During the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, a serious concern regarding the academic credentials of musicians arose in Spain. This movement was led by Francisco Barbieri and Felipe Pedrell. Drawing on Krausism and Regenerationism, Pedrell defined the cultural background required by true artists, following an ideal of musicians that went far beyond mere skilled artisans. The aim of this paper is to describe the way this concern developed, and how it influenced the pedagogy undertaken by Enrique Granados in his Academy in Barcelona from 1901 to 1916. In addition, it explores the continuation of Granados's ideological legacy after his death. The results show the way in which the Regenerationist and Pedrellian ideals were applied and developed within the walls of the Academy. Its activity, carried out even after the Spanish Civil War, contributed to the preservation of Spain's cultural heritage.