Etude 3 in A (Op. 60)
Matteo Carcassi
This is a study in A major by the Italian composer Matteo Carcassi (1792 - 1853). The study forms part of the famous Op. 60 studies. One of the most difficult spots is the chord transition in the beginning of the piece. Further it is a perfect practice of playing apoyando (falling stroke) "on top" of an arpeggio pattern that forms the accompaniment.
Matteo Carcassi was born in Florence, in the year, the French Revolution broke out. As a child, he started playing the piano, but then turned to the guitar and soon became a virtuoso. After a stay in Germany, he moved to Paris, where he started his guitar practice, more or less overshadowed by his fellow-Italian Fernando Carulli. It took a few years before he earned his reputation as plauer and composer. He stopped performing in 1840 and died thirteen years later in Paris.