History and/or Manufacturers
Guitars were invented in Spain, by the people of Malaga around the 15th century. Initially, it was a very small instrument with four pairs of strings each pair called a “course”. Two significant changes were made to the guitar in the Baroque period – double strings were converted to single strings and instead of five pairs, there were now six single strings. Antonio de Torres is known as the father of the modern guitar. Guitars came to be manufactured in the US in the early nineteenth century and Martin Company and the Gibson Company were among the early manufacturers of guitars. Various woods are used for various parts of the instrument.
Famous Performers
Jimi Hendrix was a great guitarist who expanded the popularity of the electric rock guitar. He had great showmanship. During the early and mid-60s, he worked along with other greats and in the mid-60s he turned solo artist with a group around him featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass. This trio came to be known as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and acquired great popularity with their tracks such as “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze” “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Are you experienced?”. Hendrix died of drug-related complications. Eric Patrick Clapton grew up in the musical background and by the time he was sixteen, he was deeply into guitar playing and listening to the blues and in 1963, at the age of seventeen joined his first band The Roosters. He later played in several bands and even formed his own groups such as Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. He became addicted to drugs. The concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-launched his career and every album after 461 Ocean Boulevard became a huge success. In 1992 he won the Grammy for his single “Tears in Heaven”.
Famous composers
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian guitar composer who succeeded in putting Brazil on the international music map. In the 1920s, he thrilled Parisian audiences with the sounds and forms of Brazilian popular music. On his return to Brazil in 1930, Villa-Lobos was made director of music education in Rio de Janeiro and he designed a complete system of musical instruction for future generations of Brazilians. He has also composed choral music for children based on folk music. Dionisio Aguado (1784 – 1849) is a Spanish guitar virtuoso who wrote influential methods and studies for the guitar.
Spanish guitar virtuoso, Aguado wrote influential methods and studies for his instrument. He initially won his reputation in Paris and collaborated with Fernando Sor. Aguado published a Colección des estudios para guitarra in 1820, followed by an Escuela de guitarra in 1825 and a subsequent Méthode complète pour la guitare in Paris.
Repertoire
- Adelita (Mazurka) – Francisco Tarrega
- Etude in A Minor composed by Matteo Carcassi
- Asturias Composed by Isaac Albeniz
- Minuet by Anton Diabelli
- March by J.S. Bach
Famous Orchestras
The guitar is not included in a symphony orchestra. On the New York Philharmonic Orchestra website, one notices that there are four-stringed instruments used: violins, viola, cello, and bass. Apart from the strings, there are woodwind instruments such as the flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, Clarinet, etc. brass instruments, percussion instruments, and the keyboard.
The Fullerton Guitar Orchestra’s website describes the guitar orchestra ensemble at Fullerton University in California. David Grimes directs the highly-acclaimed Fullerton Guitar Orchestra. The repertoire may include a variety of duets, trios, and quartets as well as works for a full guitar orchestra. This guitar orchestra performs often and tours regularly in California. According to the Fullerton Department of Music website, in 2001 the guitar orchestra toured Greece and in 2005, Hawaii.
References
Some Guitar History. Web.
How Products Are Made – Volume 1 – Guitar. Web.
Billboard (2008). Artist Biography – Jimi Hendrix. Web.
A Brief Biography of Eric Clapton (2008). Where’s Eric! Web.
Official Website (2009). Heitor Villa-Lobos – Biography. Web.
Naxos (2009). Composers – Aguado, Dianisio Biography (1784-1849). Web.
Westaway, Robert (2009). Twenty Famous Classical Guitar Pieces. Web.
EMC (Encore Music Company) (2009). A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar Repertoire Part II – Intermediate to Difficult. Web.
NYP (New York Philharmonic) (2008). Meet the Orchestra. Web.
CSU (California State University) (2008). Fullerton Guitar Orchestra. Web.