Legendary Guitarist Andrés Segovia Plays J.S. Bach at the Alhambra, 1976

In 1976 the great classical guitarist Andés Segovia returned to Granada, Spain, the city of his childhood, to perform a few pieces on film at the 14th century Moorish palace, the Alhambra.

In the scene above, the 84-year-old Segovia plays a pair of gavottes from his own transcription of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite for Solo Cello No. 6 in D Major, BMV 1012. A gavotte is a kind of folk dance, originally from France, that was popular during the Baroque period. Bach often incorporated them into his suites and partitas. In this performance, Segovia transitions from the bright and lively Gavotte I to the more restrained Gavotte II at the 1:54 mark.

The scene is from the documentary Andrés Segovia: The Song of the Guitar, which is available on a two-film DVD, Andrés Segovia: In Portrait. For more on Segovia, including his performance of Isaac Albéniz’s “The Legend of Asturias” from the same film, see our 2011 post: “Andrés Segovia, Father of Classical Guitar, at the Alhambra.”

If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here.

If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo (@openculture) and Crypto. Thanks!

Related Content:

The Art of Making a Flamenco Guitar: 299 Hours of Blood, Sweat & Tears Experienced in 3 Minutes

The Genius of J.S. Bach’s “Crab Canon” Visualized on a Möbius Strip

Glenn Gould Explains the Genius of Johann Sebastian Bach (1962)


by | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Support Open Culture

We’re hoping to rely on our loyal readers rather than erratic ads. To support Open Culture’s educational mission, please consider making a donation. We accept PayPal, Venmo (@openculture), Patreon and Crypto! Please find all options here. We thank you!


Leave a Reply

Quantcast
Open Culture was founded by Dan Colman.