In the nineteenth century the guitar enjoyed the same popularity among the lower and middle classes as the piano (a much more costly investment) did in the salons of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Reflecting the operatic productions of the time via fantasias or variations, guitarists saw their repertoires expand both in the field of light music and in that of demonstrative virtuosity. While the French school flourished, with major figures such as Napoléon Coste and Alfred Cottin, the influence of Spain (François de Fossa, Dionisio Aguado, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega) and Italy (Ferdinando Carulli, especially) was also manifest in the music composed in France for the instrument.
