Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) composed, performed and taught in Spain at a time when the guitar was competing
for favor with the very popular piano. Due Tarrega's keen dedication, his contributions to guitar technique and repertoire
place him among those mainly responsible for the guitar's recognition as a "classical" instrument today. He wrote in a very
romantic style and two of his works, Lagrima and Adelita, are featured here.
Miguel
Llobet (1878-1938), from Catalonia, studied guitar under Tarrega. He was a marvel guitar virtuoso and in his day performed
across Europe and in the United States. Although he composed few pieces of his own, he arranged some truly beautiful music
for the guitar. The arrangement here, Cancion del Lladre, is a Catalonian folk song.
In
my opinion, the works of these two men are among the most beautiful pieces written for the guitar.
