A Brief History of Classical Guitar and Its Music:

The earliest pieces in the repertoire are "passpieds" and other short anonymous instrumental dances written for a variety of strummed instruments.  All of the music which came before 1450 A.D. tends to becomparatively simple and relatively uninteresting to untrained modern ears.  This music does not play a large role in the repertoire of the classical guitar.

The Renaissance:

The first significant period in the repertoire of the guitar is the Renaissance (c.1450-1600).  The guitar as we know it did not exist then, but its cousin the "lute" did.  This pair shaped instrument had strings which were strummed and plucked in much the same way as a modern guitar.  The common types of compositions for the lute included songs with lute accompaniment and "dance pieces".  The majority of compositions which exist for this instrument were intended for  entertainment and dancing in courts of the aristocracy of the time.  Typical forms and types of pieces each had different intended functions.  If you look through collections of Renaissance music transcribed for guitar, you will find hundreds of pieces with the same "titles".  Each of these titles decribes the type or form of a piece:

Pavane - a slow dance in duple time from Spain, typically containing two sections:  one theme and a variation.  Pavans are usually paired with and followed by a "Galliard" with similar themes.  From the Spanish word "peacock", the dance was ceremonial and dignified in nature.  Also called
Pavana, Pavin, Paduana, and Pavian. 

Galliarde - a moderately quick dance in triple time which typically followed the slower Pavan.  From the French word "merry", the dance was performed with exaggerated leaps and expressions of courtship. 

Allemande - a modererately slow dance in duple time which originated in Germany.  Typically danced with sweeping gestures under a partner's arm.  Also Alman, Almain, Almand

Volt - Italian for the word "turn", this type of dance in 6/8 time usually involved a series of close turns in which the female was swung high in the air.  Considered to be indecent at the time, Volts also may be found under the titles La volta or Volte.

Saltarello - a quick 6/8 dance from Spain.  The word means "jump", and the music, as well as the actual dance typically included some type of jumping effect.  Also called an Alta danse and often paired with a Bassa danse or Passamezzo.

Passamezzo - a moderate Danse in 4/4 time with quick, steady rhythms. From Italy, this danse typically followed a Saltarello.

Branle - a French dance in either triple or duple time.  The French title means to "sway", and the dance typically involved swaying from one foot to another.  Also called Branle Gai, Branle de Bourgogne, Branle de Champagne, Branle simple, Branle Double.

Spagnoletto - a Spanish dance in which couples danced alternately.

Fantasia - a freely composed piece without any set form.  Fantasias often contain several varied sections, and were typically intended to be performed without dancing.  Fantasias often change tempo and are longer and are more complicated than dance pieces.  Written in contrapuntal and imitative style, sometimes with dancelike sections inserted, a Fantasia may also be called Fancy, Fantasy, Fantaisie, or Ricercar.

Villanella - A vocal style composition which usually parodied more elevated musical styles.  Also called Villanesca and Villanelle.

Air - A simple melodic instrumental piece written in typical vocal style of the time.

Toy - A short and playful composition often in dance rhythm, also called Toye.

Often, pieces were written for, or dedicated to a member of the royal court, so will find many titles such as "Queen Elizabeth's Galliard", or "Lady Hammond's Alman", etc.

Renaissance music is often "contrapuntal" in nature.  That means that the music is typically made up of two or more different parts, or melodies, which sound at the same time.  Modern guitar transriptions include some vocal compositions and lute parts transcribed for a single instrument.

