The classical guitar , also known as Spanish guitar , is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon , it is a precursor of the modern steel-string acoustic and electric guitars , both of which use metal strings . Classical guitars derive from instruments such as the lute , the vihuela , the gittern (the name being a derivative of the Greek " kithara "), which evolved into the Renaissance guitar and into the 17th and 18th-century baroque guitar . Today's modern classical guitar was established by the late designs of the 19th-century Spanish luthier , Antonio Torres Jurado .
56-501: Karin Schaupp (born 1972) is a German-born Australian classical guitarist . She has won APRA Music Awards and ARIA Music Awards . Karin Schaupp was born in Hofheim am Taunus , Germany, in 1972. Her mother, Isolde Schaupp, was a teacher of guitar at the conservatorium of Wiesbaden . Her father, a doctor, was an amateur pianist, and her aunt and grandmother were opera singers. Karin was given
112-401: A broadened body, increased waist curve, thinned belly, and improved internal bracing. The modern classical guitar replaced an older form for the accompaniment of song and dance called flamenco , and a modified version, known as the flamenco guitar , was created. The fingerstyle is used fervently on the modern classical guitar. The thumb traditionally plucks the bass – or root note – whereas
168-412: A different bracing (fan-bracing) from that used in earlier guitars (they had ladder-bracing); and a different voicing was used by the luthier. There is a historical parallel between musical styles (baroque, classical, romantic, flamenco, jazz) and the style of "sound aesthetic" of the musical instruments used, for example: Robert de Visée played a baroque guitar with a very different sound aesthetic from
224-452: A double-course guitar. The authenticity of guitars allegedly produced before the 1790s is often in question. This also corresponds to when Moretti's 6-string method appeared, in 1792. The modern classical guitar was developed in the 19th century by Antonio de Torres Jurado , Ignacio Fleta , Hermann Hauser Sr. , and Robert Bouchet. The Spanish luthier and player Antonio de Torres gave the modern classical guitar its definitive form, with
280-495: A four-course instrument illustrated on its title page – was published in partnership with Michel Fedenzat, and among other music, they published six books of tablature by lutenist Albert de Rippe (who was very likely Guillaume's teacher). The written history of the classical guitar can be traced back to the early 16th century with the development of the vihuela in Spain. While the lute was then becoming popular in other parts of Europe,
336-505: A half-size guitar by her grandmother when she was aged three. She started her guitar studies with her mother when she was five, and performed in public at age six. Her family, including both sets of grandparents, migrated from Germany to Australia when she was aged eight, and they have been based in Brisbane , Queensland, where Isolde Schaupp continues to teach at the University of Queensland and
392-532: A high sound and is rather large to hold. Few have survived and most of what is known today come from diagrams and paintings. The earliest extant six-string guitar is believed to have been built in 1779 by Gaetano Vinaccia (1759 – after 1831) in Naples , Italy ; however, the date on the label is a little ambiguous. The Vinaccia family of luthiers is known for developing the mandolin . This guitar has been examined and does not show tell-tale signs of modifications from
448-406: A right-handed player, the traditional classical guitar has 12 frets clear of the body and is properly held up by the left leg, so that the hand that plucks or strums the strings does so near the back of the sound hole (this is called the classical position). However, the right-hand may move closer to the fretboard to achieve different tonal qualities. The player typically holds the left leg higher by
504-542: A variety of databases documenting modern guitar works such as Sheer Pluck and others. The evolution of the classical guitar and its repertoire spans more than four centuries. It has a history that was shaped by contributions from earlier instruments, such as the lute, the vihuela, and the baroque guitar. The last guitarist to follow in Segovia's footsteps was Julian Bream and Julian Bream will be 73 years old on July 15th 2006. Miguel Llobet, Andrés Segovia and Julian Bream are
560-473: A variety of tones, but this finger-picking style also makes the instrument harder to learn than a standard acoustic guitar's strumming technique. In guitar scores the five fingers of the right-hand (which pluck the strings) are designated by the first letter of their Spanish names namely p = thumb ( pulgar ), i = index finger ( índice ), m = middle finger ( mayor ), a = ring finger ( anular ), c = little finger or pinky ( meñique/chiquito ) The four fingers of
616-837: Is an Italian classical cellist and conductor . He was appointed chief conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2023. Born in Turin, Italy, into a family of lawyers and judges, Clerici started cello studies at the age of five in the Suzuki method . He studied at the Turin Conservatory in his home town from 1994, graduating in 2000. He then earned a diploma from the Hochschule für Musik in Nuremberg where he studied with Julius Berger from 2005 to 2008. Clerici won awards in
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#1733085663398672-759: Is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music . Schaupp has won 1 award from 5 nominations. The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia 's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. Classical guitar For
728-421: Is impossible to play a historically informed de Visee or Corbetta (baroque guitarist-composers) on a modern classical guitar. The reason is that the baroque guitar used courses, which are two strings close together (in unison), that are plucked together. This gives baroque guitars an unmistakable sound characteristic and tonal texture that is an integral part of an interpretation. Additionally, the sound aesthetic of
784-400: Is my constant companion in all my travels". He also said, on another occasion: "I do not like this instrument, but regard it simply as a way of helping me to think." The guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega (November 21, 1852 – December 15, 1909) was one of the great guitar virtuosos and teachers and is considered the father of modern classical guitar playing. As a professor of guitar at
840-422: Is notable for specifying the thumb to fret bass notes on the sixth string, notated with an up arrowhead (⌃). Scores (contrary to tablatures ) do not systematically indicate the string to pluck (though the choice is usually obvious). When indicating the string is useful, the score uses the numbers 1 to 6 inside circles (highest-pitch sting to lowest). Umberto Clerici Umberto Clerici (born 29 May 1981)
896-614: Is today mainly associated with the modern classical guitar design, there is an increasing interest in early guitars; and understanding the link between historical repertoire and the particular period guitar that was originally used to perform this repertoire. The musicologist and author Graham Wade writes: Nowadays it is customary to play this repertoire on reproductions of instruments authentically modelled on concepts of musicological research with appropriate adjustments to techniques and overall interpretation. Thus over recent decades we have become accustomed to specialist artists with expertise in
952-560: The 2018 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony. She is married to Giac Giacomantonio, a psychologist and former guitar student of her mother Isolde. They have two daughters. The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Schaupp has won two awards. The ARIA Music Awards
1008-685: The Contraguitar ). This was localized in Germany and Austria and became unfashionable again. On the other hand, Segovia was playing concerts around the world, popularizing modern classical guitar—and, in the 1920s, Spanish romantic-modern style with guitar works by Moreno Torroba, de Falla, etc. The 19th-century classical guitarist Francisco Tárrega first popularized the Torres design as a classical solo instrument. However, some maintain that Segovia's influence led to its domination over other designs. Factories around
1064-701: The Parco della Musica in Rome, and at the Salzburg Festival . He also performs chamber music with pianist Claudio Martínez Mehner , Kathryn Selby , and others. At the invitation of Gianandrea Noseda , then music director at the Teatro Regio in his home town, Clerici became principal cello from 2009 to 2014 at that opera house. At the same time, he was guest principal at the Filarmonica del la Scala , Milan. In 2014, he
1120-567: The Queensland Symphony Orchestra . The recording won an APRA Award at the APRA Awards of 1995 . Schaupp's solo debut album, Soliloquy , released in 1997, was praised by UK Classical Guitar Magazine as "a pace-setting performance in all respects". In 2003 Schaupp was awarded the Music Council of Australia Freedman Fellowship in recognition of her achievements. In 2004, Schaupp performed with Ross Edwards ' Concerto for Guitar and Strings with
1176-581: The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra . In 2007, David Williamson wrote the one-woman play Lotte's Gift for her; it is based on her own life and that of her mother and grandmother (the Lotte of the title). The performance includes both acting and playing the guitar and is regularly toured by Schaupp. Schaupp says she was initially nervous about airing the family history. "I took quite a bit of convincing, but David made me realise if we were going to tell
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#17330856633981232-573: The University of Southern Queensland . Karen was dux of Clayfield College and she completed her tertiary education with bachelor's and master's degrees in music at the University of Queensland . Schaupp also trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). While in her teens, Karin Schaupp won prizes at competitions at Lagonegro in Italy and Madrid in Spain. At the Madrid competition she won
1288-456: The tanbur and setar are distantly related to the European guitar, as they all derive ultimately from the same ancient origins, but by very different historical routes and influences. Gitterns called "guitars" were already in use since the 13th century, but their construction and tuning were different from modern guitars. The time where the most changes were made to the guitar was in the 1500s to
