Happy Friday!
It has been quite a week! Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday), the new moon, Lunar New Year (of the horse), Valentines Day, the beginning of Ramadan and the Winter Olympics. Wow!
Also lots of things happened today in history: John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth (1962, subject of a previous Happy Friday), the U.S Postal Service was established (1792), the U.S. Congress banned dueling (1839; now there is just random, unexpected killing), the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City (1872), the first episode of The Brady Bunch aired (1971, clearly, a monumental event), Nixon went to China (1972), Dolly (the sheep – yes, named after Dolly Parton ) was cloned (1997), and the first Winter Olympics held in Japan concluded in Nagano (1998 when the U.S. Jockey team defeated the favored team from the Soviet Union), just to name a few.
Although I mostly listen to country, classical and jazz, I enjoy most types of music, particularly Spanish guitar music. Tomorrow marks the birth anniversary of Andrés Segovia (February 21, 1893), a legendary musician who led the re-establishment of the guitar as a concert instrument in the 20th century.
Segovia was sent to live with his uncle and aunt at a very young age. He took violin lessons and his teacher immediately recognized his musical talent. However, he didn't like the teacher and stopped the lessons. He studied piano and cello as a child, but guitar was his passion. At the time, guitar was not highly respected, mostly being used for café entertainment. His uncle moved the family to Grenada to allow him to get a better education. Francisco Tárrega (also very famous, of the Mitch Albom book, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto fame. I recommend the book.) offered to teach him but died before they could meet. Unable to find a competent guitar teacher, he taught himself how to play, being "the professor and the pupil in the same body".
He performed his first concert in Granada at age 18. He then played in Madrid, including works by Tárrega and his own transcriptions of J.S. Bach. His family wanted him to go to law school, but they lost that battle.
He performed at concerts in Barcelona and Madrid in 1916 then toured in South America in 1919. By the time he performed in Paris in 1924 he was internationally known and concert guitar music was being revived. Although Segovia was also skilled in flamenco guitar, his direction was classical. He continued to tour, including a visit to Germany where Hermann Hauser Sr. gave him a guitar, which was later passed down to his American representative and friend Sophocles Papas, and later to jazz and classical guitarist Charlie Byrd.
Segovia continued to tour and transcribe works for the guitar, performing around the world. He recorded and performed regularly in Europe and America for 30 years. He won his first Grammy award in 1958 for his album, Segovia Golden Jubilee.
He was known for his technique in which he plucked the guitar strings with his nails only, placing his right hand so the nails were perpendicular to the strings. He also placed his right hand further to the right side to produce a round, voluminous sound. His right thumb was strong and flexible, creating a strong bass sound. He was among one of the first to endorse nylon guitar strings and he continued to practice 5 hours daily into his 80s.
Segovia taught and influenced many classical guitarists and received many honors including honorary doctorates from 10 universities, being ennobled by King Juan Carlos I in 1981 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1986). He died of a heart attack in Madrid at age 94. His recordings are widely available today.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Deb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwZuTeK47-I