Julián Arcas was, beyond a doubt, the best guitarist of his time. This magnificent artist, who achieved international recognition through contemporary music authorities and critics, was the link in the chain that ran from Sor and Aguado to Tárrega.
Knowledge of the figure and name of Arcas, as well as his guitar works, is absolutely essential. His compositions for this instrument embody different styles of the times, and range from folk to symphonic; in all, a total of 52 works, according to this study, of which, and according to the author' s titles, 44 are original and 8, arrangements.
These arrangements and themes, which Arcas played masterfully on the guitar, befit a time when Italian influence was frequent throughout Europe. On the other hand, Arcas also made use of Spanish regional themes as motivation for his works in which the guitar would take on its most original style representative of Spanish music.
This publication is facsimile on the J. Arcas' original 1860 editions, and the previously unknown ones found in manuscripts of his student, F. Tárrega.
