Carcassi, Matteo

Matteo Carcassi was an Italian guitarist, born probably in Florence in either 1792 or 1793.  It seems that he fought with the French in the Napoleonic Wars.  By about 1816 he settled in Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life.

At about the same time he began publishing, and altogether he published at least 77 opus numbers. His Méthode complète pour la Guitare, op. 59, first published in Paris in 1836, became very famous, and his Etudes op. 60 are played by every guitarist. He also wrote guitar accompaniments to many French songs of the period.

More detailed biography of Carcassi