Film Composers, Cinematic Guitars and the Guitar Concerto in the Long 1960s

Abstract

The expanded presence of the acoustic guitar in film scores from the late 1950s through to the early 1970s coincided with the establishment of the guitar concerto and its rising success as a recorded and concert genre. This paper explores some of the multi-faceted ways in which these two seemingly disparate musical worlds elided during this period. The influence of film genres, in particular the Western, saw the proliferation of cinematic guitar scoring, while the growing popularity of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez meant that it had an impact on film scores. Cinema, and soundtrack and film music albums, also helped to accustom audiences to the sonic dimensions and potentialities of..