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 re...