The nineteenth century was the guitar's first great age as a serious concert instrument. As Europe fell in love with the Romantic spirit, a generation of brilliant composer-performers gave the six strings a repertoire of real depth — music that still forms the backbone of every guitarist's classical education. Here is a guide to its key figures.
The classical foundations: Sor and Giuliani
Two giants opened the era. Fernando Sor, the "Beethoven of the guitar," brought classical elegance and counterpoint; Mauro Giuliani brought Italian operatic brilliance and a virtuoso flair. Between them they set the template for everything that followed.
The virtuosos: Paganini and Legnani
The age of Romantic virtuosity touched the guitar too. Niccolò Paganini — yes, the violinist — was a devoted guitarist and prolific composer for it, while his friend Luigi Legnani answered Paganini's famous violin Caprices with 36 of his own for guitar in every key.
The Romantics: Mertz and Regondi
As the century matured, the guitar found its true Romantic poets. Johann Kaspar Mertz brought the world of Schumann and Liszt to the instrument, while the prodigy Giulio Regondi left a small, exquisite body of work of great refinement.
And many more
The era was rich far beyond these headline names. The same century gave us the elegant, endlessly useful studies of Matteo Carcassi and Ferdinando Carulli — pillars of nearly every guitar method to this day — the refined French Romanticism of Napoléon Coste, and graceful sonatas by Anton Diabelli. Together this generation made the nineteenth century the deepest seam of study and concert material in the whole repertoire.
Why this music still matters
This is the repertoire where most classical guitarists grow up — Sor's studies, Giuliani's concert pieces, the caprices and fantasias of the virtuosos. It is melodic, idiomatic and endlessly instructive, and being from the nineteenth century it is almost all in the public domain and free to study. For the wider picture, see our hub on the great composers of the guitar.
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