Manuel Maria Ponce:

A Guitarist's Guide
for Berkshire Guitar Society
Gary Jordan, 14 April 2013

Note:
This presentation includes links to examples of
Ponce's music on Spotify's music streaming ser-
vice: Click the icon to find out more.
 Why ?
I wanted to know:
 Who was he
 What else did he write
 How did Segovia persuade him to write
 What is the background behind his
distinctive styles
 The next 30 mins

 Ponce's life – brief history

 Compositions for guitar
 Musical styles
 What if...
Adiós mi bien
Quatro Danzas Mexicanas
Intermezzo
A busy chap
Aleluya Balada Mexicana Version for Piano solo and Piano and Orchestra
Alevántate Mazurcas
Cerca de tí Concierto romántico
Cinco poemas chinos Scherzino a Debussy
Cuatro poemas de F.A. de Icaza Scherzino mexicano
Dos poemas alemanes Estudios de concierto
Dos poemas de B. Dávalos Elegía de la ausencia
Estrellita (1912) Tema mexicano variado
Forse Suite cubana
Ho bisogno Concerto para piano
Insomnio Rapsodia Cubana
Isaura de mi amor Rapsodias Mexicanas
La pajarera Preludio y fuga sobre un tema de Handel
Lejos de tí
Lejos de tí II
Marchita el alma
Necesito
and a few others
Ofrenda
Poema de primavera
Por tí mi corazón
Romanzeta
Sperando, sognando Canciones populares mexicanas, La pajarera, Por ti mi Corazon, La valentina
Seis poemas aracáicos Sonata mexicana (1925)
Serenata mexicana Thème varié et Finale (1926)
Soñó mi mente loca Sonata III (1927)
Tal vez Sonata clásica (1928)
Toi Sonata romántica (1929)
Tres poemas de E. González Martínez Suite en la Mineur (1929)
Tres poemas de M. Brull Variations and Fugue on 'La Folia' (1929)
Tres poemas de Lermontow Valse (1937)
Tres poemas de R. Tagore Sonatina meridional (1939)
Tres poemas franceses Variations on a Theme of Cabezón (1948)
Tú Dos Vinetas' (post-humous)
Último ensueño
Una multitud más

Source: wikipedia 4April 2013

 Guitar Rules!!
Survey of Ponce recordings available on Amazon
(April 2013)

piano

violin

guitar
 The Person
● Doors always open
● Hospitable & generous host
● Enthusiastic conversation in five
languages
● Travel and financial hardship
 Manuel's Map
Berlin

Paris

Bologna

Havana
Aguascalientes

Mexico City

Montevedeo
 Manuel's Map T
Berlin

Paris

Bologna

Havana
Aguascalientes

Mexico City

Montevedeo
 Early Years
Berlin
Piano studies with Martin Krause
Lots of Bach
- WTK in different keys!
Paris
Encouraged to use Mexican
folk heratige
Bologna Fugue On A Theme Of Handel

Bossi
New York refused
tuition:
Style - too
old
fashioned!
Dance For The Left Hand
Havana
1st
composition
at 6
Aguascalientes
Piano Organist at
lessons at SanDiego at
4 13
Mexico City Born in Fresnillo,
but regarded
Aguascaliententes
as 'home' Studied piano, Entered
Montevideo harmony Conservatoire
& voice
 Paris

Bologna
Mexican influence
New York
“does not demand
extended consideration.”

14
19
Havana 1st
performance of
piano concerto

Composed
Aguascalientes Estrallita

23
Mexican Revolution
1910 – 1920:
09

Estrellita,

17
12

Left for Cuba to

19
19

escape

19
19

Political unrest Serenata

Mexico City and
La valentina
taught at Conservatoire Professor of piano at Conservatoire, Heard
Nacional. Segovia
Montevideo Conductor of National play

toured with string quartet Symphony Orchestra,

"opening phrase of Married Clema

nationalisitc music in
Mexico"
"To hear the notes of the guitar played
by Andres Segovia is ..
...to evoke remote and tender emo-
tions wrapped in the mysterious en-
chantment of things of the past;
...to open the spirit to dreams, and to
live some delicious moments in the sur-
roundings of pure art that the great
Spanish artist knows how to create..
Sonata Mexicana - 3. Intermezzo.
 the spirit of dreams...

spotify:track:5SWGPQUUM1ydP1gjxL9uPX
25

27

29

31

32
26

28

30

33
19

19

19
19

19

19

19

19
19
Paris

Sonata Romantica (schubert)

Suite in A minor (Weiss)

Suite Antiqua (A. Scarlatti)

(Homage a Fernando Sor)
Sonata Classica

Prelude & Ballet (Weiss)

Theme, Varie et finale

Theme, vars & fugue

Folia d'Espange

Sonata Meridionale
Sonata (Paganini)
Return to
Mexico

Sonata III
Serenata and La valentina

Started as arrangement
of Grand Sonata: Segovia suggested
the theme in 1929
Sonata Mexicana

“truly unplayable”! Also know as:

Joke on violinist Kriesler: but with a far sim-
Rewritten, but: Suite in D
“...found in the same place pler set of vari-
1st mvmt “annoying” Classical Suite in D
as one of your pieces by Co- ations.
3rd recorded in 1952 Suite Classica.
relli”
Romanza in 1967

36
23

19
19

Studied Post-romantic techniques and orchestration with Paul Ducas at

Ecole Normale de Musique
Met Heitor Villa-Lobos & Joaquin Rodriigo in same class Spanish Civil war dam-
Segovia comission renewed, but eventually ran into financial difficulties aged Segovia's house
after re- Developed unique harmonic language through counterpoint and in Barcelona:
cital in chromatisism Original scores lost in-
Mexico cluding Homenaje a
Collaboration with Segovia: 5 sonatas, 2 suites, 2 sets of vars, 24 preludes, Bach, 'Weiss' Prelude,
& many others short pieces and possibly Sonata II.
Also Ponce's letters.
 Return to Mexico

Studied
Post-romantic techniques and
orchestration with Paul Ducas
at Ecole Normale de Musique

Heitor Villa-Lobos & Joaquin

Rodriigo in same class

Comission renewed, but

eventually ran into financial
difficulties

Collaboration with
Segovia
5 sonatas
2 suites
2 sets of vars
24 preludes
&
many others short pieces

Awarded 6 month Returned to

Met Comission to Completed
Conservatoire Nacional, violin concerto
Segovia study composition Concentrated on orchestral works
in Paris & teaching children First
performance
Concierto del
sur
 MMP Remembered
● Segovia:
I more than anyone else owe gratitude
to Ponce because he responded with
Tomb in Mexico City the deepest sympathy to my cease-
less eagerness to metamorphose the
guitar.
● Festivals, buildings, institutions,etc
named in his honour
● ..and his music

Salle Manuel M. Ponce, Belles Artes, Mexico City

 Stylistic Development

Compare his first

and last concerti !

Piano concerto Violin concerto

1912 1943
1st movement: Allegro non troppo 1st movement: Allegro non troppo
2nd movement: Andante espressivo
3rd movement: Vivo giocoso
 What if?
● Ponce had not heard Segovia in Mexico
City
● Segovia's collection of manuscripts had
not been destroyed
● Castlenuovo-Tedesco had not
completed his concerto
● Of Ponce's 64 years, only 8 were spent
composing guitar music, yet his guitar
works are far better known that his other
output. What if he'd met Segovia earlier?
 References
 Manuel Ponce and the guitar, Corazon
Otero, 1994
 Kevin Manderville Treatise
 Guitar Magazine Biog
 Wikepedia
 Spotify
Thank you for
listening!