His best-known work, the Aranjuez Concerto, is a firm favorite with the public,
and remains a must for every classical guitarist. Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st
Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez, was born in Sagonte in the province of
Valencia, Spain, on November 22, 1901. The youngest of ten children born to
Vicente Rodrigo Peirats, a landowner from Almenara, he was struck down at the
age of three by a diphtheria epidemic that left him virtually blind for life. To
enable him to attend a specialized school, the family moved to Valencia.
Attracted by music, he attended concerts and o...