A plucked stringed instrument. The modem classical (or Spanish) guitar has six strings, tuned E, A, D, G, B, E it has a range of three octaves and a fifth from E below middle C. The guitar has a flat back and soundboard and a waisted body shape. The neck supports metal frets. It is played as a classical instrument and is also widespread in folk music, pop music, and jazz. Electronically amplified instruments were developed in the 1940s and 1950s, with bodies of many different shapes.
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The guitar enjoyed a considerable revival in the early years of the 19th century as a result of the virtuosity of such performers as Fernando Sor and Mauro GiulianL both of whom wrote a large amount of music for the instrument. The 20th-century popularity of the classical guitar is very largely due to the teaching and playing of the Spanish virtuoso Andr6s Segovia. Many 20th-century composers have written music for the guitar, including Falla, Roussel, Frank Martin, and Britten. The repertoire also includes chamber music and a number of concertos, of which Joaquin Rodrigo's Con'cierto de Aranjuez is the best known. |
