Keywords
Francisco de Lacerda, Andrés Segovia, Guitar, Symbolism, Suite Goivos
Abstract
Suite goivos by Francisco Lacerda (1869–1934) stands out not only as one of the first examples of symbolist literature for guitar but also as the first work written for guitar by a Portuguese non-guitarist composer. So far, however, it has remained in relative obscurity. In this article, I first explore the suite’s context and history: its origin in meetings and correspondence between Lacerda and the work’s dedicatee, Andrés Segovia; its place among new works commissioned by Segovia from non-guitarist composers; and available manuscript sources for the work. I then argue for the work’s importance as music, highlighting its innovative features, from Lacerda’s use of the guitar to his incorporation of musical symbolist elements. This analysis has enabled a modern performance edition of the suite, allowing it to take its place in the concert repertoire.
Notes
This article was first published in Portuguese as “‘Para Andrés Segovia’: A Suite goivos de Francisco de Lacerda,” Revista Vórtex (Curitiba) 8, no. 3 (2020). The translation is by Diogo Alvarez.
Updates
- February 15, 2022. Note 17. Page number in reference changed from 693 to 684.
Recommended Citation
Rodrigues, Pedro. 2021. ""For Andrés Segovia": Francisco de Lacerda’s Suite goivos (1924)." Soundboard Scholar 7, (1). https://digitalcommons.du.edu/sbs/vol7/iss1/20