American fingerstyle guitar had its true beginnings with parlor room guitarists in the 19th century who cultivated a written musical tradition modeled after that of European guitarists. Polite society of the time enjoyed stylized society ballroom dances including marches, polkas, and waltzes. the works selected for this anthology represent the best of American parlor-salon guitar music. Several of the composers presented here, such as William Foden, Charles DeJanon, and William O. Bateman, are gradually becoming familiar to a new generation of fingerstyle guitarists interested in the classic guitar's American past. Written in notation and tablature. Audio available online.