A Concise History of the Classic Guitar

Graham Wade

Oct 2010 · Mel Bay Publications

About this ebook

A Concise History of the Classic Guitar by Graham Wade, one of the foremost international writers on the guitar, explores the history of the instrument from the 16th century to the present day. This compact assessment of five centuries of fretted instruments cover the vihuela in Spain, the history of four-course and five-course guitars, the evolution of tablature, and developments in the six-string guitar in the 19th century. The work also charts the contribution of leading composers, performers and luthiers of the 20th century, and evaluates the influence of Segovia, Llobet, Pujol, Presti, Bream, Williams, etc., among the world's famous guitarists. This book, intended for the general public and guitar students of all ages, is the first interpretative history of the classic guitar to be published in the 21st century, and will be eagerly welcomed by all lovers of the instrument.

About the author

Graham Wade, General Editor of the Mel Bay ‘All About Music’ Series, is Tutor in

Classic Guitar for the Universities of Leeds and York and was formerly Head of Strings

at the Leeds College of Music, England. A contributor for The New Grove Dictionary

of Music and Musicians, he has written for various periodicals including Soundboard,

Guitar Review, Classical Guitar, Guitar International, Il Fronimo, The Strad, Musical

Times, The Times, etc. His previous books include: A Concise History of the Classic

Guitar, A New Look at Segovia, His Life, His Music, Vols 1 & 2 (with Gerard Garno),

Segovia-A Celebration of the Man and His Music, Maestro Segovia, Traditions of the

Classical Guitar, Joaquín Rodrigo-Concierto de Aranjuez, Distant Sarabandes-The

Solo Guitar Music of Joaquín Rodrigo, A Guitarist’s Guide to Bach, and Gina Bachauer-

A Pianist’s Odyssey.