Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853), one of the leading guitarist-composers of the nineteenth century, was born in Florence. At the age of 18 he began his concert career, moving to Germany, where he achieved his first critical success. He came back to Italy for a short period, but by 1820 he was again living on foreign soil, mostly in Paris, which became his residence for the rest of the life. His fame rivalled that of Ferdinando Carulli, whose mastery of the guitar had to this point remained uncontested in the French capital. Carcassi distinguished himself from the Neapolitan musician by using a different instrumental posture, by performing without touching the fingernails on the strings, and by showing a different musical taste, more melodic and allowing for a richer palette of effects.
He left almost one hundred works for the guitar, all of romantic taste, brilliant and technically demanding. The most famous are the Etudes op. 26 and 60, along with his guitar method.
