Espanoleta e Fanfare de la Caballeria de Napoles..................................................................
III		Danza de Las Hachas......................................
IV	-	Canario..............................................................

BIOGRAPHIES OF GUITARS - COMPOSERS (classics)

SEGOVIA ANDRES

SEGOVIA Andrés (1893-1987) was an outstanding Spanish guitarist and teacher. As a child, he studied piano, violin and cello, while at the same time he independently studied guitar. Listening to folk music, playing flamenco and studying musical literature helped him. In 1909, the first concert of Segovia took place, but world fame came to him in 1924, after a concert in Paris. The game of A. Segovia is marked by exceptional virtuosity and depth of interpretations; he expanded the technical and expressive possibilities of the guitar, introduced classical and modern music into the repertoire (many works in his own arrangements), raised guitar performance to a high artistic level. For Segovia, the works of H. Turina, H. de Manen, A. Roussel, M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco, S. Scott, E. Vila-Lobos, A. Tansman and others were written and dedicated to him.
Segovia is one of the few concert players in whose performance the critics could not find any shortcomings. On the contrary, each subsequent performance of the artist revealed new virtues of his game, which is associated both with his outstanding talent and with hard daily work to improve his skills.
Three times, in 1926, 1927, 1935-1936, he came to the USSR and with constant success gave concerts in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and Odessa. Segovia performed not only with concerts, but also met with local guitarists, listened to their play, conducted methodical talks and open lessons. This also affected the development of guitar art in the Soviet Union: after the tour, many professional musicians began to look at the guitar as an instrument worthy of serious study. The result was the opening of guitar classes in music schools (then technical schools), as well as in individual music universities. Segovia brought up a brilliant galaxy of guitarists - D. Williams, D. Brim (Great Britain), A. Diaz (Venezuela), H. Thomas (Spain), C. Parkening (USA), M. Gasbarroni (Italy) and others. With his help, the old literature for the guitar was revived and new literature was born, he interested professional musicians and composers in the guitar, which led to an increase in interest in the art of playing the classical guitar. His musical activity is considered and evaluated as an outstanding event of the 20th century. In Venice, Segovia was awarded the most honorable prize - "Life Dedicated to Art".
The vigorous activity of the concert artist did not prevent Segovia from teaching guitar in Santiago de Compostela, at the Chidzhana Academy of Music in Siena, at the University of Berkeley. At the same time, he enriches his repertoire with guitar transcriptions of works by famous composers, as well as pieces for lute and vihuela.
A special merit of Segovia in the field of repertoire is the fact that he managed to convince many composers to abandon the established negative stereotypes in their views on the guitar and turn them to writing compositions for this instrument.

Biography
Andres Segovia was born on February 21, 1893 in Linares. A few days after his birth, the family moved to the town of Jaene, near Cordoba (Andalusia).
“One day a flamenco guitarist came to our house,” recalls Segovia. - When he started playing beautiful folk melodies, I was captivated.
"Do you want to learn how to play?" - he asked.
I nodded in agreement."
The guitarist lived next to Andresito for a month and a half. During this time, the boy learned to play the guitar. When Andresito was six years old, he moved with his uncle and aunt to Granada.
In 1910, the first public concert of Andrés took place in the "Artistic Center" of Granada. It was organized by the friends of the young guitarist.
In his Autobiography, Segovia says: “The first concert in my life. What a thrill! My hamstrings shook at the thought of appearing in public. However, one meeting helped to forget about fear. On the way to the stage (my friend was carrying the guitar), an old flutist approached me:
Do you know the guitarist who will play now?

I smiled and said:

Good sign: we are close friends.

Is he talented?

Not at all. Now you will hear for yourself.

He was surprised by my unkind characterization of a close friend and asked:

Are you jealous of him? - And with hostility turning away from me, he entered the hall.

