‘Instrument of Desire’ – to quote American musicologist Steve Waksman – the electric guitar is one of the most important musical inventions of the twentieth century. As a symbol of modernity throughout the fifties, this king of rock ’n’ roll and blues, the amplified guitar, has gathered music lovers and musicians around its practices and compositional procedures.
This instrument has since conquered the world and it has found diversified musical identities, beyond geographical and cultural borders. It has also reached the status of an icon, while accompanying deep mutations, some of which outside of any artistic framework.
The electric guitar is of interest to a number of communities (instrument builders, guitar players, collectors, researchers, composers, performers). Through complementary perspectives, these, in turn, enrich the knowledge and understanding of an instrument which is unavoidably complex.
This symposium is an opportunity to present these approaches during two interdisciplinary days. Closing concerts will be performed by Tomás Bordalejo: Hauteurs, and Terry Riley: In C.