The most important composer of the Renaissance lute was John Dowland (1563-1626).  John Dowland was a royal lutenist and composer for several courts, including Christian IV of Denmark, as well as James I and Charles I.  Many of his compositions form the foundation of modern classical guitarists' Renaissance repertoire.  Other composers include Louis Milan (c.1500-1561) - his "Six Pavans" are popular in the modern repertoire.  Alonso de Mudarra, Louis de Narvaez, Francis Campion, Francis Cutting, Cesare Negri, Hans Neusidler, Thomas Robinson, Anthony Holborne, Philip Rosseter, Francis Pilkington, Robert Johnson, Francesco de Milano, and Jane Pickering are also significant.  The instruments they wrote for included the following:

Lute - the  most common plucked instrument of the time.  It had a rounded back, a stubby neck and angled pegbox, and anywhere from six to thirteen sets of strings.  The strings were set up in "courses" or doubled sets, much like a modern twelve string guitar.  The lute had a very tender, quite sound, whether strummed or plucked.  More and more courses of strings were added to the lute, and it eventually became unpopular because it was so hard to tune.

Vihuela - a Spanish instrument that looked very similar to later guitars.  It typically had six courses of strings.  Some of the most complicated and significant compositions of the Renaissance period were written for this instrument.

Four string guitar - an early ancestor of the guitar.  The guitar of this period was not so important as a "serious" instrument.  It was often strummed by singers to accompany vocal melodies.

The Baroque Period:

The next important time period in the guitar repertoire is the Baroque period (c.1600-1750).  The lute was still used during this period, and several important Baroque lute works are very popular today.  The "theobro" was another plucked instrument of the time which had a longer neck and many courses of strings.  Transcriptions from the violin and keyboard repertoire of the Baroque period are also commonly played by guitarists.  The most common keyboard instruments of the period were the harpsichord and the "clavier", an ancestor of the modern piano.  The most common types of compositions which have found their ways into the repertoire of the guitar come from "suites".  Suites are sets of stylized dances, typically following a certain basic order, with individual pieces having characteristic titles that indicate their structural and formal properties.  Most of the pieces in a suite are artistic, or "stylized", versions of dance pieces.  Although they were based on danse types from various countries, stylized dance pieces were not intended for actual dancing.  Most pieces in a suite are one to three minutes long, are in binary (two part) form, and remain in the same key, the major differences being rhythm, form, and texture.  The typical pieces in a Baroque suite include, but are not limited to:

Prelude - an informal introductory composition often containing "arpeggios", or broken chord patterns.  The prelude is an optional piece in the Baroque suite, and is intended to warm up the performer's hands, as well as the listener's ears.

Allemande - a stylized German dance with a 4/4 time signature and a moderately slow tempo.  Its typical characteristics include and a quick upbeat at the beginning of each section and ornamented style with running sixteenth notes.

Courante - there were two types:  the French Courante, and the Italien Corrente.  Both types are typically in lively triple time with an unstable shift in accent between ONE two THREE four FIVE six and ONE two three FOUR five six.  The Italien version was faster, with continuously running lines, and chordal accompaniment.  The French version involved a shift of movement from bass to treble voices.

Sarabande - a dramatic, yet dignified dance form in triple time which originated in the East and was made popular in Spain.  These pieces are often in minor keys and are typically played very slowly.  They usually stress an accent on the second beat, and lack an upbeat.

Gavotte - a lively dance form from France in 4/4 time, with the unusual characteristic of having accents on the 3rd, rather than the 1st beats of each measure.  An optional piece, Gavottes often occurred in pairs as Gavotte I, and Gavotte II, with a repeat back to Gavotte I. 

Bourree - a brisk French dance in 4/4 time, usually with an upbeat at the beginning of each section.  An optional piece in the Baroque suite.

Minuet - a graceful Frech dance in moderate 3/4 time (think about a waltz, and you will approximate its character).  Optional in the Baroque suite.

Passepied - another optional piece, in quick 3/8 or 6/8 time.  This dance was gay and spirited. 

Gique - a fast piece in 6/8 time which is usually placed at the end of the suite.  The gigue is from Ireland (think of the "jig").  Often, the gigue contained a fugal, or imitative beginning theme.

