Matteo Carcassi (Florence, Italy, 1792 - Paris, France, 1853)
Matteo Carcassi was a famous guitarist and composer. Carcassi started playing music on the piano, but learnt guitar when still a child. He obtained a virtuoso reputation as a concert guitarist very quickly.
He moved to Germany in 1810, gaining almost immediate success. In 1815, he was living in Paris, earning his living as a teacher of both the piano and the guitar. Germany was where he met his friend Antoine Meissonnier for the first time, on a concert tour in 1819. A famous guitarist too, Meissonnier was the one who published many of Carcassi's works in his Paris publishing house.
From 1820 on, with few interruptions, Carcassi stayed in Paris for most of his time. In 1822, he performed an extremely successful series of concerts in London that gained him great fame, both as a performing artist and as a teacher.
In Paris, a long time passed before he was recognised for his value, also because of the overwhelming consideration tributed to Fernando Carulli, quite a hero for his audience.
Carcassi was in Germany again during fall 1824, and later went to London where his reputation gave him access to greater concert halls, then he went back to Paris, definitively. About every year, he made concert trips from here to the most important cultural towns of Europe, London included. After a short return in 1836, he quit his concert practice around 1840 and died in the French capital in 1853.
Carcassi wrote a method for guitar (op. 59) that still now is valuable and interesting. His most famous works are collected in his 25 Etudes op.60. In these, he managed to blend technical skills and brilliant romantic music. Which is why he is still played by so many classical guitarists after all these years.
Carcassi Guitar Method
The method consists of three parts, the first, beginning with an introductory chapter on the rudiments of music, explains proper position of holding the instrument, gives explicit instruction in the matter of fingering for left and right hand, presents scales, chords, preludes and simple pieces all arranged progressively. The second part gives examples of special effects—slurred notes, legato, staccato, trills, vibrato, grace notes, harmonics—followed by practical studies in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th position and scales in thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths. The third part is a collection of short pieces in different grades of difficulty further to improve the execution and musical taste of the student. This method was later supplemented by a volume of "Twenty-five Melodic and Progressive Etudes, Op. 60," a work containing a great variety of technical exercises designed for the development of right hand fingering.
 

Part I (Complete)
• 22 Arpegios
• 8 Arpegios
• C Major
• G Major
• D Major
• A Major
• E Major
• F Major
• A Minor
• E Minor
• D Minor
• 22 Arpegios

Part II (Complete)

• Ligato and Grace Notes
• Andante
• Allegretto
• Moderato
• Andantino
• Piece
• Staccato
Studies in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th position, Scales, Exrcises and Preludes
• Scale and Pieces in the 4th Position
• Scale and Pieces in the 5th Position
• Scale and Pieces in the 7th Position
• Scale and Pieces in the 9th Position
• Allegretto
• Allegretto
• Allegretto
• Walz
• Scale in Thirds
• Scale in Sixths
• Scale in Octaves
• Scale in Tenths
• Etude
• Etude
• Etude
• Etude
• Etude
• B Minor
• F# minor
• C# Minor
• B Major
• G# Minor
• F# Major
• D# Minor
• Bb Major
• G Minor
• Eb Major
• C Minor
• Ab Major
• F Minor
• Db Major
• Bb Minor
• Harmonics