The belief that Spain is the homeland of the guitar, if considered from the viewpoint of a music historian, is a banality, because throughout the centuries, Italy has produced as much relevant guitar music as has Spain. Still, it is unquestionable that in Spain, the link between popular music and the guitar has made the guitar a sort of flag, or a symbol, not only of Spanish music, but of Spain’s culture and traditions in the broadest sense. The Spanish national school of composers is largely founded on the popular tradition. The composers associated with this style were born in the second half of the 19th century, and came to prominence at the beginning of the 20th century, including Romantic Spanish pianist-composers such as Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados, and later the greatest Spanish musician, Manuel de Falla. Strangely enough, these masters showed their affection for the guitar in an indirect and oblique way: instead of writing mus...