Sonata prima 'Grand Solo', op. 14

This one-movement sonata first published as Sonata prima and later as “Grand Solo”, perhaps Sor’s finest extended work, remains still something of a mystery in its origins. Grandiose, imaginative, using the resources of the instrument to the full, it certainly dates from Sor’s Spanish period and was first published as “Sonata Prima” by Salvador Castro de Gistau in Paris in 1810 or shortly before, without opus number. As a one-movement sonata, it has affinities with the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. In about 1822, Meissonnier published a version of it which he called “Grand Solo”, a name which does not necessarily have Sor’s authority, and to which the opus number 14 was added. There is no way of knowing whether or not either the Castro or the Meissonnier versions had Sor’s approval. It should be emphasized that, for the present, neither edition can be established as having full authority for a definitive text. It may be that a text faithful to the original version of the work—composed, as we know, in Spain—is yet to be found in Spain itself.In this edition I give both Castro’s and Meissonnier’s versions. The two are very different. Castro’s version dates from when Sor was still in Spain, and its idiom speaks to us in many details of that earlier time when later musical and notational conventions did not apply there. Players of Castro’s version can use this edition, and they may also find it of interest to consult the facsimile in volume 2 of the Tecla facsimile edition. Meissonnier’s version has many changes of detail which there is no reason to suppose were necessarily authorised by Sor.Recently a text has come to light which may refer to this work. It is the diary of a Barcelona gentleman of Sor’s time, Rafael de Amat y de Cortada y Sentjust (in Catalan: Rafael d’Amat i de Cortada i Sentjust), fifth Barón de Maldá. This diary has been studied by Josep María Mangado in his book La Guitarra en Cataluña (London, Tecla Editions, 1998), from which I take these references, and I have discussed it in relation to Sor in my edition of More Seguidillas of Sor (Tecla Editions, 1999). Barón de Maldá’s diary mentions Sor’s boleros, but on one occasion it tells of how Sor played the guitar alone. It is the earliest known reference to a solo performance by Sor. The occasion was May 7th 1802, in the Barcelona house of the Marqués de Castellbell: (".. It seemed to us that we were listening to a pianoforte in the variety of expression, sometimes soft and sometimes loud, with certain scales that he performed, never missing one note on his well-tuned guitar in the toccata which he played to us first, with many variations and musical modulations; then he sang a bolero or two, in which he is the champion.’) What was the “toccata” which Sor played on May 7th 1802? The description certainly could well fit the work which we now know as his op. 14.Another edition of this work published by Porro in Paris within the period about 1807-1815 is mentioned by Mario Torta in his article “Le sonate per chitarra di Fernando Sor”, Guitart, January/March 2001. However, as Mr. Torta has unfortunately not given the location of a copy, it has not been possible to see a copy in order to take account of it in this edition. Although one cannot be sure without examining it, it appears from Mr. Torta’s description that this Porro edition may well date from after Castro and possibly derive from Castro’s text.Opus 14, Castro’s version:Bar 43, in the first and second groups, the original has an extra B an octave above the bass B, here removed.58 in the original the bass notes are E, which are hard to play. Meissonnier’s version puts the first E up an octave and omits the second.139-140 the natural signs are following Meissonnier.Opus 14, Meissonnier’s version:Bar 26 The unusual notation, unchanged here, perhaps means that the first upper D is played open on the fourth string, and the next D and C sharp on the fifth string.This edition comes from the new 2019 second edition of Sor’s New Complete Works for Guitar edited by Brian Jeffery. The Introduction and Index to the entire series are here in nkoda. This new edition is copyright © by Brian Jeffery 2019. Your cooperation is requested in not making illegal copies for other people.Brian Jeffery