Guido Santórsola

Origin

Canosa di Puglia, Itália

Years Active

1924–1994

Genres

classical music, erudite music, instrumental music

Instruments

violin, viola, guitar, piano, viola d'amore

Biography

Guido Santórsola was a notable composer, violinist, violist, conductor, and teacher of Italian origin, who developed a large part of his career in Brazil and Uruguay. Born in Canosa di Puglia, Italy, on November 18, 1904, he moved with his family to São Paulo, Brazil, at the age of five. His initial musical training took place with his father, and later he entered the Dramatic and Musical Conservatory of São Paulo, where he studied violin and composition. He received a scholarship from the Brazilian government to further his violin studies in Europe, in Naples and at Trinity College of Music in London.

Upon returning to Brazil in 1925, Santórsola founded the Brazilian Musical Institute and the Quarteto Paulista, besides working as a violinist in the symphony orchestras of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. He taught violin, viola, and harmony at the São Paulo Conservatory, consolidating his presence in the Brazilian musical scene. His career took a new turn in 1931, when he moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he established himself permanently. There, he was hired as solo violist and, later, conductor by the Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodre (OSSODRE), in addition to founding and directing the chamber orchestra of the Asociación Uruguaya de Cultura Artística.

Throughout his career, Guido Santórsola composed a vast repertoire covering orchestral, chamber, and vocal music, with a significant production for guitar, inspired by Latin American rhythms and melodies. His work is marked by an evolution in "three compositional stages," reflecting influences from Baroque counterpoint, Uruguayan musical nationalism, and dodecaphonic serialism. He passed away in Montevideo on September 24, 1994, leaving an important legacy for Brazilian and Uruguayan music, and is considered a Uruguayan composer of Italian origin and Brazilian training. His wife was the Uruguayan pianist Sarah Bourdillon.

Discography

• G. Santorsola, Luise Walker, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Paul Sacher – Concertino For Guitar And Orchestra (1953)
• Luise Walker, Roncalli, Scarlatti, Sor, Santórsola, Villa-Lobos, Torroba, Van Hoek – Famous Guitar Compositions (1963)
• Sérgio & Eduardo Abreu, English Chamber Orchestra, Enrique Garcia Asensio - Castelnuovo-Tedesco & Santórsola – 2 Concertos For 2 Guitars (1973)
• Santórsola / Sávio / Barrios / Carlevaro - Jorge Oraison – Zuidamerikaanse Gitaarmuziek (1978)
• Guido Santórsola, Luis Sambucetti, Alberto Soriano, León Ribeiro – Música Culta Uruguaya Vol 3 Piano - 1950 XXX Aniversario 1980 (1980)
• Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Guido Santórsola – Fábio Shiro Monteiro & Gen Hasegawa – Werke Für Zwei Gitarren (1994)
• Franz & Debora Halasz Play Music For Guitar And Piano By Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Shostakovich, Santorsola & Haug (1995)
• Guido Santórsola - María Isabel Siewers – Guido Santórsola Played By María Isabel Siewers (2003)
• Santorsola: Guitar Music (2003)
• Antonio Rugolo, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Pedrell, Gilardo Gilardi, Guido Santórsola – Guitarreo (2004)
• Guido Santórsola – Antonio Rugolo, Quartetto Paul Klee – Concerto a Cinque, Sonata no.2 «Hispanica», Cuatro Piezas Latinoamericanas (2007)
• Santórsola: 5 Concerti (2007)
• Guido Santórsola - Antonio Rugolo – Guido Santórsola Vol. 2 - Solo Guitar Works (2013)
• Guido Santórsola - Gran Duo Italiano : Mauro Tortorelli, Angela Meluso – Music For Violin/Viola & Piano (2023)