The Art and Times of the Guitar: From the Hittites to the Hippies Book

This illustrated history traces the evolution of the guitar from the mouth bow to the Fender Stratocaster. Hittites, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Moorish minstrels and medieval troubadours adopted and reinvented the guitar. Romantic virtuosos like Sor and Giulinai further developed its identity, while contemporary masters like Segovia, Bream, and Williams have taken the guitar to the concert stages of the world. Blues, jazz, and rock-and-roll have each added distinctive qualities to the technique and look of both player and instrument. In his fascinating panorama of guitar history, Frederick V.Grunteld has brought together musical and art scholarship - there are more than 200 paintings here by such figures as Velasquez, Vermeer, Watteau, Goya, Manet and Ricasso - and provided a literary and visual concert for every music lover. Frederic V.Grunfeld, who trained in both music and art at the University of Chicago, was a critic whose work apeared in numerous publications. He contributed several volumes to the Time Life Great Music Series and wrote the books Music and Recordings and the recently acclaimed Rodin - a biography.Read More