Guitar Research Paper

1. History and Manufacturers

The instrument I picked to research was the Guitar. Here is a little history of the guitar. The repertoire of the guitar spans over four centuries, including its ancestors the baroque guitar. The guitar appears to be derived from the earlier instruments known in ancient central Asia as the tar. This claimed to be the root of the name of the guitar. Guitar music became very popular in Spain during the 19th century. The guitar came to prominence largely through the efforts of the Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega. American musician and inventor Les Paul developed prototypes for the solid-bodied electric guitar and popularized the instrument beginning in the 1940’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/history_of_the_classical_guitar
http://encarta.msn.com/text_761551571___0/Guitar.html

A couple of well-known manufacturers of guitars are the Gibson Corp and Washburn Guitars. Gibson is one of the most popular and loved guitars ever made. Gibson sold mostly mandolins until the early 20’s when guitars started to gain popularity. The Gibson Corp is still as popular as ever today with musicians around the world. The Washburn Company was started up in Chicago in 1883. Washburn was originally solely an acoustic guitar maker, but now they make banjos, basses, amps, mandolins and electric guitars. Washburn’s style of guitar was born out of the 1920’s Chicago raw delta Blues scene, originating from the many African-Americans who arrived from the Mississippi Delta. http://www.washburn.com/about/history/index.aspx http://www.guitar-beginner.com/washburn-guitars.html http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/printarticle.cfm?articleid=349498 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation

2. Famous Performers

One famous performer I selected was B.B.
King. King is one of the greatest and most respected blues guitarists of all time. Over 52 years B.B. King played at least 15,000 performances. One of his trademarks is “Lucille”, his black custom Gibson guitar. During a show in Arkansas in 1949, two men at a performance of B. B.'s got into a fight and knocked over a kerosene stove that set the hall on fire. King, like everyone else ran out of the hall to save himself, realized he had left his guitar inside, and ran back to get it, barely escaping with his life. When he found out the fight was over a woman named Lucille, he decided to name his guitar after the woman as a reminder to never again do something as stupid as run into a burning building, and every guitar he has owned and played since then has borne the name. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. http://www.bbking.com/bio/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB_King

The other performer I chose was Jimi Hendrix. He was widely recognized as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 20th century. Jimi pioneered the explosive possibilities of the electric guitar. His innovative style of combining fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion created a new musical form. Jimi Hendrix was a self-taught guitarist. He was unable to read or write music, but it is remarkable that it took him only four years to reach the status that he did. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his guitar.
http://www.guitarsite.com/hendrix.htm
http://www.jimi-hendrix.com/new_biography.html

3. Famous Composers

One composer I selected was Giulio Regondi. I picked him because he was considered a child prodigy. He was an Italian classical guitarist, concertinist and composer. Most of his music was written for the English system concertina, but his guitar music was better known. His works for solo guitar comprise a set of etudes and five larger works. www.naxos.com/composerinfo/Giulio_Regondi/25695.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_regondi

The other composer I selected was Antonio Cano. I selected him because he was a guitarist, teacher and composer. He originally practiced medicine before devoting himself to the guitar and teaching at the Madrid Conservatoire. He was also official archivist to Queen Isabella the Second. Antonio Cano composed about a hundred pieces and exercises for the guitar. It is probable that he gave lessons to Francisco Tarrega and contributed to the development of the technique of the tremolo. His main contribution to the world of music is his guitar tutorial: "Método de Guitarra" (1852)." http://www.earlyromanticguitar.com/erg/composers.htm http://www.delcamp.net/auteurs/en/4_romantique/cano_en.html

4. Repertoire

The first one I chose was REGONDI: 10 Etudes / Introduction and Caprice, Op. 23.
The next was I chose was REGONDI: Airs Varies / Reverie, Op. 19 / MERTZ: Bardenklange, Op. 13
The last three I chose came from Luigi Boccherini.
BOCCHERINI: Guitar Quintets, Vol. 1 8.550551 Chamber Music
BOCCHERINI: Guitar Quintets, Vol. 2 8.550552 Chamber Music
BOCCHERINI: Guitar Quintets, Vol. 3 http://www.naxos.com www.classicsonline.com

5. Famous Orchestras

I looked all over the internet and I could find any orchestras that had a guitar as part of the ensemble.