Abel Carlevaro (16 December 1916 – 17 July 2001) was a classical guitar composer and teacher born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He established a new school of instrumental technique, incorporating a fresh approach to seating and playing the guitar, based on anatomical principles. He had a successful career as a concert artist and gained the admiration of musicians such as Heitor Villa-Lobos and Andrés Segovia. His performances in the important music centres of Europe, Latin America and the United States were met with high acclaim by the public and critics alike. Career Carlevaro was a devoted composer. His musical production ranges from his Preludios Americanos, now established as part of the standard concert repertoire, to his Concierto No. 3 para Guitarra y Orquesta, composed by request of and played for the first time by The Chamber Symphony of San Francisco. Other contemporary ensembles of renown such as The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and The Kronos Quartet have also performed some of Carlevaro's works for the first time. His "Concierto del Plata" for guitar and orchestra has been interpreted by important European and American symphony orchestras. The Carlevaro Technique & Carlevaro Guitar A profound and dedicated teacher, Carlevaro was the creator of a new school of instrumental technique which was revolutionary in its understanding of posture, sound development, and general philosophy of music. This important contribution to the evolution of the guitar is expounded in his didactic series (the "Cuadernos"), "Escuela de la Guitarra Exposición de la Teoría Instrumental" (School of Guitar Exposition of Instrumental Theory) as well as in the "Carlevaro Masterclass" series. These pedagogical works, his compositions and his transcriptions are edited by Boosey and Hawkes of New York, Chanterelle Verlag of Heidelberg, Barry Editorial of Buenos Aires and Henry Lemoine of Paris. An indefatigable researcher, Carlevaro has also invented a new guitar (Concert-Guitar Model "Carlevaro"), the conception and design of which break away from traditional guitar making. This special model of guitar was first built in 1983 by the Spanish luthier Manuel Contreras (father) in Madrid. The upper part of the sound box (on which the guitarists arm rests) was straight, while the bottom (that rests on the guitarist's leg) is curved as usual. The resulting soundboard resembled the shape of a grand piano. Carlevaro said that this shape improved the vibration of the lower notes. This new guitar also had the normal round sound hole closed, having