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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.
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. |