But after the concert, the flutist came to hug me and said:
“Indeed, your friend deserves both my congratulations and your envy.”
The young musician went on a concert tour of Spain. He successfully performed in many halls of Barcelona. But he dreamed of performing in the largest hall of the capital of Catalonia - Palau. Finally, on March 12, 1916, Segovia's concert took place at the Palace of Catalan Chamber Music.
“It's hard for me to describe,” he recalls, “the ridicule and condemnation caused by reports of my concert in Palau. Some thought that self-confidence drove me crazy, others rejoiced at the thought of the approach of my failure in a huge hall.
Segovia understood that much of his career and the fate of the instrument would depend on the concert in Palau.
“The listeners were amazed and captivated by the beauty of the sound of the guitar,” writes M. A. Weisbord. - That silence reigned in the hall, which would later be called "Segoviean" and which was a kind of "amplifier" of the guitar. It was a miracle done magic hands. It was a victory for new thinking. It was a victory for an artist who boldly faced difficulties. The feelings of the people of Barcelona were briefly and succinctly expressed famous writer Eugenio d'Ors in the autograph on the donated book "La buen Plantada": "To the Magician of Segovia".
With each concert, the name of Segovia became more and more popular throughout Spain. Of course, local leaders did not immediately open the doors of concert halls for the guitar. And yet, the attitude towards the guitar - the solo instrument - changed noticeably. A significant step in this direction was the concerts of Andres in the huge hall of the La Comedia theater in Madrid and three concerts in Granada at the Alhambra Palace in June 1917.
Two tours to South America in 1919 and 1921 were also successful. "The Pioneer of the Guitar" named Segovia magazine "El Hogar" after a performance in Buenos Aires.
Segovia's concerts in 1924 in Germany, Austria and France earned him the fame of a first-class virtuoso.
“In April 1924,” recalls Segovia, “I arrived in the capital of France. Paris fascinated me. I spent more time contemplating the city than in my studies. I wandered endlessly through the streets, squares, parks, got acquainted with museums, architectural monuments, churches. Toured exhibitions. Attended concerts. I enjoyed the play of colors of evening Paris in the Luxembourg park or in a cafe on the Champs Elysees.
The French press commented extensively on Segovia's performances. Here is the response of the famous musicologist Mark Pencherl: “Too much music. But for only one small part of it, an exception should be made. I mean simple guitar, which keeps the most sophisticated musicians at the mercy of its charm for hours. At the conservatory, at La Revue Musical, in auditoriums where one could meet the biggest exponents of modern music, Andre Segovia, whose name we had hardly known a few weeks earlier, was admired. Miguel Llobet, who is so unusual for those who are accustomed to the vulgarity and banality of serenade performers, was given a similar reception here at one time. Then others came. But no one has been able to renew and enrich the impressions caused by Llobet like Segovia.”
Noting the impeccability of Segovia's playing, the richness of the colorful palette of his guitar, the critic emphasized that the technical level he had achieved "we would have previously called impossible" and that the guitarist "surpasses his predecessors in that all these qualities are subordinated to his amazing sense of style."
The same enthusiastic reception awaited Segovia in England in 1925.
After concerts in Berlin in 1926, Die Gitarre magazine wrote: "Andres Segovia is a performer of the highest rank, who should be placed on a par with Kreisler or Schnabel." A year later, the same magazine stated: “The speech of Andres Segovia in concert hall- an event of great significance.
From the very first performance, Segovia captivated the Danish public. The newspaper Politiken wrote: “The young Spaniard is indeed a phenomenon in keeping with what is said about him. We have never heard an artist comparable to him. Incredible virtuosity. Huge taste, indicating high musical culture, Segovia turned the guitar into an instrument that reveals the depths of the compositions he performs in more than might be expected."
In 1928, Segovia made his first appearance in New York: “Yesterday afternoon, a plump young man stepped onto the Town Hall stage, sat close to its edge, put his foot on a small wooden bench and charmed the crowded hall. It was one of the most unusual and exciting concerts that has ever taken place in this hall in New York. Segovia made the guitar an instrument that people talk about in the same breath as Landowska's harpsichord, Casals' cello, Heifetz's violin and Gieseking's piano."
After giving five concerts in New York, Segovia performed in other US cities.
In 1929, Segovia performed in Japan. Local critic Takahashi, after concerts in Tokyo and Kobe, wrote: “Segovia does not belong to the performers who seek to demonstrate their technique to the public. This is an inspired musician... Listening to Segovia, I realized for the first time the truth of Beethoven's words that the guitar, in essence, is an orchestra. The world created by Segovia - beautiful world poetry and legends.
