The guitar is one of the oldest instruments known to man. There were guitars in ancient Egypt and Greece, but the written history of the guitar (1) started in Spain in the 13th century. By 1500 the guitar was popular in Italy, France, and Spain. A French document of that time concluded that many people started (2) to play the guitar. Stradivarius, the undeniable king of violin makers, could not resist creating a variety of guitars. Also, there was no lack of music written for the instrument. Haydn, Schubert, and others wrote guitar music. When the great musician Beethoven (3) was asked to compose music for the guitar, he got angry and refused to do it, but eventually even Beethoven could not (4) ignore the challenge. Legend tells us he finally called the guitar a miniature orchestra. Indeed the guitar does sound like a little orchestra! Perhaps that is why in rural areas around the world the guitar (5) has been a source of music for millions to enjoy for long.