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Jgtr07 -> RE: the true tradition of the flamenco is beautiful (Nov. 4 2010 6:25:39)
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Thank you guys, for all your opinions. I'll have to disagree strongly with romerito.
I love flamenco music and i love flamenco guitar, and I love classical guitar, and I also love the art of Segovia (for what it was - individual artist-oriented late romantic, personally expressive classical guitar).
I believe any perceived schism that he may have created between classical and flamenco guitar was (in his mind) purely to elevate the guitar in the classical world to the same level of respect as the violin and piano - for the conservatories, classical music critics, record companies, great composers, conductors, and the concert-going public. Some of the composers who wrote for him included: Turina (born in Sevilla), Torroba, Manuel Ponce, Villa-Lobos, Rodrigo, Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Sephardic), and many others.
Sure he was somewhat self-serving during his career, but look at what he achieved! He extended the guitar repertoire, presented it to as wide a public as possible, and helped to open the floodgates for the guitar being legitimate in conservatories, universities, and concert series around the world.
Now, flamenco guitar is being taught at many universities and conservatories around the world, too...
(Paco Peña teaches at the Music Conservatory and Dance Academy of Rotterdam, Adam Del Monte teaches at the University of Southern California, and many others).
By the way, I attended the Segovia masterclasses in 1986 at USC (not UCLA, romerito). I think it was a great series of events, and Michael Chapdelaine learned a valuable lesson: as a student in a masterclass you must leave your huge ego at the door and be open to learning the Maestro's way (in his class). That was a very valuable thing Chapdelaine learned then, and even he admits it.
Everyone knew, going into a Segovia class, that you were supposed to use his editions, his fingerings, and his interpretations (more or less). I myself sent in an audition tape for those classes, and it was very clear up front in the application that you must use Segovia's editions and fingerings. That is standard operating procedure. Why on earth would anyone have the audacity to insult him, and change his fingerings (and therefore subtle issues of interpretation)? You would change the fingerings only for pure self-serving ego (or ignorance). At least wait untill the class is over, and play the music in your own unique, artistic way then, but don't be a fool going in. The bonus, for that trial-by-fire for any student, was that your career would be immeasurably boosted for listing Segovia on your resume for the rest of your life...not a bad trade-off for most people.
Anyways, I think Segovia was an expert on Andalusian culture, since he was born in Linares, Jaén, and eventually settled on the Costa del Sol (at the time of this video). He loved the Andalusian poetry (Juan Ramón Jiménez, born in Moguer, near Huelva - poetry Platero y Yo) and was apparently a close friend of Federico García Lorca (born in Fuente Vaqueros, Granada). So, in hindsight, historically, I think it is very interesting to hear his positive opinion on "the true tradition of the flamenco".
Sure, he was always a late Romantic figure (even in the Modern era), and behind the times with his interpretation of early music, and yes, he carried certain biases. Yes, many players have now far surpassed his technical abilities, and it would be anachronistic to mimic his exaggerated interpretations of certain pieces on the guitar, now.
However, for Romantic Spanish classical guitar music, his recordings still stand up today as quite strong. He always championed the Spanish composers, though, and he promoted Spanish culture throughout the world. That counts for a lot.
Regardless of your personal opinion of the man, he was arguably the most influential guitarist of the 20th century of any style, so it is interesting to me to hear his opinion on "the true tradition of the flamenco". That's why I asked the questions I did, in my first post.
I was just wondering what specific flamenco artists he may have been referring to indirectly, in the video? (Richard, you did give some artists' names to look into, so thank you for that).
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