Twelve Studies, Op. 29

This second set of studies for the guitar by Sor, op. 29, was published in Paris in 1827 shortly after his return from Russia where it is likely that they were composed. Sor’s first set of twelve studies, op. 6, had been published in London in about 1815-17, and was doubtless composed there. It had been of moderate difficulty, and had combined concentration on technical problems of the instrument, with a melodiousness which has meant their survival in popularity to the present day. Now, in 1827, some ten years later, Sor published these Douze Etudes op. 29, which consist of twelve more studies with the same technical aims, the same charm, and the same level of difficulty, to the extent that the title-page proclaims that they follow on from the first set, and they are indeed numbered 13-24. Thereafter Sor regarded them as a single set of twenty-four studies, and referred to them as such, for example in the introduction to his Méthode published in 1830. As with op. 6, a reading of Sor’s Méthode pour la Guitare will cast light on the technical aims of these studies. For example, in Study no.16, from bar 4 onwards, the E’s with their tails down are certainly to be played with the right hand thumb, then m i. Study 15, bar 32, last chord, the original edition has E not C sharp. C sharp is given here (cf. bar 40). In Study 20, on the question of where on the string the vibrations will last longest, see Sor’s method (pages 15-18 in the English version available from Tecla Editions). In this study, the fingering at bars 25-26 is the only fingering which Sor gave in the studies opp. 6 and 29, and by it he indicated the old Spanish technique of campanelas, in which an open string sounds repeatedly through moving chords. The top A is on the second string. Sor’s Complete Studies, Lessons, and Exercises (opp. 6, 29, 31, 35, and 60, together with op. 44) are also published by Tecla in a modern re-engraved edition in one book (Tecla 101). 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