Luigi Legnani

As a trained string player Legnani became devoted to the guitar and singing. He appeared as a tenor in arias by Cimarosa, Donizetti and Rossini but his guitar virtuosity was unparalleled. Legnani made his guitar performance debut in 1819 in Milan and was later received with high praise in Vienna. He developed a close friendship with Paganini and they would give concerts together for a number of courts. Retiring in c.1840 Legnani devoted himself to making violins and guitars. His compositions were predominantly for the guitar as a solo instrument transcribing many operatic arias for his instrument. Legnani composed approximately two hundred a fifty pieces for the guitar including, the noted arias, fantasias and variations. The most interesting compositions, however, were his duets for flute (or violin) and guitar. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi