The great classical guitar figure of the 20th century, Andres Segovia (1893-1987) was born in Linares in Spain. He was self taught, and although he did not study with Tarrega, developed within the framework established by him, playing a repertoire based around both guitar compositions and arrangements of works written for other instruments by major composers and lesser-known figures. Segovia made his debut in Granada at the Centro Artistico in 1909, performed in Madrid in 1912, and, from 1916, toured South America. In 1924, Segovia made debuts in London and Paris. Segovia's repertoire consisted of a wide variety of works and he played with a lyrical musicality, using nails on gut strings.

Segovia made an effort to bring the work of the great composer J. S. Bach (1685—1750) to the guitar repertoire, transcribing and adapting pieces and arranging excerpts. On his first commercial recording date on May 2, 1927, he played a Gavotte and Rondeau from Bach's solo violin Partita in E major, BWV 1006, a Courante from the Cello Suite, BWV 1009 and Sor's Theme Varie. His characterful interpretation of Bach is marked by strong, mannered accents and seesawing tempos and dynamics. He plays Sor with a seductive charm and impish sparkle. In his 1928 adaptation of Bach's Prelude in D minor, BWV 999, written for the lute, he transposes the piece up a tone from C minor to D minor, and makes a number of small alterations for the guitar. Segovia, in his own words, worked "deliriously" on Bach's Chaconne from the Second Partita in D minor for solo violin during the 1920s, and did not perform it until 1935 in Paris, where it was met with derision by those who thought it was inappropriate for the guitar. It was, in fact, a triumph, and was to become a staple of the Instrument's repertoire. During the 1920s and 1930s Segovia recorded a wide range of material by figures ranging from Robert De Visee to Tarrega, and he continually enlarged his performing repertoire.

Commissioning works

Segovia wrote for the guitar himself but was particularly interested in encouraging composers who did not write for the instrument to start producing works. Great changes had been taking place with the introduction of new ideas, such as the increasing abandonment of older forms and the use of dissonance and atonality. Segovia disliked this and had strong views on music, wanting material that was traditional and melodic with a style, harking back to earlier eras. Through his advocacy the Spanish composers Joaquin Turina (1882 - 1949) and Federico Moreno Torroba (1891—1981) produced a number of works for guitar that often have strong Spanish characteristics incorporating elements from flamenco. Turina's pieces include Sevillana (1923) and the colorful Fandanguillo (1925) and Sonata. Torroba wrote, among other works, Sonatina in A (1924) and Suite Castellana (1925), which was recorded by Segovia, in 1928. Segovia became friends with Mexican composer Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) who produced a Suite in a major in the style of the baroque lutenist Sylvius Weiss, which Segovia recorded in 1930. Ponce drew on many strands, including Mexican folk music. The three movements Sonatina Meridionel (1932) have a final movement with Spanish flamenco influences, and Ponce also wrote Concierto Del Sur (1941). The Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) wrote the first guitar concerto of the 20th century for Segovia, The Guitar Concerto in D (Op.99) (1939), which has a dancing energy with cadenzas after each movement.

Postwar career

Segovia continued to make recordings after the war, and his interpretation of Albeniz and Granados from in the 1940s stands out. In the 1940s, he became interested in using nylon for strings. A reliable material, nylon could be used to produce strings that were well formed and consistent with each other, giving a more even response and better intonation than gut string. They were also less liable to break -an innovation that helped the classical guitar.

By the 1950s, Segovia was surrounded by talented pupils and generations of players who had been inspired by his recordings and performances. His avoidance of neutral interpretation and capricious idiosyncrasies with vibratos and rubatos had considerable stylistic influence. He continued to be active, giving the first performance of Joaquin Rodrigo's Fantasia Para un Gentilhombre (1954) in 1958. A person of presence and gravitas, Segovia presided over a world in which he took a leading role in establishing the guitar as the major 20th-century instrument.