Maria (Gavota) by Francisco Tarrega

Maria (Gavota) by Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909) – PDF Sheet Music for Classical Guitar. Comes with both notation-only edition and tab edition, left hand fingering, PDF download. There is large amount of shifting and barre so the level is either late-intermediate or early-advanced (Grade 8-9). The dedication is “A mi querido amigo el eminente Mandolinista D. Baldomero Cateura.

My PDF Sheet Music Edition – Comes with both notation-only edition and tab edition.


More Video Performances of Maria by Tarrega

Keep in mind that I use my own fingerings, although I try to stay close to Tarrega for the most part (maybe 95% the same). There were a few spots I came up with my own fingerings to ease the difficulty and modernize it but the style of the work is somewhat reliant on Tarrega’s fingerings, shifts with glissando, and overall rhapsodic nature. Anyway, there are some minor changes in each video below.

Thomas Viloteau’s performance below is probably closest overall to both Tarrega and my edition.

Andrea González Caballero performance below has more open string and alternative fingerings. I actually like this a lot and I think it’s even a bit easier to play but the flavour of the piece is slightly sacrificed (barely noticeable due to her great playing). My edition is closer to Viloteau’s but I agree with a few of these compromises/improvements.

Promotional Cover and Samples

Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

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  1. Beginner guitarist here but I love guitar music especially Tarrega. I love Maria because I know it as a tango and it’s where the tango begins that it becomes a sweet sound. Seems to my untrained ear that all three of you only played the introduction?