Spanish composer. He studied in Barcelona with Pedrell and in Paris (1887-9), then returned to Barcelona to work as a teacher, pianist and composer. His greatest success came with the piano suite Goyescas (1911), a sequence of highly virtuoso studies after paintings by Goya; he expanded them to form an opera of the same title, produced in New York in 1916. His other works include songs, orchestral pieces and more piano music.

From 1901 he taught at the Academia Granados, the music school he founded in Barcelona. He wrote four zarzuelas, including María del Carmen (1898), and two "poemas" (also stage works), as well as songs and chamber works. His fame rests on the piano suite Goyescas (1911). His opera of the same name was performed successfully at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1916. Returning to Spain from this performance, Granados was drowned when his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

He appeared as a pianist in Paris and Spain, and Casals and Saint-Saëns were among artists who performed with him and admired his style.

Granados wrote piano music, chamber music (a piano quintet, music for violin and piano), songs, zarzuelas, and an orchestral tone poem based on Dante's Divine Comedy. Many of his piano compositions have been transcribed for the classical guitar and are generally considered as some of the most beautiful music in the guitar repertoire: examples include Dedicatoria, Danza No. 5, Goyescas.

Granados was an important influence on at least two other important Spanish composers and musicians, Manuel de Falla and Pablo Casals.