Charles De Janon (1834-1911) was born in Cartegena, Columbia and his family emigrated to New York when he was six years old.
He studied both the violin and piano, but at age nine took up the guitar. This was a good choice for him because he went on to become one of America’s most important guitarists from the mid to late 19th century.
He was known by many to be a bit of a child prodigy when he began to compose and publish various works for guitar as a teenager.
Along with his many compositions and transcriptions for guitar, he also created the American edition of famous guitarist Matteo Carcassi’s method for the guitar.