My article entitled “Classical guitar in Greece during the second half of the twentieth century: aspects of the transformation of a musical instrument from the repertoire point of view” was recently published in the proceedings of the 9th Interdepartmental Musicological Conference entitled "Variations, arrangements, transformations" (Hellenic Musicological Society, Thessaloniki 2021).
The development of the guitar in Greece during the second half of the twentieth century is a special phenomenon, both in terms of the intensity with which it happened, as well as the way in which a musical instrument changed its character. Among the goals of the guitarists was the transformation of the instrument from an accompaniment to a solo one and its recognition as an instrument of art music. Repertory choices were a key aspect for achieving these goals.

The article examines the characteristics of the guitar repertoire, as reflected in the programs of the first professional soloists. It outlines the difficulties caused by the lack of original guitar compositions, the tendency for transcriptions from other instruments and the reception from music critics. The conditions in Greece are compared to similar practices followed by guitarists abroad. Finally, an hypothesis is suggested about the factors that contributed to the exponential increase of interest for the guitar in Greece.

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