Rodrigo studied music under Francisco Antich in Valencia and under Paul Dukas at the École Normale de Musique in Paris.

In later life, he and his wife, Victoria, declared that the work was written as a response to the miscarriage of their first child.

The central adagio movement is one of the most recognizable in twentieth-century classical music, featuring the interplay of guitar with cor anglais.

[4] This movement was later adapted by the jazz arranger Gil Evans for the 1960 album Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis.

The success of this concerto led to commissions from a number of prominent soloists, including Zabaleta, for whom Rodrigo dedicated his Concierto serenata for Harp and Orchestra.

For Julian Lloyd Webber, Rodrigo composed his Concierto como un divertimento for cello and orchestra.

Of Rodrigo's works, those that have achieved the greatest popular and critical success are his Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un gentilhombre.