Dionisio Aguado's Biography

Dionisio Aguado was born 1784 in Madrid, Spain. His surname comes from the Spanish word for "soaked." (This is because an ancient relative of his, who was a knight, returned after a battle caked in mud. The nickname then eventually became the surname). Coming from a religious family, he showed an early aptitude for music and the guitar. He received his first lessons from Miguel Garcia. Due to his modest nature, it took him over forty years of playing the instrument to become "famous". This first happened when he moved in Paris in 1824. He had inherited his father's estate some years earlier and had spent most of his time mastering the guitar and music. This stood him in good stead for the rest of life, as he was both a master player and a very talented composer as well despite the fact the today he is remembered mostly for his "Method" book.

People probably thought of him: "It's the quiet one's you have to watch out for!" Although he was known to be a very shy and modest person he certainly played with the fire of a gypsy, more akin to Andalusia than his hometown of Madrid.

Aguado's major work Escuela de Guitarra was a guitar method published in 1825. It is available today still, reprinted by Tecla editions. In the "Escuela" he describes his use of fingernails on the right hand as well as his invention of a "tripodion": a device that held the guitar and thus minimized the damping effect of the player's body on the guitar's back and sides.

Dionisio Aguado's other works include "Trois Rondos Brillants" (Opus 2), "Le Menuet Affandangado" (Opus 15), "Le Fandango Varie" (Opus 16), as well as numerous waltzes, minuets, and other light pieces. The more extended works require a virtuoso technique and left-hand stretches that are almost impossible on the longer string lengths of modern guitars.

While in Paris he met Fernando Sor and became friends with him. They lived together for a while. Sor's duo "Les Deux Amis"(The Two Friends) commemorated the friendship: one part is entitled "Sor" and the other one "Aguado".

Dionisio Aguado died in Madrid, Spain at his home in 1838.