Matteo Carcassi was a famous Italian guitarist and composer. He was born in 1792 in Florence, Italy. Carcassi began with the piano, but learned guitar when still a child. He quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso concert guitarist. He moved to Germany in 1810, gaining almost immediate success. In 1815, he was living in Paris, earning his living as a teacher of both the piano and the guitar. From 1820 on, Carcassi spent the majority of his time in Paris. In 1822, he performed an extremely successful series of concerts in London that earned him great fame, both as a performing artist and as a teacher. Carcassi was in Germany again during the fall of 1824. Afterwards he performed in London, where his reputation now gave him access to more prestigious concert halls. Finally he returned to Paris. For several years, he made concert trips from here to the most important cultural towns of Europe, including London. After a short return to performing in 1836, he quit his concert practice around 1840 and died in Paris in 1853.
Interesting Facts:
- His music is still played by so many classical guitarists today.
- His works have been published and recorded by numerous well known guitarists.
- He also wrote several brilliant transcriptions of popular opera arias.
Source: Wikipedia