1344-543: The 1800s. Alonso de Mudarra 's book Tres Libros de Música , published in Spain in 1546, contains the earliest known written pieces for a four-course guitarra. This four-course "guitar" was popular in France, Spain, and Italy. In France this instrument gained popularity among aristocrats. A considerable volume of music was published in Paris from the 1550s to the 1570s: Simon Gorlier 's Le Troysième Livre... mis en tablature de Guiterne
1400-1126: The Janigro Competition in Zagreb, the Rostropovich Competition in Paris, the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and the National Association I. C. O. competition in Rome. He performed with many Italian and a number of international orchestras in Russia, Austria, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Clerici has played in concert halls like Carnegie Hall in New York, Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, Shostakovich Hall in Saint Petersburg,
1456-508: The Spaniards did not take to it well because of its association with the Moors. Instead, the lute-like vihuela appeared with two more strings that gave it more range and complexity. In its most developed form, the vihuela was a guitar-like instrument with six double strings made of gut, tuned like a modern classical guitar with the exception of the third string, which was tuned half a step lower. It has
1512-601: The Sydney Conservatorium with Eduardo Diazmuñoz and Richard Gill . In 2018, he conducted the SSO at a commercial engagement at a law convention, followed by a regional tour and concerts with other state orchestras. When concerts were cancelled during the Covid lockdowns, Clerici studied scores, and when Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles could not travel to Sydney to conduct Mahler's fourth symphony , Clerici offered and received
1568-492: The acoustically lower (d-A-E in standard tuning) strings. A guitar family tree may be identified. The flamenco guitar derives from the modern classical, but has differences in material, construction and sound. The classical guitar has a long history and one is able to distinguish various: Both instrument and repertoire can be viewed from a combination of various perspectives: Historical (chronological period of time) Geographical Cultural While "classical guitar"
1624-493: The art of vihuela (a 16th-century type of guitar popular in Spain), lute, Baroque guitar, 19th-century guitar, etc. Different types of guitars have different sound aesthetics, e.g. different colour-spectrum characteristics (the way the sound energy is spread in the fundamental frequency and the overtones ), different response, etc. These differences are due to differences in construction; for example, modern classical guitars usually use
1680-435: The baroque guitar (with its strong overtone presence) is very different from modern classical type guitars, as is shown below. Today's use of Torres and post-Torres type guitars for repertoire of all periods is sometimes critically viewed: Torres and post-Torres style modern guitars (with their fan-bracing and design) have a thick and strong tone, very suitable for modern-era repertoire. However, they are considered to emphasize
1736-476: The beginning of the 20th century, the older forms eventually fell away. Some attribute this to the popularity of Segovia , considering him "the catalyst for change toward the Spanish design and the so-called 'modern' school in the 1920s and beyond." The styles of music performed on ladder-braced guitars were becoming unfashionable—and, e.g., in Germany, more musicians were turning towards folk music (Schrammel-music and
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1792-408: The conservatories of Madrid and Barcelona, he defined many elements of the modern classical technique and elevated the importance of the guitar in the classical music tradition. At the beginning of the 1920s, Andrés Segovia popularized the guitar with tours and early phonograph recordings. Segovia collaborated with the composers Federico Moreno Torroba and Joaquín Turina with the aim of extending
1848-400: The fingers ring the melody and its accompanying parts. Often classical guitar technique involves the use of the nails of the right hand to pluck the notes. Noted players were: Francisco Tárrega , Emilio Pujol , Andrés Segovia , Julian Bream , Agustín Barrios , and John Williams (guitarist) . The modern classical guitar is usually played in a seated position, with the instrument resting on
1904-434: The fingertip but also with the outer, fingernail side. This was also used in a technique of the vihuela called dedillo which has recently begun to be introduced on the classical guitar. Some modern guitarists, such as Štěpán Rak and Kazuhito Yamashita , use the little finger independently, compensating for the little finger's shortness by maintaining an extremely long fingernail. Rak and Yamashita have also generalized
