A brief musical
description and pertinent information concerning
composition and publication will be included for
each item in this article. Compositions will be
graded according to level of technical
difficulty on a one to ten scale: 1-2: very
easy; 3-4: moderately easy; 5-6: moderately
difficult; 7-8: difficult; and 9-10: very
difficult. Musical examples are based on the
edition listed at the beginning of each section.
All works are dedicated to Andrés
Segovia.
Homenaje
a Tárrega
Edited by Angelo
Gilardino. Ancona: Bèrben, 1984. Timing: 3' 30." Grade: 6
In a letter to
Ponce (Geneva, 1932), Segovia expressed plans to
publish the three movement sonatina, Homenaje
a Tárrega: "El título de
"Homenaje a Tárrega" puede ser sugestivo
para Schott" (The work Homenaje a Tárrega
will be suggested to Schott [for
publication]).1
Unfortunately, the first two movements of this
work were destroyed along with Segovia's
Barcelona apartment during the Spanish Civil
War; consequently, the sonatina was never
published. Segovia relates this mishap to Ponce
in a letter in 1939:
Excuse
me for asking once more for what I have asked
you for many times already. I would
like—since everything was destroyed in
Barcelona—copies of the Sonata I, that you
wrote in México, the other one in A
minor, movements I and II of the Sonatina
dedicated to Tárrega, and finally the
Sarabands in E minor and in A minor, that
have tortured me so much in the useless
effort to remember them. 2
The edition
examined by this writer is based on the
autograph manuscript of the final movement kept
in the private collection of Carlos
Vázquez in Aguascalientes, México.
The manuscript bears an inscription, "Final del
homenaje a Tárrega. Inédito, lo
tengo yo," and is signed Manuel Ponce, January
14, 1932. This surviving movement is an example
of Ponce's finest writing for the guitar. The
melodies and harmonies are evocative of
Andalusian folk music; however, Ponce does not
quote or imitate folk melodies, as in earlier
works, nor does he utilize stereotyped flamenco
techniques such as the golpe, rasgueado, etc.
Instead, the essence of Andalusian folk music
has been incorporated into a sophisticated
musical idiom--an idiom a far cry from the salon
music of guitarist-composer Francisco
Tárrega (1852-1909) to whom this work
pays homage. Unlike Ponce's homage sonatas, this
piece does not imitate the music of the composer
to whom it pays tribute.
Homenaje a
Tárrega is an outstanding example of
the assimilation of Spanish folkloric elements,
impressionistic harmonies and neoclassic formal
technique. Laid out in a modified sonata-form,
frequent metrical shifts are featured,
especially 3/8 to 4/8. The exposition begins
straight away with a melody evocative of
Andalusia with its pedal tones, I flat-II
progressions and use of the Spanish Phrygian
mode:
Ex. 97. Homenaje
a Tárrega, third movement, mm.
1-8
A second theme
appears at mm. 31-42 immediately after a
transitional passage of bass notes utilizing
étouffé or apagado. However, this
theme is not presented in the dominant but,
instead, fluctuates mainly between the modes of
A aeolian and A Phrygian:
Ex. 98. Homenaje
a Tárrega, third movement, mm.
31-42
A brief
development section ensues the exposition where
motives mainly derived from the first theme are
manipulated. The recapitulation begins at m. 88
with a modified statement of the first theme and
is immediately followed with a tonic statement
of the second theme at m. 97. A short
developmental passage involving the second theme
immediately follows. The coda, which begins with
a tonic statement of the first phrase of the
first theme, quickly turns into another
developmental passage for the first
theme.
This work is
unusually idiomatic to the guitar, and
demonstrates Ponce's uncanny knowledge of the
most effective registers and voicings on the
guitar. For example, the final passage features
ascending quartal chords over an open E pedal
and spicy syncopations implying metric
fluctuations—all in the most brilliant and
sonorous register of the guitar largely
utilizing parallel fingering patterns and open
basses:
Ex. 99. Homenaje
a Tárrega, third movement, mm.
