This Spanish maestro was born in the village of Granadella, near the city of Lleida. An important figure in guitar history, he is regarded as the leading spokesman for twentieth century guitar pedagogy. He was a student of Francisco Tarrega. His musical studies began with the director of the village band who taught him the sight-singing method, solfeggio. These lessons continued and he also enrolled at the Municipal school of Music in Barcelona.

At age 11 years he learnt to play the bandurria (similar to mandolin and cittern) and was selected to perform with the famous Catalonian bandurria and guitar orchestra “Estudiantina Universitaria” at the Paris Exhibition in 1900. At the behest of his father, Dr. Don Ramon Pujol, Emilio initiated engineering studies which were detained by a long bout of pleurisy (a lung ailment) after which he was able to convince his father of his passion for music as a career. In 1901 he began his studies with Francisco Tárrega at the Conservatory of Barcelona. At this time Tárrega's former student Miguel Llobet was expanding his performances beyond Barcelona thus beginning his illustrious concert career.

Referring to Tárrega as his "mestre" (Catalan for “Maestro”), in his biography he endearingly described the then 49-year-old teacher as graying, with a long beard in the style of the Spanish painter, Zorilla. His first few lessons alone with the “mestre” dealt only with position, tuning, left and right hand positioning, and harmony. Pujol was later chosen as one of Tárrega's elite students and was included in a daily program of instruction. In the morning they practiced arpeggios, “cejas” (bars), scales, “ligados” (slurs), and trills, all in timed exercise sessions.- A break for lunch and rest, but as Riera in his biography on Pujol mentions, Emilio would practice through the break as well- Interpretation was the focus in the afternoon, with Tárrega personally illustrating various original or transcribed guitar works. One student would then perform a work for the class, afterwhich the performance was critiqued by teacher and classmates.

Often the students were invited to a concert of guitar duets played by their teacher and the prolific arranger Dr. Severino Garcia-Fortea. Emilio Pujol continued with these studies until 1907 after Tárrega became partially paralysed. Francisco Tárrega died two years later at which time Pujol was in Madrid studying theory and composition with Agustín Campo, a former student of Dionisio Aguado. Pujol keenly felt the loss of his former “mestre” (Catalan for “Maestro”) as was expressed in his biography Tárrega, Ensayo biografico. Both in mourning, Llobet wrote to Pujol expressing his loss as well as inviting to him to stay in touch - “Write me or better yet come. . . [to Paris]. . . for it is your opinions that interest me.” .