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The Spanish Guitar: The Descendent Of The Middle Ages

by vgevge

The title "Spanish guitar" is a reference to the instrument's
origin rather than the music played on it. It is also called the
"nylon string guitar," "classical guitar," or "gut string
guitar." It is certainly one of the most recognizable instruments
in the world today, and its history can be traced back for
approximately four centuries. Thanks to ancient carvings and
statues, we know that instruments similar to the modern guitar
have existed for at least 5,000 years. However, the Spanish
guitar is believed to have evolved under the combined influences
of the Renaissance five string guitar, the baroque guitar, the
lute, and the vihuela.

The latter half of the Middle Ages was a very good time for the
guitar. Thanks to the resurgence of human innovation, a variety
of instruments were invented or improved upon. The Renaissance
five string guitar, for example. This musical instrument,
sometimes called a gittern, resembled a small lute and was carved
from a single piece of wood with a curved peg box. The vihuela,
another instrument of the period, was developed in Spain during
the early sixteenth century. This instrument had six double
strings made of gut and was tuned almost exactly like the modern
Spanish guitar. Finally the baroque guitar, or early romantic
guitar, was developed in Italy in the late sixteenth century. It,
too, was a six-stringed instrument. In looking at the attributes
of each, it is evident that all of these instruments eventually
combined and evolved into the Spanish guitar. Our modern
instrument, like several of its predecessors, has six strings
(usually) and is an acoustic instrument that utilizes a
soundboard as a resonator. It uses nylon strings, which are
similar to the earlier gut strings in that they are fairly low
tension, especially in comparison to their steel cousins.

As previously stated, the reference to Spain in the term
"Spanish guitar" is a nod to the instrument's repertoire. Not
surprisingly, given its family history, music for the Spanish
guitar includes not only that written specifically for the
instrument but that written for the vihuela, lute, baroque
guitar, and Renaissance guitar as well. It is even possible to
use the Spanish guitar to play music originally written for the
violin and cello, as is sometimes done with the compositions of
Johann Sebastian Bach.

The earliest music written specifically for the Spanish guitar
dates from the late eighteenth century and corresponds to
addition of the instrument's sixth string. However, it was not
until the middle of the nineteenth century that the Spanish
guitar began to establish its own unique genre. Francisco Tarrega
was central to this movement and is credited with incorporating
some aspects of flamenco into his composition. It was at this
time that Spain was establishing itself as a force in music, and
the guitar was central to the country's reputation in Europe.

Today, the Spanish guitar remains a popular instrument all over
the Western world. It has become widely used in popular music and
rock and roll, a trend sometimes credited to Mason Williams' ever
popular 1968 hit, Classic Gas.

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