Albéniz - Suite española

When the father of Isaac Albéniz realized that his young son displayed prodigious musical talent
(little Isaac reportedly gave his first concert when he was 4 years old), the boy divided his time between studying and giving concerts. His parents took him to Paris, but he was denied entry into the Conservatoire because he was too young.  The pressure put on him by his father to study and give concerts may have been the reason Isaac made many attempts to run away from home.

Albéniz's father was a custom's agent, and on his job-related travels he took Isaac and his younger sister on a concert tour of northern Spain. Isaac was nine years old when his concert career began and by the age of fifteen he had traveled many parts of the world concertizing, and contrary to legends about Albéniz running away from home as a stow away on a ship to South America, his father accompanied him on his travels.

He concertized as a pianist for most of his life, in addition to composing. His style made a major shift from salon pieces to music that reflected the mood, rhythm and style of the traditional music of Spain.  Albéniz's was original in that he did not use folk tunes in his works, but he adapted the style of the Spanish folk tune.

 Suite española originally had only four pieces included, but after Albéniz died in 1909 his publisher added four more pieces to make the version of the work that is most well known.  The original four pieces are named after regions of Spain along with the type of dance or musical form used. Some of the four additional works added after Albéniz's death do not retain this distinction. The names were chosen by the publisher and not Albéniz himself.

All but one of the eight pieces in the suite are in ternary form with a contrasting middle section called a copla, an interlude of a vocal nature.  Albéniz heard many guitar players of Spain, and when some of the pieces from the suite were arranged for guitar he was delighted, and said that was the sound he had in mind when he wrote the pieces.

I. Granada (Serenade) - The meaning of the word serenade is derived from the Italian word for calm.. Albéniz creates a mood of calmness with a simple melody in the bass accompanied by rolled chords in the right hand in imitation of a guitar:

The middle section has the melody move up to the right hand and alternates between minor and major mode. Granada along with Asturias is one of the pieces of this suite most often transcribed for guitar. Granada was the last Arab-held part of Spain, and it was one of Albéniz's favorite places to be, as he wrote in a letter:

I think that Granada, where I am, is 'the treasure of Andalusian music.' I also believe that I must write this, as I am convinced that my youth is full of enough musical experiences to embark in the conquest of this wonderful land, endowed with exquisiteness, cordiality and love, but safe-keeping all this as the Arabs safe-kept the flowers of their garden and the women in their palaces.

II. Cataluña (Courante) -   The only piece in the suite that is not in ternary form. It has a dotted rhythmic pulse in the melody, and after it is played through a short coda brings the piece to a close.  Some have suggested that this piece was in honor of Albéniz's mother who had recently died.

III. Sevilla (Sevillanas) -  The sevillanas are dances that can be mistaken for Flamenco, but while it was influenced by flamenco in the early 19th century it is not the same. After the repeated notes in the bass ends the first section, the middle section begins with a plaintive melody played two octaves apart.

IV. Cádiz (Canción) -  Canción means song in Spanish, and the form is descendant from the saeta, a song of religious nature that may have had Jewish origins that go back to the 16th century. This piece evokes the subtler rhythms of Flamenco.

V. Asturias (Leyenda) - This piece is the most glaring example of the mismatching of a style to a region in the suite. The music of the Asturias region of Spain has nothing in common with the Flamenco style of the music. The subtitle Leyenda meaning Legend,  is not any dance or song form, but it is descriptive of the mood of the piece. It opens with an imitation of a Flamenco guitarist with the melody in the left hand intertwined with the repeated note in the right hand:

Albéniz imitated the guitar so well that this piece was adapted quite readily to the guitar and is more often heard in that version than the original piano version. The entire first section expands on this beginning, and is punctuated by leaps of accented chords in the right hand and octaves in the left while the melody still manages to be carried in the left hand. The slower central section is made up of different subsections that refer to motives in the opening. The first section repeats and a short coda brings one of the most representative of Spanish piano pieces to a hushed ending.

VI. Aragón (Fantasía) -  This piece has a reoccurring motive of a triplet on the second beat of the measure throughout. Repeated sixteenth notes herald the middle section which is title copla by the composer. It is a mellow theme in thirds. The copla does not last long, as the tempo of the beginning returns and the music plays a variant of the opening theme that magically repeats, twists and turns upon itself.  A short section with rolled chords in the right hand over a melody in the left segues to a repeat of the first section. A coda closes this excellent piece solidly in F major.

VII. Castilla (Seguidilla) - In another guitar inspired rhythm, the melody is in the left hand in this seguidillas, an ancient Castillian dance.

VIII. Cuba (Capriccio) -  Has also been referred to as a nocturne, Albéniz included Cuba as a region of Spain because it was indeed a possession of Spain at the time the piece was written, and Albéniz had played many concerts there. The piece is in 6/8 time and the first section's main feature is a melody that in the second and third bar of the phrase plays two notes against three in the left hand:

The middle section is in more the mood of a nocturne.

