Andrés Segovia Torres,[a] 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987), was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist.

He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style.

That proved to be an unhappy introduction to music for the young Segovia because of the teacher's strict methods, and Eduardo stopped the lessons.

Segovia was aware of flamenco during his formative years as a musician but stated that he "did not have a taste" for the form and chose instead the works of Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, and other classical composers.

[6] A few years later he played his first professional concert in Madrid, which included works by Francisco Tárrega and his own guitar transcriptions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Despite the discouragement of his family, who wanted him to become a lawyer, and criticism by some of Tárrega's pupils for his idiosyncratic technique,[7] he continued to pursue his studies of the guitar diligently.

[2] Segovia's arrival on the international stage coincided with a time when the guitar's fortunes as a concert instrument were being revived, largely through the efforts of Miguel Llobet.

[8] It was in that changing milieu that Segovia, thanks to his strength of personality and artistry, coupled with developments in recording and broadcasting, succeeded in making the guitar more popular again.

Segovia ordered a further guitar from Hauser and after receiving it passed on the 1928 model to his American representative and close friend Sophocles Papas, who in his turn gave it to his student, the famous jazz and classical guitarist Charlie Byrd, who used it on several records.

Segovia's first American tour was arranged in 1928 when Fritz Kreisler, the Viennese violinist who privately played the guitar,[15] persuaded Francis Charles Coppicus from the Metropolitan Musical Bureau to present the guitarist in New York.

After World War II, Segovia began to record more frequently and performed regular tours of Europe and America and would maintain that schedule for 30 years.

Segovia continued performing into his old age, and lived in semi-retirement during his seventies and eighties on the Costa del Sol.

Hosted by Oscar Brand, the series was produced by Jim Anderson, Robert Malesky and Larry Snitzler.

Another innovation that separated Segovia from the Tárrega school was the search for the tension in the strings by placing his right hand further to the right side.

That way, he could obtain colour variation but also an especially strong, round and voluminous sound, which was very helpful for giving concerts in big halls (the technique was later used by Narciso Yepes).

Before Segovia, guitarists from the Tárrega school played the guitar with the hand right over the soundhole and thus created a mellow sound but could not fill the whole space of a large concert hall.

[33][34][35][36][37][38] Segovia viewed teaching as vital to his mission of propagating the guitar and gave master classes throughout his career.

[39] Segovia also taught at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena for numerous years, where he was aided by Alirio Díaz.

Segovia can be considered a catalytic figure in granting respectability to the guitar as a serious concert instrument capable of evocativeness and depth of interpretation.

[46][47][48] Segovia influenced a generation of classical guitarists who built on his technique and musical sensibility, including Christopher Parkening, Julian Bream, John Williams and Oscar Ghiglia, all of whom have acknowledged their debt to him.

[57][58] From 1944, he maintained a romantic relationship with Brazilian singer and guitarist Olga Praguer Coelho, which was to last for over a decade.