Segovia's first public performance was in Granada at the age of 16 in 1909. A few years later he played his first professional concert in
Madrid, which included works by
Francisco Tárrega and his own guitar
transcriptions of
Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite the discouragement of his family, who wanted him to become a lawyer, and criticism by some of Tárrega's pupils for his idiosyncratic technique, he continued to pursue his studies of the guitar diligently. He played again in Madrid in 1912, at the
Paris Conservatory in 1915 and in
Barcelona in 1916 and made a successful tour of South America in 1919. Segovia's arrival on the international stage coincided with a time when the guitar's fortunes as a concert instrument were being revived, largely through the efforts of
Miguel Llobet. It was in that changing milieu that Segovia, thanks to his strength of personality and artistry, coupled with developments in recording and broadcasting, succeeded in making the guitar more popular again. In 1921 in Paris, Segovia met
Alexandre Tansman, who later wrote a number of guitar works for Segovia, among them Cavatina, which won a prize at the Siena International Composition contest in 1952. In 1921, he also met
Agustín Barrios in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Segovia was impressed by Barrios's Bach-inspired and arguably
magnum opus La Catedral. At Granada in 1922, he became associated with the
Concurso de Cante Jondo, promoted by the Spanish composer
Manuel de Falla. The aim of the "classicising"
Concurso was to preserve
flamenco in its purity from being distorted by modern popular music. Segovia had already developed as a fine
tocador of
flamenco guitar, yet his direction was now classical. Invited to open the
Concurso held at the
Alhambra, he played
Homenaje a Debussy by Falla. , 1937, Munich, Germany. Concert guitar of Andrés Segovia's from 1937 until 1962. Gift of Emilita Segovia, Marquesa of Salobreña, 1986 (1986.353.1). Housed in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1923, Segovia visited Mexico for the first time. There
Manuel Ponce was so impressed with the concert that he wrote a review in
El Universal. Later Ponce went on to write
many works for Segovia, including numerous sonatas. In 1924, Segovia, visited the German
luthier Hermann Hauser Sr. after Segovia heard some of Hauser's instruments played in a concert in Munich. In 1928, Hauser provided Segovia with one of the guitars, which Segovia used during his tour of the United States and in other concerts up to 1933. Segovia ordered a further guitar from Hauser and after receiving it passed on the 1928 model to his American representative and close friend
Sophocles Papas, who in his turn gave it to his student, the famous jazz and classical guitarist
Charlie Byrd, who used it on several records. Segovia's first American tour was arranged in 1928 when
Fritz Kreisler, the
Viennese violinist who privately played the guitar, persuaded
Francis Charles Coppicus from the Metropolitan Musical Bureau to present the guitarist in New York. After Segovia's debut tour in the US in 1928 the Brazilian composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos composed his now well-known Twelve
Études (Portuguese:
Doze estudos; French:
Douze études; German:
Zwölf Studien) and later dedicated them to Segovia. Their relationship proved to be lasting, and Villa-Lobos continued to write for Segovia. He also transcribed numerous classical pieces himself and revived the pieces transcribed by predecessors like Tárrega. , 18771940) In 1932, Segovia met and befriended the composer
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in Venice. In 1935, he gave his first public performance of Bach's
Chaconne, a difficult piece for any instrument. He moved to
Montevideo and performed many concerts in South America in the 1930s and the early 1940s. After
World War II, Segovia began to record more frequently and performed regular tours of Europe and America and would maintain that schedule for 30 years. In 1954,
Joaquín Rodrigo dedicated
Fantasía para un gentilhombre (
Fantasy for a Gentleman) to Segovia. Segovia won the 1958
Grammy Award for
Best Classical Performance, Instrumentalist for his recording
Segovia Golden Jubilee.
John W. Duarte dedicated his English Suite Op. 31 to Segovia and his wife, Emilia Magdalena del Corral Sancho, on the occasion of their marriage in 1962. Segovia told the composer "You will be astonished at the success it will have". In recognition of his contributions to music and the arts, Segovia was ennobled on 24 June 1981 by King
Juan Carlos I, who gave Segovia the hereditary title of
Marqués de Salobreña (English: Marquis of Salobreña) in the
nobility of Spain. Segovia continued performing into his old age, and lived in semi-retirement during his seventies and eighties on the
Costa del Sol. Two films were made of his life and work, one when he was 75 and the other when he was 84. They are available on DVD under the titles
Andrés Segovia—in Portrait. His final RCA LP (ARL1-1602),
Reveries, was recorded in Madrid in June 1977. In 1984, Segovia was the subject of a 13-part series broadcast on
National Public Radio,
Segovia! The series was recorded on location in Spain, France and the United States. Hosted by Oscar Brand, the series was produced by Jim Anderson, Robert Malesky and Larry Snitzler. Segovia died on 2 June 1987 in Madrid of a heart attack at the age of 94. He is buried at Casa Museo Andrés Segovia in Linares. == Technique ==