Albéniz - Iberia

The music of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz evolved from early pieces composed in a European Romantic salon style, to music quintessentially Spanish. Albéniz used the characteristics of native music that was a melting pot of stylistic influences that began with the Islamic Moors in the 8th century. Added to the mix was music of the Romani people (Gypsies) that led to Flamenco, as well as other influences. This in turn lead to different styles of music according to the different areas of Spain.

It is interesting to note that although Albéniz was Spanish by birth and culture, he chose to live many years of his adult life outside of the country due to the backwardness and conservatism of Spain at the time. When he lived in Paris, Albéniz came under the influence of French music. His own compositions become more complex structurally, rhythmically and harmonically. The tonal palettes of Debussy inspired him and he managed to use all of these influences in combination with extreme technical demands on the pianist. For most of his life Albéniz was a virtuoso performer on the piano, and the pieces of Iberia are some of  the most difficult works in the repertoire. It is not only the technical difficulties by themselves. Rhythmic complexities contribute to the gymnastics of the player as well as a huge range of dynamics. The culmination of his life as a composer came in 1905-1909 when he composed the 12 pieces of Iberia, his suite for solo piano. It is a rare pianist that can do justice to all twelve of the pieces.  Albéniz died in May of 1909 from kidney disease.

Iberia is written in a series of four books with three pieces per book:

Book One:
1) Evocación -  Albéniz chose to live outside of Spain, but that didn't mean he wasn't nostalgic for his homeland. This first piece begins with his reminisces of Spain and its music. The title of it tells the tale, for the word evocation means the act of bringing or recalling a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind. It is in the rare key of A-flat minor (seven flats) and has a short section in A-flat major. There are sections that sound similar in spirit to Debussy, probably by intention, as there is a Debussian dreamlike quality to the music. The dynamic range of this piece runs from fortississimo (fff) to a barely audible pianississississimo (ppppp)

2) El Puerto - This piece depicts a bustling port city and is in the style of a zapateado, a flamenco dance of Spain that is in 6/8 time. Albéniz also throws in some examples of guitar strumming for good effect. The piecce ands very quietly.

3) Fête-dieu à Seville - Also known as El Corpus Christi en Sevilla, this is a short tone poem that evokes the procession of a statue of the Virgin Mary (as well as other statuary) down the streets of Seville in celebration of the Body of Christ, an event that has been occurring in the town since the 15th century. After some rapid strumming notes begin the piece, a march ensues. The music becomes more impassioned (and on the written page utilizes three staves instead of the usual two) until a middle section of more tranquil music begins. This middle section  is in the feeling of a Spanish religious song, a saeta. The march returns, builds to a climax and transforms into a dance. The end of the piece turns tranquil and introspective and ends quietly.

Book Two:
4) Rondeña - Ostensibly named after a dance from the city of Ronda in Andalusia. The distinction of this piece is the horizontal hemiola that is heard throughout most of the piece by the alternating time signatures of 6/8 and 3/4.

5) Almería - Another piece that takes its title from the name of a city in Andalusia. This time vertical hemiola is used by Albéniz as the left hand is generally in 6/8 time while the left drifts in and out of 3/4 time. Again Albéniz utilizes three staves of music in some sections, which while making the music look more complicated actually helps the performer realize the composer's intentions with more clarity, that is, after the performer gets accustomed to reading three staves instead of two! There are some interesting dissonances before the music comes to a quiet close.

6) Triana - Named after the section of Seville where gypsies live, the music lives up to its namesake by imitating the slapping of hands and stamping of feet of flamenco.

Book Three:
7) El Albaicín - This piece is also named after a gypsy section of town, this time the town is Granada. It begins quietly with an imitation of flamenco guitar that leads to the main theme of the piece. This theme alternates with more docile melodies. The main theme grows more animated and dissonant each time it returns. The piece ends with a final repetition of the main theme.

8) El Polo - Polo is a type of flamenco song with one particular song being the most well known.  Albéniz does not quote the well known song. He very seldom quoted other music. He understood the styles of different types of music in Spain and incorporated the style into his original material. The rhythm heard at the beginning runs throughout the piece.

9) Lavapiés - Named for an area in the city of Madrid. At one time Lavapiés was a seamy part of town that was noisy and full of shady activity. The music is loud and dissonant in reflection of the area.

Book Four:
10) Málaga - The title refers to the province of  Málaga, whose capital is also Málaga. It is located in the southern portion of Spain. The music has a great deal of rhythmic freedom. There is a basic theme that appears between differing episodes, but the changing rhythmic pulses and dissonances (that are more like fattened harmony than jarring) keeps things interesting.

11) Jerez - A city in Spain whose history goes back to Roman times. The town name was taken from the Arabic name of the town during Moorish rule. The town is known for the production the fortified wine sherry, which got its name from the town. The music switches time signatures frequently, and uses the rare time signature of 1/4,  with 2/4 and 3/4, giving it an authentic feeling of flamenco metric freedom.

12) Eritaña - The final piece depicts an evening in a tavern (that is also the name of the piece) on the outskirts of Seville. The inn was renown for the flamenco entertainment that took place there. Once again Albéniz mirrors the steps of the dance with the strumming of guitars in this finale of the most Spanish of piano works.