Andrei Sychra

Andrei Osipovich Sychra (also written as Sikhra or Sichra; Russian: Андрей Осипович Сихра Andrej Osipovič Sixra; 1773 or 1776 – 21 November or 3 December 1850) was a Russian guitarist, composer and teacher of Czech ancestry. Sychra holds a prominent position within Russia, where he is often referred to as the patriarch of the seven-string guitar, and also as its inventor, disputed though that may be. He was a major force in the development of Russian guitar music and one of its most prolific composers, as well as an important teacher who trained a number of students.