Guitar

As part of Spain’s national folk repertoire, the guitar has become one of the world’s most popular instruments. The modern acoustic guitar was invented in the 19th century by Antonio de Torres Jurado, a Spanish luthier who developed the wooden soundboard, figure-eight-shaped body, and crossbar with six strings. The guitar is closely related to the lute, a fashionable instrument during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, and the Spanish vihuela, which gained popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Whether strumming or plucking the strings, or using the soundboard as a drum, a guitarist can produce a rich variety of sounds—after hearing the great player Mauro Giuliani, Beethoven is said to have called the guitar “a miniature orchestra in itself.” Other composers such as Paganini, Schubert, and Berlioz played and composed for the guitar, but its introduction as a concert instrument came only at the beginning of the 20th century as a result of exciting new repertoire. Renowned Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia gathered older works and transcriptions for the guitar, contributing to its new-found status as a serious concert instrument. Nowadays, a wide range of complex classical guitar works are regularly recorded, from Sor’s solo pieces to Villa-Lobos’ concertos and perhaps the most famous classical guitar work of all, Rodrigo’s beautiful Concierto de Aranjuez.