Enrique Granados was born in 1867 in Catalonia, Spain, in a military family. He started to take piano lessons as a child and moved to Paris as a young adult to continue his musical education. His Professor Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot was particularly very influential on his teaching style. He returned to his homeland in 1889, settling in Barcelona and started to make a name for himself. In the early 1890s, his opera María del Carmen received a lot of attention, even from the king. 1903 was a year of remarkable success for Granados as his Allegro de Concierto, Op. 46 won the Madrid Royal Conservatory competition. In 1911, the composer presented what was called the Goyecas, a series of pieces inspired by the painter Goya.  

The First World War broke out. Granados and his wife died tragically on the SS Sussex, a British passenger ferry, which was sunk by a German U-boat. Granados left behind a repertoire consisting of piano music, chamber music, songs, zarzuelas, and an orchestral tone poem based on Dante's Divine Comedy. Many of his compositions were transcribed for the classical guitar. He also was a prominent teacher of his era, having influenced many composers such as Spanish Rosa García Ascot. 

Photo credit: BNF Gallica, agence Meurisse