Andrés Segovia (1893 - 1987) was unquestionably the most important classical guitarist of the 20th. century. Born in Linares in southern Spain, his quest to elevate the guitar to the prominent position in the musical world which it occupies today began at the early age of four. Although discouraged by his family (they thought he should play a real instrument), he pursued his studies, making his public début in Granada at the age of sixteen, and establishing his reputation in his native country with appearances in Madrid, Barcelona and other leading centres of Spanish music during the next few years

His tour of South America in 1919 created a sensation, as did his débuts in Paris (1924), Moscow (1926) and New York (1928), where he overwhelmed the audience with his technique and musicianship. As he travelled, both he and the guitar became increasingly popular, and composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos began to compose original pieces specifically for the instrument. With their dark and melancholy mixture of dissonance and cello-like phrasing, Villa-Lobos compositions in particular seem to fit the guitar perfectly.

Segovia had also begun to transcribe works originally written for other instruments, including many pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. In fact his transcription of Bach's chaconne, which is one of the most famous and difficult pieces to master, makes it seem as if the composer had originally intended it to be played on the guitar rather than the violin.

Segovia's aims for the guitar, however, extended far beyond merely establishing a career for himself as a virtuoso. "From my youthful years," he wrote, "I dreamed of raising the guitar from the sad artistic level in which it lay. Since then, I have dedicated my life to four essential tasks. The first: to separate the guitar from mindless, folklore-type entertainment. My second purpose: to make the beauty of the guitar known to the public of the entire world. The third task: that of influencing the authorities at conservatories, academies, and universities to include the guitar in their instruction programs on the same basis as the violin, cello, piano, etc. And my fourth item of labor: to endow it with a repertory of high quality, made up of works possessing intrinsic musical value, from the pens of composers accustomed to writing for orchestra, piano and violin."

He succeeded in all respects.