154-162
Sonatina
meridional
Edited by
Andrés Segovia. Mainz: Schott, 1939. Timing: 9' 30." Grade: 6
This work,
written in Paris during 1932, is the last guitar
solo Ponce wrote for Segovia and is an good
example of the cross-fertilization of musical
styles—folkloric, neoclassical, neo-romantic
and impressionistic—which characterize Ponce's
works of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The
predominance of Spanish folkloric elements and
the status of sonatina in this work are both due
to Segovia's prodding:
. . .
why don't you write a Sonatina—not a
Sonata—of purely Spanish character? It could
be offered to Schott, to go in the series of
medium difficulty. Make your mind up. Here
you have themes enough, although in reality
you don't even need them.3
The Spanish
elements are also evident in the titles of the
three movements of this sonatina: "Campo"
(country), "Copla" (a popular Spanish song) and
"Fiesta" (festival or party). All movements
require the sixth string to be lowered to
D.
The "Campo,"
marked Allegretto and in D major and 3/8 meter,
is in sonata form. The first theme, evocative of
Andalusian flamenco, begins with the progression
of I bII and features the Phrygian
mode:
Ex. 100.
Sonatina meridional, "Campo," p. 3, mm.
1-6
A lyrical second
theme is announced in the dominant over an A
pedal immediately after a transitional passage
of bass notes utilizing
étouffé:
Ex. 101.
Sonatina meridional, "Campo," p. 4, mm.
52-58
Motives from the
first theme close the exposition; the exposition
is repeated. Unlike the monothematic development
sections of Sonata III and Homenaje a
Tárrega, this development section
features motivic manipulation of both themes.
After a series of passing modulations, the
development settles down in the dominant and
climaxes with an extended series of chords in A
Phrygian over an A pedal beginning at m.
126:
Ex. 102.
Sonatina meridional, "Campo," p. 5, mm.
126-33
At m. 142 a full
recapitulation commences.
The "Copla"
(Andante), in D minor and 6/8 meter, is
characterized by a melismatic melodic line,
irregular phrase structure, fluctuations between
the major and Phrygian modes, extensive use of
pedal tones and a generally improvisational
feel. Thus, this movement is highly evocative of
the cante hondo of Andalusia. The formal
structure is not clearly defined; however, the
general outline of an A B A' form is evident.
While the predominance of open string pedal
tones may seem monotonous, a great deal of
melodic and rhythmic variety and the use of
hemiola (e.g., 6/8 against 3/4 in m. 1) do well
in offsetting this:
Ex. 103.
Sonatina meridional, "Copla," p. 7, mm.
1-7
The "Copla" is
jointed directly to the following movement via a
half cadence.
The
improvisational feel and flamenco overtones of
the "Copla" are continued in the "Fiesta."
However, the "Fiesta" is not modeled on the
vocal style of the flamenco singer; instead,
this movement is a free fantasy utilizing
stylized sounds of the flamenco guitar
intermingled with impressionistic technique and,
thus, presents a stunning kaleidoscope of
themes, moods and colors. Marked Allegro con
brio and in D major and 3/4 meter, the "Fiesta"
utilizes highly idiomatic devices such as chords
mainly derived from open strings, rolled chords
and rasgueado:
Ex. 104.
Sonatina meridional, "Fiesta," p. 8, mm.
1-5
The hemiola also
appears in several forms. For example, the
rhythmic grouping of mm. 1-2 suggest 3/2 rather
than the 3/4 indicated in the meter signature.
In addition, there are frequent metric groupings
which alternate 3/4 with 6/8:
Ex. 105.
Sonatina meridional, "Fiesta," p. 9, mm.
59-64
The frequent
switching of melodic interest between
contrasting registers is suggestive of an
orchestral texture:
Ex. 106.
Sonatina meridional, "Fiesta," p. 8, mm.
20-33
Although this
movement is organized in a free fantasy format,
three sections (A B C) are evident largely due
to the tonal organization: the outer sections,
in the tonic, contrast with the developmental
middle section with its unstable tonality and
reiteration of earlier themes.
Final
Comments
Segovia's repertoire, interpretation and
technique dominated the classical guitar during the first 80 years of the
twentieth century. And, for better or worse, Ponce's music was irrevocably tied to Segovia. After Segovia's death in 1987, some guitarists went to great lengths
to rail against anything associated with the
Segovia School, largely due to a misguided attempt to escape perceived "artistic tyranny." Today, most of my guitar students don't even know Segovia's name: few YouTube videos and he doesn't get much time from audio streaming services. It's time to revisit Ponce's beautiful hybrids of
the late Romantic and early Modern eras. His music is
deserving of a place in every guitarist's
repertoire.
•••••••
•••••••
•••••••
•••••••
•••••••
