Schubert arranged by his contemporaries

At the beginning of the 19th century, the guitar experienced a true heyday in several European cities. Numerous guitar virtuosos sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the guitar. The guitar, long overlooked and, unlike the lute, without a tradition in art music, entered concert life and became a fashionable instrument. However, the majority of these concerts were not public in the modern sense; rather, they took place in the private salons of the nobility and the wealthy middle class. Those with social ambitions hosted musical soirees. The private spaces for these soirees were not the size of a concert hall, and a piano was not always available. Songs with guitar accompaniment and works for smaller chamber music ensembles with guitar, which were published in large numbers at the beginning of the 19th century, therefore enjoyed great popularity.