Emilio Pujol was born on 7th of April 1886 in Granadella, a little village just outside Lerida , Spain. He began studying the guitar with Francisco Tárrega at the Conservatory of Barcelona in 1901, at the age of fifteen. During this time, Miguel Llobet was making his debut as a concert artist outside Barcelona. Pujol fondly remembered his first encounter with Tárrega and in his biography of his teacher, he described his mestre in very endearing, romantic terms.

During World War I, in 1914-1918 he did not travel much and mainly remained in Catalonia. In 1918 he undertook his first tour of South America, starting in Buenos Aires. The only major interruptions in his concert tours...