Other types of Baroque instrumental pieces include the fugue, chaconne, are passacaglia.  A fugue is a contrapuntal composition with at least one specific thematic idea (melody), which is treated to a number of specific, rigorous musical manipulations.  They are only a few Baroque fugues in the repetoire of the guitar, but their complex sound and unique nature continue to make them popular choices for the modern guitarist.  The chaconne and passacaglia (or "pasacaille") are similar in that they are based on a single chord progression or bass line which is repeated and texturally varied for the length of the piece.  The most historically important and well known composer of the Baroque period was Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).  Bach did not play the lute, but he did write four suites for it.  Those suites contain some of the best known pieces in the modern guitar repertoire.  There is also a "Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro" set, as well as a seperate arpeggio prelude which he wrote for lute.  In addition, he wrote six suites for violin (three "sonatas" and three "partitas") and several suites for cello which are all popular as guitar transciptions.  The Chaconne from the second violin partita by J.S. Bach is a landmark guitar transcription, and one of the most significant compositions in the repertoire.  Several works for clavier, including preludes and fugues from "The Well Tempered Clavier" are played by the classic guitar population.

Other composers of the Baroque period who wrote important works now played on guitar include Sylvius Leopold Weiss (pronounced "vise") (1686-1750), Robert De Visee (c.1650-1725), Francesco Corbetta (1620-1681), Gasper Sanz (1640-1710), Santiago de Murcia, Lodovico Roncalli (late 1600s), George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), Francois Couperin (1668-1733), Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach (1714-1788), Henry Purcell (c.1658-1695), Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), and George Philippe Telemann (1681-1767).

Weiss was a German lute composer who wrote a number of charming suites that have gone largely unplayed by modern guitarists.  His music is a great source for guitarists who have grown tired of the overplayed "war pieces" of the classical guitar repertoire.  Scarlatti was a harpsichordist, many pieces by whom have been transcribed for solo and duo guitar.

The Classical Period:

The next historical segment, the "Classical" or "Neoclassical" period (1750-1820) contained the first "golden age of the guitar", as it is called.  This is the first time in which the guitar became popular as a true concert instrument, as well as a folk instrument of the people.  The instrument of the time was smaller than its modern counterpart, but its poplarity and influence was great.  The guitar was a common popular instrument, played by the masses, much as the electric guitar is today.  Public performances by the great concert guitarists of the day were common and well attended events.  Great advances in technique were seen during the 19th century, and an enormous amount of music was added to the repertoire as the public's thirst for guitar performances, as well as pieces to learn by, grew to a new level.  The period from 1775 to 1850 saw acceptance of the first six single string guitars, as well as the emergance of several great virtuoso guitarist/composers:

Fernando Sor (1778-1839) - From Spain, this guitarist added volumes of music to the repertoire.  He was a well known virtuoso of the day.  His best known compositions are a number of sonatas, studies, and theme and variation sets including:  Variations on a Theme of Mozart, op. 9; Andante Largo, op. 5; Grand Solo, op. 14; Les Folies d'Espagne, op. 15a; Grand sonata, op. 22; Rondo in C major, op. 22; Menuet & Rondo, op. 22; Introduction and Variations on the air "Marlbrough", op. 28.

Mauro Giuliani (1778-1829) - a contemporary of Fernando Sor, was well known in his home of Italy and abroad.  He wrote over three hundred works including several concerti and numerous chamber works.  His best known compositions include:   Sonata in C, op. 15; Sonata Eroica, op. 115; Le Rossiniane, op. 119 and 122; Variations on a Theme by Handel, op. 107; Rondo in Am, op. 2, #3; Grande Ouverture, op. 61; Concertos op. 30, 36, and 70.  His "150 studies for the right hand" are still used by guitar students today.

Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853) - an Italian.  His "25 melodious and progressive studies" are well known by students of classical guitar.  Other works include a number of caprices, variations, sonatinas, and short student pieces.  Fernando Carulli (1770-1841) - from Italy.  Wrote over four hundred pieces for guitar, along with a popular and well repected instruction method.  Carulli was a well known performer of the day.

Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) - from Spain.  Aguado was different than other players of the day in that he used right hand nails to pluck the strings (far ahead of his time).  He also developed an unusual three legged stand for the guitar called a tripodion.  His many short pieces are standard repertoire for beginning guitarists. All of the men above wrote instructional texts as well as  numerous studies which were popular with the public for their private entertainment and  educational value.  Many of the studies are learned by modern students of the classical guitar to improve development in various areas of technique and musicianship.  Longer sonatas, together with complex theme and variation works were popular forms composed for concert performances by the great virtuosos of the day.  With these pieces, the likes of Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani became the first real guitar "heroes" in the history of the instrument.  Other guitarists of the same general period included:  Simon Molitor (1766-1848), Anton Diabelli (1781-1858), Luigi Legnanni (1790-1877), Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856), Giulio Regondi (1822-1874), Napoleon Coste (1806-1883), Zani de Ferranti (1802-1878), and Julian Arcas (1832-1882).

The Romantic Period:

The "Romantic" period (1820-1920) encompassed the careers of several significant guitarists, the most important of which was Francesco Tarrega (1852-1909).  Tarrega was the true "father" of the modern guitar.  He was one of the first guitarists to take a historical approach, and transcribe pieces from other instruments to enlarge the repertoire of his instrument.  He also transcibed a number of extremely complex piano works by fellow Spanish pianists, the likes of which no one had ever previously seen played on guitar.  Tarrega was the first to advocate the use of the large model of guitar created by luthier Antonio Torres (1817-1892), which became the standard instrument of the modern era. Tarrega's most famous large concert compositions include "Requerdos de la Alahambra", "Estudio Brilliante de Alard", "Gran Jota", "Sueno", "Danza Mora", and "Capricho Arabe".  He also wrote a number of small pieces which have become mainstays in the modern classical guitar repertoire because of their lyrical, guitaristically "Romantic" quality.  Most guitarists learn as students, and continue to play as experienced performers at least one of the following miniature masterpieces by Tarrega:  "Lagrima", "Adelita", "Maria", "Rosita", "Alborada (the music box)", or one of the many preludes, etudes, mazurkas, and other short pieces.

Tarrega was not a "star", like the famous guitarist/performers of the 19th century.  He preferred to play for small gatherings of friends and admirers.  Romantic contemporaries of Tarrega included Miguel Llobet (1878-1938), Augustin Barrios Mangore (1885-1944), and Emilio Pujol (1886-1980).  These performers also produced transcriptions and new compositions for the guitar.

Francesco Tarrega left a legacy to the guitar world not only in his technical and musical contributions, but also by the fact that he introduced to the guitar the greatest historical figure in the development of the instrument.  That great modern figure was Andres Segovia (1893-1987).

Andres Segovia and the Modern Classical Guitar:

Andres Segovia established the guitar as the concert instrument that it is today, and brought about the second "golden age" of the guitar virtually single handedly.  He transcribed an enormous number of compositions by J.S. Bach and other composers, which musicians in the world of "serious music" thought could not or should not be played on the guitar.  He also commissioned large numbers of solo pieces and concerti which most professional guitarists now play at some point in their careers.  The famous modern composers who have written for him include:  Frederic Morreno-Torroba (b. 1891), Joaquin Turina (1882-1949), Joquin Rodrigo (b. 1902), Heitor Villa Lobos, (1887-1954), Manuel De Falla (1876-1945), Manuel Ponce (1886-1948), Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco (1845-1968), Alexander Tansman (1897), and many others.  The pieces which Segovia transcribed, commissioned, or brought into public view through recordings and performances form the foundation of the modern guitar repertoire.  Below are some of the most famous:

Isaac Albeniz:  Torre Bermeja, Granada, Cordoba, Asturias (Leyenda), Sevilla, Rumores De La Caleta, Cadiz, Tango (Albeniz originally wrote these for piano, but they have become more popular as guitar transcriptions).

