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6 Soundboard, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1

he great Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce (1882-1948) began the earliest sketches o his guitar concertoin 1926 in Paris. Although the Italian Mario Castelnuovo-

edesco (1895-1968) was the rst major composer to actuallyproduce a guitar concerto in the twentieth century, PoncesConcierto del surwas nally completed in 1941, the premieretaking place on October 4 in Montevideo with Andrs Segovia

as soloist. Why did it take so long or Ponces guitar concertoto be completed? In many o his letters to Ponce, Segoviabrings up the progress o the concerto: How is the concerto

going? Have you worked on it? (1928); And my concerto,how is it? (1929); Are you continuing with the concerto?

When will we be able to work on it? (1930).

In a December, 1929, letter, Segovia even enticed Poncewith the opportunity to have his guitar concerto premiered in

Barcelona with the great cellist Pablo Casals as the conductor.Segovia wrote,

I was with Casals, whom I told you were writing a con-certo or guitar and small orchestra or me, and immediatelyhe asked me to reserve the premiere or his orchestra inBarcelona, which I so promised, with supreme pleasure,naturally. I told him that it should be worked up or nextall, and that I would send him the score as soon as you

have nished it.

Te Orquestra Pau Casals, established in 1919, was consid-ered one o the nest orchestras in Europe, with Casals as itsprincipal conductor. Casals made it a point to include workso contemporary composers. Te orchestra also attracted theworlds nest soloists and guest conductors. Unortunately,

the orchestra disbanded in 1936 at the outbreak o the Span-ish Civil War. Any possibility o having Ponces concertopremiered in Spain under Casals baton vanished.

Segovia would later explain why Ponce delayed complet-

ing his concerto or guitar.

From the spring o 1926 the principal themes o this workwere germinating in his (Ponces) spirit, but the circum-stances o my errant lie, which separated us or long years,

prevented him rom continuing it and bringing it to a nish.It must be admitted that this delay was also due in part toa certain skepticism in both o us. We eared that the tenu-ous and expressive sound o the guitar would be swallowedup by the orchestra, or that its delicate and poetic timbres

would ade beore the sonorous mass, like small lanterns othe night beore the invasion o day.

In 1937, Segovia lef Spain to escape the ravages o theSpanish Civil War. He relocated to Montevideo, Uruguay.

While bringing a high level o sophistication to the guitarcommunity and concert scene o the Rio de la Plata, he con-tinued to maintain some level o touring in Europe or thenext two years. In 1939, Castelnuovo-edesco completedhis guitar concerto. Segovia had initially hoped to have this

new work premiered in London by the BBC Orchestra in a

P C T 1941 M

by John Patykula

Manuel Mara Ponce