Fantasia, op. 12

This fantasia by Sor [opus 12] was first published without opus number in London by Clementi in 1815 or shortly after, a fact which is only now known thanks to the recent discovery of a unique copy of the London edition. A fine extended work, it is in fact a set of variations and is an elaboration of the simpler set on the same theme which is today known as op. 3 and which dates from Sor’s Spanish period. Sor has added an introduction, coda, and three new variations. The new work is dedicated to Friedrich Kalkbrenner, the famous pianist who lived in London from 1814 to 1823, that is exactly the same period as Sor, and indeed the new work has dimensions more commonly associated with the piano music of that time than with the guitar music. Evidently this theme with variations was a favourite of Sor’s, and most probably this work would have been among the “Fantasia”s which he performed in concerts in London. Indeed, because it is an elaborate work, one may hazard a guess that if Sor’s lost Fantasia Concertante for guitar and strings is ever found, it may perhaps turn out to be a version of this fantasia. The theme was also used by Giuliani in his op. 112.

Variation 7 is a new discovery, because it is found only in the newly discovered Clementi edition which is the basis of this edition, and is not present in the later Meissonnier version which I printed in the earlier facsimile edition of Sor’s Complete Works for Guitar. In fact Variation 7 is a fine example of the ancient guitar and lute technique of campanelas. To us today it is extremely interesting because it demonstrates Sor’s links to the past history of the guitar in Spain, but perhaps for Meissonnier it was a vestige of the past and therefore was not modern and perhaps for that reason was cut. In any case I hope modern performers will now restore it to its place in this work.

Campanelas, by the way, are found also at the beginning of the Sérénade op. 37, a comparatively late work. Do they mean that the Sérénade has an older history? Or, more probably, did Sor continue to use this fine old technique even at that late date?

The original title in the Clementi edition was Fantaisie pour le [sic] Guitarre Espagnole.

The indication “Lento ad lib” towards the end is from the Clementi edition and is not present in Meissonnier.

Bar 18: performers may wish to add a tie from the first G to the second G. (There is no tie in the original).

Bar 199, last chord: the middle note is C in the original edition and is here replaced by B as it is in the Meissonnier edition.

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