The Origins And History Of The Classical Guitar

classical guitar arty swirl image The modern classical guitar’s main ancestors are the vihuela and the lute. The vihuela, also known as the viola da mano, was present in Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries. The instrument had six courses (double strings) and was tuned in fourths much like the modern guitar; apart from the third string being tuned a semitone lower. Composers for the vihuela include Luis de Milan and Luis de Nárvaez. Only three vihuelas survive today. Most vihuela and lute music was written in tablature.

The lute, present in Europe from the middle ages, had four or five courses and was originally played with a plectrum. Playing with the fingertips developed in the late 15 century, as players developed their technique to play the polyphonic music of the time. As playing styles developed, so did the instrument itself, with more courses being added, and the necks being widened or elongated. By the end of the sixteenth century a variety of instruments were in use, some of which had up to 14 courses (28 strings!), and some being up to six feet in length.
Key composers for the instrument include Francesco da Milano and Dowland from the renaissance period, de Visee from the baroque period, and the early eighteenth century composers Bach and Weiss.
By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the popularity and affordability of keyboard instruments and orchestral music led to a wane in interest in the lute. Only recently (in musical terms) has there been a revival of interest in the lute, led by players such as Julian Bream.

The Golden Age of the Classical Guitar.

The six-string guitar appeared in the late eighteenth century, and the ‘golden-age’ of the classical guitar also began at this time. Instruments of this period were smaller and more slender than the modern guitar, but were tuned in the same way. Guitar methods (how-to-play manuals) written by the guitarist-composers of the time (most notably by the Spanish Fernando Sor and Dionisio Aguado) form the basis of how we approach the instrument today. The period of popularity for the guitar continued up to the mid-nineteenth century, and during this time composers such as Sor, Aguado and the Italian Mauro Giuliani produced a huge amount of music for the instrument. However, perhaps due to the lack a compositions written by the established ‘great composers’ (both Schubert and Berlioz, whilst being accomplished guitarists, did not produce anything ‘of note’ for the instrument), and perhaps due to the use of the instrument by folk musicians (traces of this snobbery still exist today), regard for the guitar as a ‘serious’ instrument never properly took hold, and interest in the instrument lessened after the mid-nineteenth century.

The Classical Guitar resurgence.

classical guitar soundhole arty The resurgence of the classical guitar, and its rise to becoming the one of the most widely played instruments in the world today, was started by the Spanish guitarist-composer Francisco Tarrega (1854-1909) who added hugely to the instrument’s repertoire with original pieces and transcriptions, and luthier Antonio Torres, who developed the design and build of the modern classical guitar. However, without Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia, the guitar may still not have found its place in the world’s musical consciousness. Segovia, through constant touring and concert-giving, and by requesting and receiving commissions from the day’s foremost composers, raised awareness of the guitar as a serious instrument to a new level.

Classical Guitar Today

The modern classical guitar has inherited the repertoire of the vihuela and lute, and has a huge repertory of its own from the classical period onwards, including many famous and instantly recognisable pieces. It is easily portable, and quiet enough to be practised in the flats and shared spaces many of us live in today, but at the same time is capable of a huge range of expression. A beginner will be able to strum a few chords or pick a famous melody after a half-hour lesson, and there is a huge array of teaching material available. The guitar’s place in musical history is assured.