Overview
guitar
Quick Reference
(Fr. guitare, Sp. guitarra).
Stringed instr., plucked and fretted, of ancient origin, its 16th‐cent. ancestor being the Sp. vihuela de mano. Not unlike a lute but with flat or slightly rounded back. Now has 6 courses, tuned E–A–d–g–b–e′. Became very popular in 19th cent: first great virtuoso of int. fame was Fernando Sor, 1778–1839; while such composers as Boccherini, Berlioz, and Paganini played and comp. for the instr. Present‐day revival initiated by Spaniard Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909), and popularity has continued in 20th cent. with emergence of virtuosi such as Segovia, John Williams, and Julian Bream. Concs. have been written for guitar by Villa‐Lobos, Ponce, Castelnuovo‐Tedesco, Stephen Dodgson, Arnold, and Richard Rodney Bennett. Also used in popular mus. (skiffle, pop, folk, etc.) and in jazz (especially elec. gui. (connected to amplifier) and bass guitar). See Hawaiian guitar.
