Deux thèmes variés et douze menuets, op. 11

These Deux thèmes variés et douze menuets op. 11 by Sor are something of a miscellaneous collection and first appeared in Paris in 1822 or shortly before, with the above title and opus number. Parts of it and perhaps all are certainly old, but the organization of so many separate pieces into a single publication is a product of the 1820s . The theme of the first set of variations is almost the same as that of a “Thème Varié” which Meissonnier published separately with a different arrangement of variations and to which he gave the numbering op. 15. Minuet no. 12 was also published as op. 13 no. 4.

The twelve minuets are in an unusual style, with their abrupt changes of register, their sudden running passages, and their scordaturas. They are among the finest of Sor’s miniatures and have deservedly kept their popularity over many years. Some are certainly from Sor’s Spanish period, and it is quite possible that they all are: see Chapter 1 of my book Fernando Sor, Composer and Guitarist. Minuet no. 6 was certainly composed in Spain, having been published earlier by Castro in his Journal de Musique Étrangère (Paris, about 1810 or slightly earlier). Minuet no. 5 is found in a manuscript in the collection of Robert Spencer, London. Early versions of Minuets no. 3 (without attribution) and no. 11 are in MS 722-24[x] of the Biblioteca Histórica Municipal in Madrid (see Luis Briso de Montiano, Un fondo desconocido de música para guitarra, Madrid, 1995, p. 163). It seems likely, but not yet conclusively established, that all the minuets, and perhaps all of op. 11, are in fact music which was originally composed by Sor in Spain. The early versions of minuets nos. 3, 5, 6 and 11 offer particular points of interest and particular problems and deserve a special study which is not pursued in the present edition.

Minuet no. 3 is a special case. In a copy of an edition of op. 11 belonging to Robert Spencer, London, is a manuscript note against this minuet, possibly in the hand of José de Lira, reading: “En mai 1823 j’ai été logé à Girone chez M. le Marquis de Capmany dont le fils, Don Francisco Maria de Sabater y Camps, m’a assuré avoir composé le menuet suivant à Saragosse en 1803” (‘In May 1823 I stayed at Gerona with the Marquis of Capmany whose son, Francisco Maria de Sabater y Camps, assured me that he had composed this minuet at Saragossa in 1803’). According to Ledhuy, Sor’s father had a composer friend called “le chevalier de Sabatea”, which may be simply a misprint for “Sabater”. Whoever composed the piece, the note does suggest an early date. In some of these minuets the harmonies sometimes seem strange. But because of their special historical position, in the interests of historical accuracy they have not been changed here. An example is Minuet no. 8, bars 14 and 18, where the first G sharp in each case might be expected to be an A but has not been altered here. Sometimes the harmonies are particularly rich, for example in Minuet no. 12, bar 9. Performers may follow their own judgement about the performance of specific cases.

In the first Thème Varié, Variation 1, bar 31, the third note is C in the original but to judge from the other variations, a D was probably intended and has been put here.

In the first Thème Varié, Variation 6, last bar, the last two notes are marked “armonici”. The C must be an artificial harmonic. The E can optionally also be played as an artificial harmonic.

Minuet no. 3, bars 27, 32 and 33: the naturals are editorial on the analogy of bar 28 where a natural is present in the original.

Minuet no. 4, bar 14: the sharp on the G is not present in the original but is implied by the fingering. It returns also at bar 16.

Minuet no. 11, bar 21, first chord, the fingering 4 is 1 in the original. In the last theme and variations, bar 59, the fourth note in the bass is F in the original, changed here editorially.

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