The Art and Times of the Guitar; An Illustrated History of Guitars and Guitarists

by Frederic V. Grunfeld

Traces the evolution of the guitar through the ages to its present important position in musical communication

Genres: Music

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Killer Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.49 overall rating; given as a gift since I play. Really interesting to learn about guitars. Dated now so I wonder if there's any good books since this one.

[Bill Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the guitar, illustrated with extensive historical engravings and paintings. The book concentrates on the development of the early guitar toward the classical guitar, although it includes a few illustrations and includes a chapter on other genres.

On page 22, the author suggests that most persons who decide to take up the guitar are doomed to have never learned to play it well, suggesting that the guitar is the easiest instrument to play badly but the hardest to play well.

The book devotes many pages to the development of the guitar, reaching Sor about halfway through the book. Virtuosos from this period include Giuliani, but also Paganini who devoted several early years to the guitar and wrote much music for it. Moving into the late half of the 19th century, the author looks at Berlioz - whose primary instrument was the guitar, and thought the pianoforte a "terrible instrument". The final chapter includes Tarrega - who broke off a romance when in the middle of a concert the girl cheated on a difficult passage, winking at him as she did so. The book ends with Segovia.