All sources are Wikipedia.
Selection of Pieces for Inclusion in this Book
These pieces are my favorites, many that I played as a beginner student of the classical guitar, one that I use as a technical warm-up and some that I have played in student recitals. They are excerpts from my books of ukulele arrangements which contain many more beginner and intermediate pieces of that period:
- The Classical Ukulele (Carulli)
- The Classical Ukulele (Sor)
- The Classical Ukulele (Giuliani)
- The Classical Ukulele (Carcassi)
- The Classical Ukulele (Aguado et al)
Much of the music in this book is still used today for teaching students of the classical guitar.
Ferdinando Carulli (9 February 1770 – 17 February 1841) (full name Ferdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli) was an Italian composer for classical guitar and the author of the influential Méthode complète pour guitare ou lyre, Opus 27 (1810), which contains music still used by student guitarists today. He wrote a variety of works for classical guitar, including numerous solo and chamber works and several concertos.
Fernando Sor (baptised 14 February 1778 – 10 July 1839) was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer of the late Classical era and early Romantic era. Best known for writing solo classical guitar music, he also composed an opera (at the age of 19), three symphonies, guitar duos, piano music, songs, a Mass, and at least two successful ballets: Cinderella, which received over one hundred performances, and Hercule et Omphale.
Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. One of his best known works is his Grand Overture, which has become standard early Romantic classical guitar repertoire.
Matteo Carcassi (8 April 1792 – 16 January 1853) was an Italian guitarist, teacher and composer. Carcassi wrote a method for guitar (Opus 59), first published with Schott in Mainz in 1836 which is still valuable, relevant and interesting. His most famous works are collected in his 25 Études, Opus 60. In these, he managed to blend technical skills with brilliant Romantic music. This is the reason his music is still played by so many classical guitarists today.
Dionisio Aguado y García (8 April 1784 – 29 December 1849) was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer of the late Classical and early Romantic periods. Aguado’s major work Nuevo Metodo Para Guitarra was a guitar tutorial published in 1843. It is still in print.
Anton Diabelli (5 September 1781 – 8 April 1858) was an Austrian music publisher, editor and composer. Diabelli composed a number of well-known Classical works, including an operetta called Adam in der Klemme, several masses, songs and numerous piano and classical guitar pieces.
Francesco Molino (also known as François Molino; 4 June 1768 – 1847) was an Italian guitarist, violinist, and composer. His works were largely neglected until the twentieth century, when many of them were republished.
Johann Kaspar Mertz (17 August 1806 – 14 October 1856) was a guitarist and composer from the Austrian Empire.