History, Part 2
Medieval Europe
The first known European string instrument that might have had its origins here dates back to the third century AD. Examination of the third century instrument shows it to have a round soundbox that tapers into a wide neck. This type of instrument continued to be in use for many years. There is description also of instruments dating from the time of the Carolingian Dynasty which could be either French or German.
The Carolingian instrument is rectangular, approximately equal in length to its neck, the upper end of which is a wider rounded area containing small pegs for the attachment of strings. In some illustrations, these pegs appear to be four; on others, five. The strings are of a corresponding number and are plucked in two ways: either with a plectrum or with the fingers. The Carolingian instrument retained its form up to the 14th century.
At the same time, another instrument began to exist side by side with the Carolingian type. This change affected the soundbox of the instrument, its straight sides now giving way to slight curves. Representatives of this new instrument can be found in a number of English cathedrals. Depictions of guitar-shaped instruments have been found in French and Spanish cathedrals prior to the fourteenth century.
Guitarra Latina and Guitarra Morisca
There was a distinction made between Guitarra Latina and Guitarra Morisca. The latter has been brought by the Moors, hence, its name. Its soundbox was oval and it had many sound holes on its soundboard. The Arabs, passing through Egypt on their way to complete the great Muslim conquest of North Africa and Spain, may well have transmitted the cardinal features of this design to the instrument makers of Western Europe. It is equally possible that the first Spanish guitars were a European development. What is certain, is that only that the Arabic influence in Spain prepared the ground for the advent of the guitar.
The Guitarra Latina however, did have curved sides and was thought to have come to Spain from some other European country. It was this type that undoubtedly developed into the modern guitar.
The popularity achieved by the guitar can be attributed to the nomadic nature of the troubadours. The guitar could have arrived in Spain from France by way of Catalonia. Once there, the guitar could have crossed to Spain in the hand of itinerant Spanish troubadours. Those troubadours in medieval Europe, whose incessant travels and performances, enriched musical culture in general and gave great impetus to the spread of the guitar on the continent.