1960-547: The fundamental too heavily (at the expense of overtone partials) for earlier repertoire (Classical/Romantic: Carulli, Sor, Giuliani, Mertz, ...; Baroque: de Visee, ...; etc.). "Andrés Segovia presented the Spanish guitar as a versatile model for all playing styles" to the extent, that still today, "many guitarists have tunnel-vision of the world of the guitar, coming from the modern Segovia tradition". While fan-braced modern classical Torres and post-Torres style instruments coexisted with traditional ladder-braced guitars at
2016-416: The guitar had numerous composers and performers including: Hector Berlioz studied the guitar as a teenager; Franz Schubert owned at least two and wrote for the instrument; and Ludwig van Beethoven , after hearing Giuliani play, commented the instrument was "a miniature orchestra in itself". Niccolò Paganini was also a guitar virtuoso and composer. He once wrote: "I love the guitar for its harmony; it
2072-434: The guitar repertoire with new music. Segovia's tour of South America revitalized public interest in the guitar and helped the guitar music of Manuel Ponce and Heitor Villa-Lobos reach a wider audience. The composers Alexandre Tansman and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco were commissioned by Segovia to write new pieces for the guitar. Luiz Bonfá popularized Brazilian musical styles such as the newly created Bossa Nova, which
2128-437: The guitars used by Mauro Giuliani and Luigi Legnani – they used 19th-century guitars. These guitars in turn sound different from the Torres models used by Segovia that are suited for interpretations of romantic-modern works such as Moreno Torroba . When considering the guitar from a historical perspective, the musical instrument used is as important as the musical language and style of the particular period. As an example: It
2184-431: The left hand (which fret the strings) are designated 1 = index, 2 = major, 3 = ring finger, 4 = little finger. 0 designates an open string—a string not stopped by a finger and whose full length thus vibrates when plucked. It is rare to use the left hand thumb in performance, the neck of a classical guitar being too wide for comfort, and normal technique keeps the thumb behind the neck. However Johann Kaspar Mertz, for example,
2240-412: The left lap – and the left foot placed on a footstool. Alternatively – if a footstool is not used – a guitar support can be placed between the guitar and the left lap (the support usually attaches to the instrument's side with suction cups ). (There are of course exceptions, with some performers choosing to hold the instrument another way.) Right-handed players use the fingers of the right hand to pluck
2296-465: The little finger semi-independently in the Flamenco four-finger rasgueado , that rapid strumming of the string by the fingers in reverse order employing the back of the fingernail—a familiar characteristic of Flamenco. Flamenco technique, in the performance of the rasgueado also uses the upstroke of the four fingers and the downstroke of the thumb: the string is hit not only with the inner, fleshy side of
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2352-403: The pictorial arts) is a very individual and personal matter. The origins of the modern guitar are not known with certainty. Some believe it is indigenous to Europe, while others think it is an imported instrument. Guitar-like instruments appear in ancient carvings and statues recovered from Egyptian, Sumerian, and Babylonian civilizations. This means that contemporary Iranian instruments such as
2408-523: The six-string early romantic guitar ( c. 1790 – 1880), and the earlier baroque guitars with five courses . The materials and the methods of classical guitar construction may vary, but the typical shape is either modern classical guitar or that historic classical guitar similar to the early romantic guitars of Spain, France and Italy. Classical guitar strings once made of gut are now made of materials such as nylon or fluoropolymers , typically with silver-plated copper fine wire wound about
2464-452: The sound. This has important consequences: Different tone/ timbre (of a single note) can be produced by plucking the string in different manners ( apoyando or tirando ) and in different positions (such as closer and further away from the guitar bridge). For example, plucking an open string will sound brighter than playing the same note(s) on a fretted position (which would have a warmer tone). The instrument's versatility means it can create
2520-684: The special competition prize for the Best Interpretation of Spanish Music. She performed Joaquín Rodrigo 's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra when she was aged 18. She is a member of Saffire , also known as the Australian Guitar Quartet, along with Slava Grigoryan , Gareth Koch, and Anthony Field (replaced by Leonard Grigoryan ). In 1995, Schaupp performed Philip Bračanin 's Guitar Concerto, which she had premiered in 1992, with
2576-615: The story, we had to tell the whole story. There are many layers: a love story, a war story, a musical story." Williamson said that despite Lotte's thwarted ambition, her story was a happy one. "One of the terrific things is that Karin's grandmother's need to perform has finally come out." Schaupp starred in some 150 performances of Lotte's Gift , including a four-week season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2009. Schaupp released Spain in 2009 which features works by Rodrigo, Salvador Bacarisse and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco . It
