Beethoven concerto for guitar discovered….

In Jan. 2007, the score for a guitar concerto bearing the name of Beethoven was discovered in a private library in Vienna. Musicologists who have seen the score and attached scribblings claim it authentic. An assumption has been made that with his growing deafness and eccentricity Beethoven considered the work trivial and never forwarded it to the guitarist for whom it was written.

Beethoven and Fernando Sor (1778-1839) were almost exact contemporaries. Sor was often referred to as the ‘Beethoven of the guitar’

After the Spanish repelled the armies of Napoleon, Sor fled to Paris. Apparently it was from here that he visited Beethoven in Vienna, not only to pay his profound respects but also to suggest composition for the guitar.

In honour of Sor’s adopted home the concerto will receive its premier performance in Paris on June 24, 2007

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