How the guitar became a vessel for a fictional medieval past
In short: During the 19th century, the guitar was not just an instrument; it was a cultural rebellion against industrialism. It served as a portal to a romanticized Middle Ages—a world of Catholic mystery and political stability that stood in stark contrast to the soot and brick of the modern era.
Between 1750 and 1850, a profound cultural fascination with the Middle Ages emerged. This was not based on historical accuracy but on 'porous boundaries' of antiquarianism. Collectors sought out coins, seals, armor, and ballads to construct a narrative of national literature. In this reimagined past, the guitar became a central symbol of a vanished era characterized by fluent minstrelsy and Catholic traditions.
The instrument functioned as an aesthetic antidote to the Industrial Revolution. As new brick-built suburbs encroached on green lands, the guitar evoked imagery of warm nights, vesper bells, and elderly duennas reading books of hours. Because it was strongly associated with Catholic Spain, it even stood in opposition to contemporary Anglicanism, offering a sensory escape from the rigid realities of 19th-century life.
Despite its romantic associations, the guitar has a long, tangible history in England. Queen Elizabeth received three guitars in 1559, and Charles II famously brought his own back from exile in 1660—an instrument so cumbersome it caused the diarist Samuel Pepys to complain about the trouble it gave him. Even Queen Anne played the instrument before her death in 1714.
The guitar's survival is notable because of its varied social status. It was embraced by government officials, low-wage apprentices, and impoverished soldiers alike. While often viewed as a 'foreign' or 'untrustworthy migrant worker' on the musical scene outside of Spain, its recognizable form—a figure-eight body with a circular sound-hole and frets—has allowed it to remain indestructible across centuries.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Guitar and the Romantic Vision of the Medieval World - Professor Christopher Page
- Also: The 'Romantic' Guitar
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