The
History of the Classical Guitar
From
the Asyrians to Yepes
The
origin of the guitar goes back to the first time a man draw a bow and noticed
the sound of the string when he shot the arrow. Seven centuries before the beginning
of our age, the Assyrians already played an instrument similar to the guitar,
which was known by the greek name of Kithara, zither, even though with just
four strings. The jewish people, for example, found comfort in its sound during
their long saunter through the desert.
And throughout the centuries, the strum of its strings
brightened up the public festivities of the taverns and the distinguished entertainment
of the nobility.
The
author and musician from Ronda, Vicente Espinel (1550 - 1624), added a fifth
string, the high E, the "first". After this, the sixth one was included,
the low E, to take on the form in which it is known today.
The
compositions of Fernando Sors and Francisco Tárrega in the last century
developed the guitar to the maximum category of the instrumental world.
In
this century, while booming as the soul of the flamenco music, three exceptional
concert guitarists - Andrés Segovia, Regino Sainz de la Maza y Narciso
Yepes - made of the Spanish guitar a costumary instrument in the concerts of
classical music.
