Makaroff was a Russian nobleman (Philip J. Bone, The Guitar and Mandolin, MCMXIV, p. 204), an officer, a guitarist, a lexicographer, a witness to history (musicians, especially guitarists and guitar-makers) and a patron. He started 1856 in Brussels the first international competition for the best guitar composition and the best guitar instrument. The memoirs of Makaroff describe (among other things) his development, meetings with guitarists, composers and guitar-makers.
