Fernando Sor (1778-1839) was one of the leading musical figures in Spain and France during the transition between the Classical and the Romantic periods. He was admired in his time as a virtuoso guitarist and as the composer of the once popular but now long forgotten ballets, Cendrillon and Hassan et la calife, which took him on travels from London to Moscow. His Méthode pour la guitare was widely praised, and his career as a teacher won him lasting respect. Of his surviving works, more than 100 guitar pieces have become an important part of the repertoire.