American composer Morton Feldman’s 1966 The Possibility of a New Work for Electric Guitar, written for guitarist Christian Wolff, is the earliest known work in the classical cannon for an instrument that was invented just 35 years prior.

It was only performed three times before Wolff’s instrument and the work’s only score were stolen from his car.

Despite this early hitch (the score was later restored from a recording), the electric guitar has solidified its position in art music, cemented by works like Scott Johnson’s John Somebody, Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint and Aussie composer Georges Lentz’ Ingwe.

“It’s still considered a bit weird, but less weird than it used to be,” says Canadian guitarist and composer Tim Brady, one of the most innovative composers for the instrument.

Tim Brady performing at Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville. Photo courtesy of Tim Brady

“In the early Eighties, we just said, ‘Well, I play electric guitar. Why shouldn’t I be able to write a piece of music for electric guitar?’ No one had thought of it before, but of course you can write a piece of music for any instrument you want....