Coste, Napoléon

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Coste, Napoléon

Coste, Napoléon , outstanding French guitarist and composer; b. Doubs, June 28, 1806; d. Paris, Feb. 17, 1883. He studied guitar with his mother and began his career in Valenciennes while still a teenager. In 1828 he went to Paris to study harmony and counterpoint, and thereafter pursued a career as a guitar virtuoso. In 1863 he fractured an arm in an accident and was compelled to abandon his brilliant career. He composed much music for his instrument, including a famous set of etudes, op.38.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire