This definitive work on the history of the seven-string guitar in Russia, its cosmopolitan origins, its vast and diverse repertoire, and its unique sound and performance practice is a goldmine of information on the instrument's players and composers—Andrei Sychra, Semion Aksionov, Mikhail Vysotsky, and many others––who brought the art of playing to unprecedented heights. It details various connections between this musical tradition and the country's peculiar cultural and political context, including the contribution of women composers in the 18th century, the cultural implications of the Third Partition of Poland (1795), and the role of the Russian Roma in the formation of the seven-string guitar style. The book will be of great interest to guitar scholars, specialists in 19th-century Russian music, and anybody interested in Russian culture and history.