Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period, born 21 November 1852 in Villarreal and died 15 December 1909 in Barcelona. Given an Antonio de Torres guitar as a young man, he studied composition at the Madrid Royal Conservatory before dedicating himself fully to the guitar. He composed roughly 80 original works and 120 transcriptions, including character pieces such as Capricho Árabe, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, and Gran Vals (later famous as the basis of the Nokia ringtone), and taught a generation of guitarists including Emilio Pujol, Miguel Llobet, and Daniel Fortea.

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Known as the ‘Sarasate of the guitar,’ Tárrega is considered the founder of modern classical guitar technique and repertoire, establishing right-hand nail technique and a body of Romantic character pieces that shaped 20th-century guitar composition and performance practice. Through his students and transcriptions of Albéniz, Chopin, and others, he elevated the guitar’s status as a serious recital instrument and laid the groundwork for the guitar revival led by Segovia’s generation.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Tárrega