Spanish guitar - the strings of our soul

Fascinating sounds, published by a guitar, hardly leave anyone indifferent. The Spanish guitar has a rich and very ancient history. There is a version that the primitive man used his bow and as a musical instrument. For this, not one string was stretched on it, but several. Depending on the thickness and force of tension, strings from the bowstring sounded differently.

Pedigree

The Spanish guitar (from the Spanish quitarra), has a rich pedigree, like the saz, sitar, tamburica, dutar - musical devices, which to this day are found in individual nationalities. Tools with stretched strings and neck were made from pumpkins and shells of turtles. A similar string-and-thorn instrument, which appeared even three thousand years before our era, became the prototype of a modern guitar. It is believed that her family tree originates from the countries of the Middle East, and she acquired her name from the Greek word "kithara" (kithara). But the birthplace of the guitar in the classical form in which we know it today is certainly Spain. The Spanish guitar appeared here in the 13th century. AD Thanks to the Arabs who arrived with the new instrument. Subsequently, she acquired two varieties: Latin and Moorish. It is the Latin version in its sound and design that begins to resemble a modern classical guitar. The game on the Latin (or Roman) cipher was performed using a pinch, that is, the reception of punteado. Playing the Moorish (or Arabic) cifar is the reception of the rasgeado (all fingers of the hand), which formed the basis of the famous style of the Spanish flamenco.

Evolution

In the XVI century, in the era of Renaissance, lute and vihuela - ancient stringed plucked instruments - the Spanish guitar deservedly takes a worthy place of the beloved musical instrument.

It was then considered an accompaniment instrument with four double strings, to which Vicente Espinel subsequently added the fifth. In this form, the guitar is recognized by Europe as Spanish. Unlike a solo vihuela - an aristocratic court instrument - a guitar with its chord technique is distributed in the people's environment. The Spanish battle on the guitar bewitches the heart, and sounds are extracted from the strings of the listener's soul.
Its transformation, evolution, sharpening of skill by performers brings guitar popularity, enriches history. Her fame acquires clear outlines, and iconography becomes more accurate. At the end of the seventeenth century, the vihuela gets rid of the seventh string, and the guitar, on the contrary, acquires its sixth double. And these two tools become identical.

The Renaissance period becomes a golden time of heyday, a rise for both art and guitar. The ways of the vihuela and guitars diverge: the guitar begins its development path of dynamics - without bows and elongated plectrums, without cumbersome forms. The favorite of the public is paid attention in the part of her decoration. However, at first Spain could not win the guitar, even being very popular in the whole of Western Europe. Until now, the kind of melodic guitar that it acquired in the eighteenth century - with double strings, replaced later by single strings - has survived. Spanish melodies on the guitar conceal the eternal light and soul of the country's history. Melody much deeper than the text retains half-stained details of time and place.