Fernando Sor

Have you ever tried to play classical guitar? I did when I was young. Not very succesfully and here you can see my guitar with one broke and one missing string. It has been a dust collector for years.

Anyhow, it was thanks to this guitar learning that I reacted when, again in the Montmartre cemetary, I suddenly saw the tomb of Fernando Sor (http://www.answers.com/topic/fernando-sor). More than anyone else he has contributed to making the guitar also a classical instrument. You can see from the flowers that he is not forgotten.

Fernando was born in Barcelona in 1778, played several instruments, was a good singer... He had a very early success as an opera composer (at 18), moved around in Spain and came under the protection of the famous Duchess of Alba (who also protected - an perhaps more) Goya. Fernando, as many other Spanish artists, after some hesitation, was in favour of the French invadors (again Napoleon) and when the French had to leave Spain in 1813, he followed.

He had a succesful career as composer, performer of different instruments and singer and made the tour of Europe. He got in love with a young French ballerina and spent some years in Moscow when she performed there. He then settled down more permanantly in Paris and concentrated on the guitar, composed a lot, teached the guitar and published his famous Guitar Method in 1830. He died in 1839.

Classical guitar music was not a big issue for long, but came again in fashion in the middle of last century. I had the previlege to twice assist to concerts of Andrès Segovia, who played a lot of Fernando's music.