Born in Kingston upon Hull (England) on 31 January 1868 into a family of musicians, Ernest Shand (born Ernest William Watson) first took up the violin and piano, then the guitar, which he studied with the help of his father. He studied harmony at Holy Trinity Church and won scholarships to Hull Grammar School and Derby College. From 1888 he took guitar lessons from Madame Sidney Pratten, a guitar virtuoso and composer (she had performed as a child with Regondi and later with Gounod and Tarrega). In his day, Shand was unanimously recognised as the greatest English concert pianist and composer for the guitar. However, as the guitar was only appreciated by a few guitar enthusiasts in England at that time, Shand struggled to make a living as a concert pianist and composer, often turning to a more lucrative job: as an actor and variety singer. It was here that he began to adopt the pseudonym Ernest Shand alternating his activities as an actor and guitarist-composer, performing in the best theatres in London.

A traumatic incident occurred in Nottingham a few years later when Shand was attacked by a Russian who did not like one of his patriotic songs. His injuries inflicted him for the rest of his life and the shock made him withdraw forever from public performance and concentrate on composing. He died on 29 November 1924.

His output comprises short character pieces, ranging from dances to marches, from lyrical sketches to rhapsodic fantasies. The quality of his writing is always of a high standard: the melodic line, imaginative and engaging, is supported by a refined and elegant harmony, with a taste for modulation that demonstrates his profound knowledge of the major composers of his era; these characteristics are maintained even in his more salon-like pieces.

Played with dedication and affection by Alberto La Rocca, who previously made a beautiful recording for Brilliant Classics of guitar music by Segovia.