Making a list of every classical guitar composer in history would be an almost infinite task, as thousands of musicians have dedicated works to the instrument. However, to help you practically, I have organized the most influential and fundamental names divided by historical periods.
Here are the pillars of the guitar repertoire:
1. Baroque (5-Course Guitar)
The “Baroque guitar” was smaller and used double strings.
- Gaspar Sanz: Spaniard, author of Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española.
- Santiago de Murcia: One of the most creative composers of the Spanish Baroque.
- Robert de Visée: Musician at the court of Louis XIV (France).
- Silvius Leopold Weiss: Although he composed for the lute, his works are pillars of the modern classical guitar.
2. Classicism and Romanticism (The “Golden Century”)
Here, the guitar gains 6 single strings and its modern shape.
- Fernando Sor: Known as the “Beethoven of the Guitar.”
- Mauro Giuliani: The great Italian virtuoso who lived in Vienna and was a friend of Beethoven.
- Ferdinando Carulli: Author of one of the most used teaching methods to this day.
- Matteo Carcassi: Famous for his 25 Melodic Studies.
- Dionisio Aguado: Great pedagogue and inventor of the “tripodison.”
- Johann Kaspar Mertz: Brought the pianistic language of Chopin and Liszt to the guitar.
- Giulio Regondi: A prodigy who composed works of extremely high technical difficulty.
3. Nationalism and the Modern Guitar (Turn of the 19th to 20th Century)
- Francisco Tárrega: The “Father of Modern Guitar.” Composed Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Capricho Árabe.
- Isaac Albéniz
- Enrique Granados: Piano composers whose works (like Asturias) became more famous on the guitar.
- Agustín Barrios “Mangoré”: The Paraguayan genius who united classical technique with Latin rhythms (La Catedral).
4. 20th Century and Contemporary
The period when the guitar definitively consolidated itself in concert halls.
- Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazil): Essential. His 12 Etudes and 5 Preludes are performed worldwide.