Antonio José Martínez Palacios (1902–1936) was a Spanish composer from Burgos, praised by Maurice Ravel as a musician who would "become the greatest Spanish musician of our century." He composed his Sonata para guitarra in 1933, dedicating it to the guitarist Regino Sáinz de la Maza — his only work for the instrument. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he was arrested by Nationalist forces and executed near Estépar in October 1936, at just 33 years old. His guitar sonata lay largely forgotten until it was rediscovered and published in 1990.

The Sonata para guitarra is regarded as one of the great guitar sonatas of the 20th century, and José’s tragic early death has made him a poignant symbol of the artistic losses of the Spanish Civil War.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Jos%C3%A9_(composer)
• https://www.siccasguitars.com/blogs/stories/antonio-jose-classical-guitar