The Classical and Romantic periods were also popular times for the guitar as it continued to evolve into an instrument verging on being identical to that which is used today. By the mid to late nineteenth century the guitar had taken on a generic six-string structure made popular in the 1780s and 1790s by the Vinaccia family of Naples in Italy. In this period it was not uncommon for musicians of other string instruments – such as the violin – to also practice the guitar. Paganinni, a noted violin musician, also enjoyed performing with the guitar, as did Weber, Verdi and Schubert.
Innovations in construction technology – such as the increase in size and the introduction of strutting under the guitar face (the front) – also helped bring the guitar to new audiences, as the volume levels the guitar could reach increased. This meant that the guitar could be used in public performances rather than just the private setting as it was now easier to hear from further away.
It wasn’t until Francisco Terraga (1852-1909) and Andres Segovia began experimenting with the guitar that the instrument really began to experience popularity on any level rivalling that which it enjoys today. Terraga was fond of the guitar and transcribed many popular pieces of music into guitar format, meaning that people could perform pieces at home which would otherwise only have been able to be heard in music halls or at orchestral performances. Segovia, meanwhile, was one of the world’s first famous guitar performers whose skills brought him to the stage of hundreds of music halls all over the world.
Innovations in construction technology – such as the increase in size and the introduction of strutting under the guitar face (the front) – also helped bring the guitar to new audiences, as the volume levels the guitar could reach increased. This meant that the guitar could be used in public performances rather than just the private setting as it was now easier to hear from further away.
It wasn’t until Francisco Terraga (1852-1909) and Andres Segovia began experimenting with the guitar that the instrument really began to experience popularity on any level rivalling that which it enjoys today. Terraga was fond of the guitar and transcribed many popular pieces of music into guitar format, meaning that people could perform pieces at home which would otherwise only have been able to be heard in music halls or at orchestral performances. Segovia, meanwhile, was one of the world’s first famous guitar performers whose skills brought him to the stage of hundreds of music halls all over the world.