Francisco Tárrega was an influential Spanish composer and guitarist. Tárrega is considered to have laid the foundations for 20th century classical guitar and for increasing interest in the guitar as a recital instrument. The great Andrés Segovia used much of Tárrega's work on technique and many of his compositions to take the classical guitar into concert halls of Europe. His most famous composition is "Recuerdos de la Alhambra". Tárrega was born on November 21, 1852, in Villarreal, Castellón, Spain. His father worked as an usher and his mother died when Francisco was very young. Francisco fell into an irrigation channel in his early childhood, permanently impairing his eyesight. Partially due to this accident, the family moved to Castellón and enrolled him in music classes. Tárrega entered the Madrid Conservatory in 1874. By the end of the 1870s, Tárrega was teaching the guitar and giving regular concerts. Tárrega received much acclaim for his playing and began traveling to other areas of Spain to perform. He died in Barcelona on December 15, 1909 at the age of 57.
Interesting Facts:
- Both his first music teachers, Eugeni Ruiz and Manuel Gonzalez, were blind.
- Francisco Tárrega was only ten years old, he ran away and tried to start a musical career on his own along coffee houses and restaurants in Barcelona.
- In January 1906, he was afflicted with paralysis on his right side, and though he would eventually return to the concert stage, he never completely recovered.
Source: Wikipedia