At the end of February 1926 the guitarist visited Moscow. His first concert, held on March 2 in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, aroused great interest not only among guitarists, but also among the general public and musicians of other specialties.
Here is what the famous wrote about Segovia musical critic B. V. Asafiev: “The culture of playing the guitar in Spain is old, ancient, and its roots go back to the distant romantic past. The representative of this culture - Segovia - is above all a serious and strict musician. His performance cannot be blamed for cheap panache and virtuosity. in bad taste. Listening to it is a kind of pleasure: the nobility of sound, rhythm, the most intense restraint of performance, exceptional clarity and purity of intonation (the harmonics are simply amazing!), impeccable taste, refined, not ostentatious craftsmanship and, of course, a fabulous wealth of dynamic and coloristic shades - this is what especially and mainly attracts in the enchanting game of Segovia, in a game so unusual for us, where art is so vulgarized. Segovia does not lose sight of the plasticity of the form for a single moment: it beautifully and consistently emphasizes structural details, brilliantly colors the main melodic line with lush patterns or develops it with a fragile ornament, like a refined carving. And behind all these qualities the virtuoso will burn deep feeling, warming sound (golden, juicy and tender, but not pampered) and its vital rhythm. Among the compositions performed, there were no unsuccessfully played ones. Sounded interesting composed of different compositions Bach suite, pieces by Sor, a famous guitar virtuoso in his time, and a number of Spanish dances, among which I especially liked the fandango of the talented contemporary Spanish composer Turina.
Segovia came to our country several times and always aroused admiration for his skill.
“The performance of Segovia was devoid of affectation,” writes B. L. Volman. - He did not force the sound, achieving great dynamic buildup through the skillful use of sonority gradations, based on the finest pianissimo. His playing style can be called academic in the very positive sense. Technique at Segovia receded into the background, helping to identify musical content works. His game struck with the artistic subtlety of the finish. “That’s who you need to learn to phrase!” - noted pianist L. V. Nikolaev, professor of the Leningrad Conservatory, regarding the performance of Segovia. The purity of his game was impeccable. With ease he overcame any technical difficulties. Harmonics, glissando, expressive vibrato, a variety of staccato and legato - Segovia mastered all this perfectly.
With his subsequent activity, Segovia, more than any of the guitarists who played before him, concert stage, confirmed artistic value guitars. By choosing permanent place Living in Uruguay, Segovia toured all over the world with concerts, everywhere admiring his guitar playing. He was no longer regarded as a guitarist who surprised listeners with the skill of performing on an instrument unusual for the stage, but as one of the greatest musicians of our time.
He traveled to many countries, speaking almost daily, and in major cities USA sometimes 3-4 times a day. If we mark the cities where Segovia performed on the world map with dots, then these dots will densely cover the whole of Europe, stretch along the North and South America, will connect the north of Africa with Malaya and Southeast Asia and with Australia. But the main thing, of course, is not in the number of cities and countries, but in the fact that his art touched the hearts of millions of listeners.
"The Miracle Whose Name Is Segovia" - this is how the American magazine "Guitar Review" called its article in 1947. "Master Wizard" - this is how the reviewer of the New York Times newspaper in 1959 assessed the art of Segovia. And here is evidence of the conquest of another continent: “Segovia charmed Melbourne” - this is how one of the articles on Segovia’s tour in Australia was titled by the Music and Musicians magazine (1961).
Due to the constant traveling Segovia could not devote much time pedagogical activity. But his class of guitar players at the Chigi Academy in the Italian city of Siena has gained international fame and popularity. Segovia's students include John Williams and Julian Brim from England, Jose Thomas from Spain, Guillermo Fierens from Belgium, Jesus Silva from Mexico, Oscar Ghilli from Italy, Jovan Jovicic from Yugoslavia, Alirio Diaz from Venezuela, Christopher Parkening from the USA, Jose Rey de la Torre from Cuba, Carlos Barbosa Lima from Brazil.
Amazingly, Segovia retained his artistic magnetism even after 80 years. Describing the performance of the 82-year-old artist at the 3,000-seat The Festival Hall in London, composer John Duarte could not hide his delight: magical sounds music."
Shortly before his ninetieth birthday, on April 28, 1982, Andres Segovia, going on tour to Japan, wrote to M.A. different countries I meet with listeners, I receive old friends, I attend receptions and carve out four or five sacred hours for daily studies. Indeed, it is difficult to find another artist who has maintained creative longevity for so long.
Segovia died in 1987.