Francisco Tárrega (November 21, 1852–December 15, 1909) was a Spanish composer and guitarist.

He entered the Madrid Conservatory in 1874, where he studied composition under Emilio Arrieta . By the end of the 1870s, he was teaching the guitar (Emilio Pujol and Miguel Llobet were pupils of his) and giving regular concerts. A virtuoso on his instrument, he was known as the "Sarasate of the guitar". He later settled in Barcelona, and died there in 1909.

As well as his original works for the guitar, which include Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Árabe and Danza Mora, he arranged pieces by others for the instrument, including works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin and Felix Mendelssohn. As with several of his Spanish contemporaries, such as his friend Isaac Albéniz, he had an interest in combining the prevailing Romantic trend in classical music with Spanish folk elements. The noted contemporary guitarist Angelo Gilardino has written that Tárrega's 9 Preludios are "... the deepest musical thought of Tárrega in the most concentrated form."

Tárrega is considered to have laid the foundations for 20th-century classical guitar technique and for increased interest in the guitar as a recital instrument.

Biography

• Francisco Tárrega Biografia official by Adrian Rius, published by Ayuntameniento de Vila-Real, ISBN 84-88331-82-7
• Francisco Tárrega, Werden und Wirkung by Wolf Moser, published by Edition Saint-George. ISBN unknown.