Classical Guitar History – A Brief Overview
The classical guitar has ancient origins, which are not fully understood, and has taken various forms throughout its evolution.
It may have developed within Europe, or have been introduced by the Arabs, and possible ancestors include the Ancient Greek kithara and various lutes from Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Egypt. In Europe, plucked lutes appeared in the Middle Ages.
The guitar’s development can be accurately traced from the Renaissance. The lute and, in Spain, the guitar-like vihuela de mano, were popular, and the early guitar appeared in Spain at this time. This was similar to the lute and vilhuela, with frets, a ‘guitar-shaped’ outline, flat back, bridge and central rose. It had four double strings (courses) tuned to D, G, B and E, and provided strummed accompaniment to songs. However, it was smaller and quieter than the modern guitar. Over the next century, additional strings were added, and the five course guitar was popular during the Baroque period.
During the 1800s the guitar’s popularity declined, but by the second half of the century the six-string guitar was the standard, and it slowly regained favour. Single strings became popular, as did machine heads, an open sound hole, fixed frets, flat back, raised bridge, narrower neck and changes in the body’s proportions.
The emergence of virtuosi player/composers such as Fernando Sor (1778 – 1839) and Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) raised the profile of the instrument in the early 19th century, and later on the quiet sound was improved by technical developments such as the introduction of the fan strutting system and a larger body (and longer strings) by Antonio de Torres Jurado (1817-1892), who established a standard form for the first time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, interest increased further, partly as a result of the rise of virtuosi such as Andres Segovia (1893 – 1897). Modern makers have also continued to experiment and produce a louder sound, made necessary due to the guitar’s increasing use in larger scale works and concert hall performances.
Historical Usage of the Guitar
Guitarists originally played strummed accompaniments, and adaptations of existing vocal and instrumental music. This was written in tablature, and played with a lute-like technique. The earliest surviving music for the four-course guitar dates from 1546, and staff notation didn’t appear until the mid-18th century (guitar music is notated in the treble clef, and sounds an octave lower than written). In 1780, music by the Spanish composer Antonio Ballesteros became the first to be published for the six-course guitar.
After Sor’s arrival in London in 1815, the guitar’s popularity increased, and it was written for by such eminent player/composers as Niccolo Paganini (1782 – 1840) and Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869). Its popularity was due in part to the ease with which new players could learn to play simple accompaniments to songs, although a large selection of works was being established specifically for the instrument.
Interest began to wane later in the century, but was revived by Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909), and during the 20th century the repertoire expanded into a wide variety of styles, while the instrument itself has been developed into other forms, such as the steel string acoustic and electric guitars.
Related posts:
|
|
