Andres Segovia 1893-1987

Background Born in Spain. Lived with uncle and aunt. Uncle used to pretend-strum a guitar with him when he was little. Started violin lessons, quit shortly after (teacher was too strict). Taught himself how to play.

Career First concert performance at age 16. First professional performance at age 20. Many people thought he would be laughed off the stage because the guitar “could not play classical music” Segovia wowed audiences and started touring Europe and South America by the age of 26.

Amplification Issues The only issue he had in touring was that the guitar was sometimes too soft in volume for big concert halls. Segovia continued to perfect his technique. He pushed luthiers to experiment with new woods and designs that could increase the natural amplification of the guitar. He was one of the first to use nylon strings (instead of gut), which helped in consistency of tone and volume in the instrument.

Characteristics Style: Classical Guitar Fingerpicking Technique --- used the fingernails and finger tips to play which creates different timbres Covers a lot of Bach and Mozart. Performs original music and Spanish folk music, too.

Legacy Considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement. Made people think of the guitar as a serious instrument capable of depth of interpretation. Elevated the status of the guitar from a colloquial instrument to a legitimate concert instrument. Without him classical guitar would still be a lowly bar instrument played only by peasants. Provided many guitar transcriptions of classical works.

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPvr 8AKVJQ