Fernando Sor – The Complete Studies, Lessons and Exercises edited by Brian Jeffery, as a digital download (pdf)

“The Aguado and Sor books [Aguado New Guitar Method and Sor Complete Studies Lessons and Exercises] are of such high quality I couldn’t be more satisfied” (James Spaulding, Florida, September 2020).

This is the standard edition of Sor’s Complete Studies, Lessons and Exercises for guitar edited by Brian Jeffery and published by Tecla Editions. It is prescribed by the Associated Board for all the studies of Sor which are in their current syllabus. This edition contains all Sor’s famous studies, lessons, and exercises for guitar complete in one book (opus numbers 6, 29, 31, 35, 44, and 60), at a low price specially for students. This edition as far as I know is the only urtext edition of this music which is currently available, that is to say that it does not contain elements other than those from the original editions.

Why should I use this edition rather than any other? – Because this Tecla edition of Sor’s Complete Studies establishes a new and fully reliable text, fully practical, at a very reasonable price, easily available as a printed book worldwide, or in digital form as a pdf.  I (Brian Jeffery) established for the first time the complete edition of Sor’s guitar music, and this edition of Sor’s Complete Studies is again newly established strictly from the original editions. It is urtext and has no modern fingering, only Sor’s own fingering.

The only fingering in this edition is Sor’s own. That way the reader can be certain of having the authentic text as regards fingering.

Every piece has been newly edited by Brian Jeffery directly from the original editions. The book also contains Sor’s own detailed comments on several of the pieces. 140 pages. It includes all the well-known twenty studies which Andrés Segovia edited (see table of concordance with Segovia’s “Twenty studies”). Read the complete Preface.

A guitarist, Robert Bell, after receiving and using this Tecla edition of the Sor Complete Studies for a while, kindly writes (February 2018):

Like every student, I have the “20 Studies”, but always found them in the “nice, but just nice” category, and there was something not quite right going on. Going through them (and the Carcassi studies) in the new/old manner was a revelation: “Oh! THAT is how they work! THIS is how they are supposed to sound!”

MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK.

Jamie Akers plays Sor’s study op. 29 no. 17. You can see the Tecla books on the piano and on the music stand.

Patrik Kleemola plays no. 1 from Sor’s 24 very easy exercises op. 35, playing a copy of an early guitar. Very eloquent. He has recorded all 24 of these exercises by Sor op. 35, which you can see on Youtube.

Kevin Gallagher plays…

And Gohar Vardanyan has a very nice instructive video about the famous Sor piece op. 35 no. 22.  Again you can see the Tecla book on the music stand.

Here are some comments about this Tecla edition of Sor’s Complete Studies from guitarists who have used it:

“I recently borrowed this book from my local library and was so impressed that I have now decided to buy it”

“A big thank you for the Sor Complete Studies, Lessons, and Exercises. It’s a wonderful book and I’m very pleased with it”

“After having read through its contents I almost feel like Christopher Columbus when he first set foot in the New World”

“My students are over the moon” (a guitar teacher)

“After thirty years of playing the Segovia edition (not every day) your edition has shed a totally different light on these pieces.” (a guitarist, Chris Dowle, December 2002)

“It is to Jeffery’s eternal credit that he has produced a publication which maintains the highest editorial standards and breaks some new ground … it is without hesitation that I recommend this latest offering from a first-rate specialist publisher” (Classical Guitar).  “This is a very fine book” (Soundboard). 

MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK.

The Sor home page

Fernando Sor biography

Fernando Sor life and music (a longer biography)