1750-69: The Emergence of the Six-Course Guitar

 Spain, Portugal, and South America

 King Philip V of Spain - was the first member of the French House of Bourbon to rule as
king of Spain
 The natural home of the guitar at this time was in the humbler parts of the Spanish society: the
bar, the street, and the barber's shop – musica ruidosa
 Different options in tuning the guitar
 Minguet y Yrol on guitar tuning preferences (See p. 194)
 El Granadino’s in 1760 (670mm)
 Francisco Sanguino and Fan-strutting system

 The guitar was an integral part of life in the Spanish colonies in South America: all classes
relied on it for entertainment, and suffered less from the social stigma that adversely affected it
in Spain, presumably because it reminded settlers of their mother country.
 However, the guitar was also found in pulperias (shops that sold rum and tobacco) where the
fandango was typically played and danced, which was believed to lead to drunkenness, brawling,
and even manslaughter, which led the church, police, and city councils to make movements to
ban the dance.
 France
 The music scene still managed to flourish despite the declining economy: musicians from
Europe went to France
 Chitarra battente
 Gut-strung guitars, although too quiet for great Parisian Theatres, were perfect for arpeggiated
accompaniments
 It was noted in 1757 that the amateurs gave the guitar a rebirth, as manifested by the rise of
songs accompanied by the guitar in 1760.
 Guitar construction: open soundhole rather than ornate rose, while the others parts remain
unaltered to that of the Baroque guitar
 French guitarists favored gut strings over metal-wound bourdons
 Tablature remained to be the standard notation for the guitar
 Merchi was the first to write for the guitar in standard staff notation, alike to that of the violin.
He strongly rejected tablature.
 Michel Corrette – published treatises and gave notable comments on tablature and staff
notation for the guitar; also mentioned of a guitarre a la Rodrigo, presumably connected to
Portugues Rodrigo Antonio de Meneses
 Prominent guitar makers at the time: Joseph Gaffino, Georges Cousineau
 Britain
 The five-course guitar lost its fame in Britain in the first half of the 18th century, where it had
even been a favourite instrument at the court of King Charles II. This was due to the growing
popularity of rival plucked instruments, nowadays referred to as the English guitar (six-courses
of metal strings)
 English guitars were used to play melodic lines rather than chords for accompaniment. Many
intellectuals, e.g., Dr. John Brown, began to attack the instrument later on, saying that it is a
trifling instrument not deserving of serious study.
 Its value rose during the second half of the 18thcentury, with fine composers like Johann
Christian Bach (sonata for violin and guitar), Francisco Geminiani, and James Oswald, and even
Giacomo Merchi composed music with the English guitar in mind

 Important Figures
 Guitar Makers
 El Granadino
 Francisco Sanguino
 Juan Pages
 Lorenzo Alonso
 Joseph Gaffino
 Georges Cousineau
 Meriotte
 Guitar Performers/Composers
 Fernando Sor
 Giacomo Merchi
 Giuseppe Anelli
 Mauro Giuliani
 Warin and Itasse
 Federico Moretti