THE COMPOSITIONAL LEGACY OF MANUEL PONCE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GUITARIST’S PERFORMANCE MASTERY

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the compositional legacy of Manuel María Ponce (1882–1948) in the context of its influence on the formation and development of the guitarist’s performance mastery. Based on historical and biographical materials and the study of the Ponce–Segovia correspondence, the article traces the evolution of Ponce’s individual style (education in Italy, Germany, and France; impressions from Mexican and Cuban folklore) and outlines the mechanisms of the guitar’s internationalization in the twentieth century. The purpose of the study is to determine the role of Ponce’s works in the expansion of the academic repertoire and in the development of the guitarist’s technical and interpretative competencies. The methodological basis combines analytical, comparative-stylistic, and source-study approaches. Key works are examined, including Sonata romántica, Suite antigua, Homenaje a Tárrega, and Sonatina meridional. The article reveals the complex synthesis of folkloric, neoclassical, neo-romantic, and impressionistic traits, as well as the related set of performance tasks: cantilena phrasing, work with barre and extended positions, arpeggiated textures, metric shifts (hemiolas), control of timbral contrasts and fingering logic, and stylistic sensitivity to the Hispano-Mexican idiom without simplification or mechanical imitation of traditional flamenco techniques. The publishing history and interpretative practice of several works are clarified, including Segovia’s editorial interventions and issues of attribution of stylistic pastiches. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the systematization of the performance requirements of Ponce’s repertoire as a factor in the development of competencies of the modern guitarist. The practical significance consists in the possibility of applying the results of this research to the renewal of educational programs, repertoire selection by levels of difficulty, and the development of methodological recommendations for the interpretation of Ponce’s works. It is concluded that Ponce’s music not only enriched the concert canon of the guitar but also became an important factor in the formation of professional performance culture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.