Turina:  Garrotn y Soleares, Homenaje a Tarrega, Fandanguillo, Sevillana, Rafaga

Torroba:  Sonatina in A, Madronos, Suite Castellana, Romance de los Pinos

Villa-Lobos:  Twelve etudes, Five preludes, Suite Populaire Bresilienne, Choros #1, Concerto for guitar and small orchestra

Falla:  The Miller's Dance (from The Three Cornered Hat), Homenaje pour le Tombeau de Claude Debussy, Spanish Dance #1 (from La Vida Breve)

Rodrigo:  Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre, En los Trigales

Granados:  Spanish Dances 2, 5, 10, La Maja de Goya (Tonadilla), Villanesca

Ponce:  Twevle Preludes, Valse, Canciones Populares Mexicanas, Twenty Variations and Fugue on Folias de Espana, Theme Variations and Fughetta on a theme by Antonio de Cabezon, Concerto del Sur, Sonata Clasica, Sonata Romantica, Sonata Mexicana, Sonatina Meridional

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concerto #1 in D, Homage to Paganini, Sonata (Ommagio a Boccherini), Tarantella, Variazioni, Quintet op. 143, incidental music for "Platero y Yo", Capriccio Diabolico

Benjamin Britten:  Nocturnal

Leo Brouwer:  La Espiral Eterna, Elogio De La Danza, Etudes Simples, Piece sans titre

Antonio Lauro:  Danza Venezolana, Valse criollo

Tansman:  Barcarolle, Dansa Pomposa, Scherzino (from Cavatina), Suite in Modo Polonico, Mazurka

Duarte:  Variations on a Catalan Folk Song

Eric Satie:  Gymnopedies 1-3

Debussy:  The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

Ravel:  Pavane pour une infante defunte, Empress of the Pagodas

Ruiz Pipo:  Cancion Y Danza

Barrios:  Un Sueno en la Floresta, Choro da Saudade, Aire de Zamba, La Catedral

J.S. Bach:  Most of the lute, violin, and cello suites and solo compositions

Vivaldi:  Concerto in D major

Gasper Sanz:  Suite Espanola

Couperin:  Les Barricades Mysterieuses

Narvaez:  Variations on Guardame Las Vacas

Anonymous:  Romanza, El Noy De La Mare

Segovia performed tirelessly for most of his adult life (into his nineties), inspiring many young musicians to pick up the instrument and continue the tradition he had begun.  His legacy includes hundreds of recorded tracks that chronicle his extraodinary musical accomplishments.

Although Segovia's techinical ability, and even the scope of his work, has been surpassed by that of later generations, most of what exists in the modern arena of classical guitar can be traced to origins of his doing.

Today, the classical guitar is enjoying a level of popularity never seen before.  The repertoire continues to grow, and performances and recordings of classical guitar can be found in any area the country.  Guitar programs abound at universities and schools all around the country, and standands of performance improve as more and more great performers are drawn to the beauty of the instrument.

If you would like to learn more about the repertoire of the classical guitar you can listen to recordings and performances by these modern players, as well as others in your area:

John Williams, Julian Bream, Christopher Parkening, Elliot Fisk, Enesto Bitetti, Kazuhito Yamashita, Sharron Isben, Ben Verdery, Manuel Barrueco, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Pepe Romero, Angel Romero, Goran Sollscher, David Starobin, David Leisner, Narciso Yepes, Carlos Bonell, Alirio Diaz, Michael Newman, Jorge Morel, Konrad Ragossnig, David Russel, Liona Boyd, Leo Brouwer, Micheal Lorimer, Eduardo Fernandez, Vladamir Mikulka, Oscar Ghiglia, Milan Zelenka, Sergio Abreu, Abel Carlevaro, Siegfried Behrend, Rey de la Torre, John Duarte, John Mills, David Tanenbaum.