Fernando Sor | 24 Petites Pièces Progressives Op. 44 | Patrik Kleemola, guitar

Fernando Sor | 24 Petites Pièces Progressives Op. 44 Patrik Kleemola plays on an original guitar by René Lacote (1839) In 1830, Sor published his Méthode pour la guitare in Paris. This was a unique work with an unprecedentedly large text section, at a time when the custom for the numerous guitar methods was to consist of collections of scales, exercises, and small pieces with as little text as possible. With this method, Sor shows how he approaches the guitar, and while it certainly manages to demonstrate many principles of his guitar technique, the lengthy explanations of the matters at hand sometimes leave us with more questions than answers. His polemical comments toward fellow guitarists (without mentioning names) are also curious, as his own standing in the musical circles of Paris was virtually unrivalled. The method opens a fascinating window into the mindset of Fernando Sor at the time, as his follower Napoleon Coste later recalled: "The success of this great artist did not keep him from the gaze of envious critics. The harassment that he had to endure from ignorant colleagues who did not understand him embittered his spirit, and it was under these adverse circumstances that he wrote the text of his method, in which he was more concerned with responding to the attacks he believed needed to be fought than with developing his own concepts and making them available." 24 Petites Pièces Progressives, Op. 44, is directly related to the guitar method. Sor chose to publish this collection separately so that a serious student would first study the text of the method thoroughly and then work on the pieces, where the principles are applied. At the end of the preface to Op. 44, he cannot help but state the following: "Those who would not like a method as I understand it should not acquire mine; these 24 pieces, being fully fingered, are sufficient to make them capable of mechanically playing music composed in the style that benevolent spirits call unplayable, while at the same time claiming that they play it." This recording was made in June 2025 in Taivassalo Church (Finland) and reflects where I currently stand in applying Sor’s principles to the guitar as described in the method. The guitar is an original instrument by René Lacote (1839), Sor’s favourite luthier in Paris. Fernando Sor | 24 Petites Pièces Progressives Op. 44 No. 1 Andante (C major) 00:00 No. 2 Allegretto (C major) 01:12 No. 3 Andantino (C major) 01:51 No. 4 Allegro moderato (C major) 02:52 No. 5 Andantino (C major) 04:23 No. 6 Moderato (G major) 05:18 No. 7 Andante allegro (G major) 06:06 No. 8 Allegretto (G major) 06:48 No. 9 Andantino (G major) 07:34 No. 10 Allegretto (G major) 08:59 No. 11 Andante (E minor) 09:56 No. 12 Andantino (E minor) 11:51 No. 13 Allegretto (E minor) 13:55 No. 14 Tempo di minuetto moderato (D major) 15:15 No. 15 Andante (D major) 16:02 No. 16 Andante (D major) 17:33 No. 17 Cantabile (D minor) 18:50 No. 18 Marche (D major) 20:41 No. 19 Allegretto (D major) 21:47 No. 20 Andantino (A major) 23:07 No. 21 Andante (A major) 24:10 No. 22 Andantino (A minor) 25:43 No. 23 Allegro moderato (A minor) 28:07 No. 24 Valse (A major) 29:46 Produced by Patrik Kleemola. https://www.patrikkleemola.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/patrikkl...