2632-471: The strings, with the thumb plucking from the top of a string downwards (downstroke) and the other fingers plucking from the bottom of the string upwards (upstroke). The little finger in classical technique as it evolved in the 20th century is used only to ride along with the ring finger without striking the strings and to thus physiologically facilitate the ring finger's motion. In contrast, Flamenco technique, and classical compositions evoking Flamenco, employ
2688-421: The three performer personalities of the 20th century. Do not understand me wrong, we have many guitarists today that are very excellent performers, but none with such a distinct personality in their tone and style as Llobet, Segovia and Bream. In all instrumental areas, not just the guitar, there is a lack of individualism with a strong tendency to conformity. This I find very unfortunate since art (music, theatre or
2744-543: The use of a foot rest . The modern steel string guitar, on the other hand, usually has 14 frets clear of the body (see Dreadnought ) and is commonly held with a strap around the neck and shoulder. The phrase "classical guitar" may refer to either of two concepts other than the instrument itself: The term modern classical guitar sometimes distinguishes the classical guitar from older forms of guitar, which are in their broadest sense also called classical , or more specifically, early guitars . Examples of early guitars include
2800-490: The use of the upstroke of the four fingers and the downstroke of the thumb (the same technique as in the rasgueado of the Flamenco : as explained above the string is hit not only with the inner, fleshy side of the fingertip but also with the outer, fingernail side) both as a free stroke and as a rest stroke. As with other plucked instruments (such as the lute), the musician directly touches the strings (usually plucking) to produce
2856-594: The world began producing them in large numbers. Composers of the Renaissance period who wrote for four-course guitar include Alonso Mudarra , Miguel de Fuenllana , Adrian Le Roy , Grégoire Brayssing [ fr ] , Guillaume de Morlaye , and Simon Gorlier [ fr ] . Four-course guitar Some well known composers of the Baroque guitar were Gaspar Sanz , Robert de Visée , Francesco Corbetta and Santiago de Murcia . From approximately 1780 to 1850,
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#17330856633982912-606: Was appointed principal cello of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO). In Sydney, he met his future wife, lawyer, now federal judge, and a patron of the SSO, Sophie Given. He teaches cello at the Sydney Conservatorium and in summer courses at Mozarteum University Salzburg . Clerici conducted his first concert with a community orchestra, the Woollahra Philharmonic, and had some conducting lessons at
2968-531: Was published in 1551. In 1551 Adrian Le Roy also published his Premier Livre de Tablature de Guiterne, and in the same year he also published Briefve et facile instruction pour apprendre la tablature a bien accorder, conduire, et disposer la main sur la Guiterne. Robert Ballard, Grégoire Brayssing from Augsburg, and Guillaume Morlaye ( c. 1510 – c. 1558 ) significantly contributed to its repertoire. Morlaye's Le Premier Livre de Chansons, Gaillardes, Pavannes, Bransles, Almandes, Fantasies – which has
3024-739: Was recorded with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the choir Cantillation . In 2010, Schaupp recorded Cradle Songs , inspired by the birth of her daughter Alexa. In 2013, Schaupp won the Music Fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts. In 2016, she and actor Tama Matheson co-created the theatre work titled Don Juan , based on Lord Byron's poem . In March 2018, ABC Classics released Schaupp's album titled Wayfaring , with cellist Umberto Clerici . Schaupp performed at
3080-630: Was still performing), John Schneider , Reinbert Evers , Maria Kämmerling , Siegfried Behrend , David Starobin , Mats Scheidegger , Magnus Andersson , etc. This type of repertoire is usually performed by guitarists who have particularly chosen to focus on the avant-garde in their performances. Within the contemporary music scene itself, there are also works which are generally regarded as extreme. These include works such as Brian Ferneyhough 's Kurze Schatten II , Sven-David Sandström 's away from and Rolf Riehm 's Toccata Orpheus etc. which are notorious for their extreme difficulty. There are also
3136-702: Was well received by audiences in the USA. The classical guitar repertoire also includes modern contemporary works – sometimes termed "New Music" – such as Elliott Carter 's Changes , Cristóbal Halffter 's Codex I , Luciano Berio 's Sequenza XI , Maurizio Pisati 's Sette Studi , Maurice Ohana 's Si Le Jour Paraît , Sylvano Bussotti 's Rara (eco sierologico) , Ernst Krenek 's Suite für Guitarre allein, Op. 164 , Franco Donatoni 's Algo: Due pezzi per chitarra , Paolo Coggiola's Variazioni Notturne , etc. Performers who are known for including modern repertoire include Jürgen Ruck, Elena Càsoli, Leo Brouwer (when he
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