DOCTORAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE: TECHNIQUE AND EVOLUTION OF MODERN GUITAR PERFORMANCE

Abstract

It was around the mid-nineteenth century that the guitar almost sank into oblivion due to the rising popularity of the piano. Fortunately, the art of guitar performance was still cultivated by certain figures residing mostly in Spain. One of them was the so-called 'father of modern guitar' - Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), a guitarist who devoted all his life to bring back the legend and prestige of the instrument. Another figure who gave a great contribution to the history of the instrument was Andrés Segovia (1893-1987). Because of these ardent efforts of the past, the current guitar scene is very profound and promising. Two representative guitarists of the new generation are Julian Bream (1933-) and John Williams (1941-). They have also followed the path of their precursors and made many contributions to the instrument. Nowadays, excellent concert guitarists are sharing their platform all over the world with original repertoire written by contemporary guitarist composers, as in the past when guitarists were often composers as well. The performance of three concerts represents three different periods from the birth of the modern guitar to the present generation. It displays music from the period of Francisco Tárrega, Andrés Segovia and their descendants. The technique and performance aspects conceived for these concerts were derived from a combination of the power of nature and Tao philosophy.