Dionisio Aguado y García (1784-1849), born in Madrid, Spain, was a classical guitarist and composer during the late classical and early Romantic periods. He lived in Paris in 1826 where he became friends with fellow classical guitar composer Fernando Sor.
Popular Guitar Pieces by Aguado
Aguado is most well-known for his massive educational work Escuela de Guitarra, a reference that is still taught and discussed in guitar pedagogy today. He was especially interested in improving the body posture, guitar and hand positions of guitarists.
Rondo Op.2, No.3
His most popular concert-level piece is the epic Rondo Op.2 No.3, seen here played by the great Julian Bream:
Aguado Studies
Estudio in E Minor
Dionisio Aguado’s beginner classical guitar study Estudio in E Minor is a fantastic arpeggio piece! The continuous right hand pattern (p-i-m-a-m-i) seems easy at first, but requires careful articulation of each note to keep the piece interesting.
I remember that this was one of the first pieces where I learned how to build up speed in both the right and left hand. In addition, this piece also exposed how much practice I needed to quickly transition between B7 and the E minor (and E Major) chord(s).
You can download my free edition of Aguado’s Etude in E Minor here!
Estudio in A Minor
One of my favorite studies for beginner classical guitarists is Estudio in A minor by Dionisio Aguado. This study provides an excellent introduction to arpeggios, while still including interesting phrasing and rich harmonic material.
With a recurring right hand pattern of p-i-m-i, students learn how to bring out a distinctive bass melody with the thumb while maintaining a steady accompaniment with the index and middle fingers. You can get my free edition of Aguado’s Estudio in Am here.
For even more free Aguado scores, check out the IMSLP page here.