Fernando Sor was a classical guitarist and composer, was born in Spain and he lived from 1778 to 1839. He was a contemporary of Beethoven and is often called the “Beethoven of the guitar.” He wrote many works for the guitar, including his famous Sor method for the guitar and the 20 studies for classical guitar. Both works are still in use today.

His life

Sor grew up in turbulent times is Spain. It was during the time that Napoleon and the French were trying to take over Spain and Sor time spent in military service. For some time the French successfully occupied Spain, but eventually they were ousted. After the war was over and France was successfully ejected from Spain Sor in Paris (around the age of 35) and he never returned to his homeland. He spent time living in Russia and in London, but he finally returned to Paris, where he was living the rest of his years. It was during this period reached in Paris that he had a considerable amount of fame as a composer, teacher and an artist, and he spent many years touring the great cities of Europe.

As an artist

In Spain during his younger years and early adulthood, he reached an amount of fame, began with a performance of his opera “Telemachus on the Calypso’s Isle” and lead to a short lived sponsorship by the Duchess of Alba. While living in Europe he reached the height of his fame as a composer and performer and his concerts throughout Europe, also in Paris, Russia, and London.

As a composer

As a composer of the music he had a remarkable variety of pieces made between educational in nature songs, duets, vocal music for voice and guitar, and even an opera. His style of music ranges from classical to very sheer Spanish in tone.

Some of his more famous work

A large part of his work is no longer played and some of them is lost, but he has some pieces, which withstood the test of time and are still regularly performed to this day. Or course there is his method for guitar and its twentieth studies, and while these works are Instructional they are also from many pieces and arrangements that stand alone on its own right as legitimate plays. A few of his more famous works of various counts his Opus 35 Number 22 in B minor, often referred to as “The Moonlight Etude” and his Opus 9 Variations on a Theme of Mozart (The Magic Flute). Both pieces are remarkably beautiful and perennial favorites of modern guitarists.

More pictures and

Many of the contemporary classical guitarists have Sor compositions in their repertoire, and you can easily find work. There are many CD’s of current performers, focused exclusively on the work of Sor. There is also a book about him (Fernando Sor: composer and guitarist). It is written by Brian Jeffery, and it is a comprehensive and detailed account of Sor’s life. The first edition appeared in 1977 and a second edition published in 1994.
Fernando Sor was a remarkable multi-talented man who was a gifted musician, a teacher and a composer who wrote in many forms and genres of music. His music is still alive today, and its methods for guitar, he is still teaching students more than 150 years later.