
''Chants d'Espagne'', Op. 232, ( es, Cantos de España, links=no, English: Songs of Spain) is a suite of originally three, later five pieces for the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
by
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his conte ...
. ''Prélude'' (later known as Asturias (Leyenda)), ''Orientale'' and ''Sous le palmier'' were published in 1892, and ''Córdoba'' and ''Seguidillas'' were added in the 1898 edition. According to Günter Schulze, "Many...
f the workshave the flavor of the flamenco so beloved of Albéniz."
Historically this suite, and the first three pieces, are usually referred to by their French names, but some recordings give the titles in Spanish.
Premières and impact
The suite was premiered in Paris on March 28, 1892, by Albéniz in a private concert for piano and cello, accompanied by members of the Opéra National de Paris orchestra. Several days later the first publication of the work in the repertoire was announced by the composer's publisher.
The music
1. ''Prélude''
The Prélude (Spanish: ''Preludio'') is also known under the titles ''Asturias (Leyenda)'', titles given to it when it was incorporated into an extended version of Albéniz's
Suite española, two years after the composer's death.
Stanley Yates
s website - ''Albeniz's Leyenda'' Francisco Tárrega
Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea (21 November 185215 December 1909) was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as Capricho Árabe and '' Recuerdos de la Alhambra''. He is often calle ...
arranged the piece for guitar in its most recognizable key, E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.
The E natural minor scale is:
:
Changes nee ...
; it was subsequently made popular by Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students.
Segovia's contribution to the m ...
. The theme, or versions of it, is often used in film music
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
and popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...
.
Albéniz's biographer, Walter Aaron Clark, describes the piece as "pure Andalusian flamenco" with a main theme that mimics the guitar technique of alternating the thumb and fingers of the right hand, playing a pedal-note open string with the index finger and a bass melody with the thumb. The theme itself suggests the rhythm of the bulería — a song from the flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...
repertoire. The ‘marcato
Marcato (short form: Marc.; Italian for ''marked'') is a musical instruction indicating a note, chord
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, wh ...
’/ 'staccato’ markings suggest both guitar sounds and the footwork of a flamenco dancer. The piece sounds as though it is written in the Phrygian mode which is typical of bulerías. The second section is a reminiscent of a copla — a sung verse following a specific form. Clark states that it is written in typical Albéniz form as it is "presented monophonically but doubled at the fifteenth for more fullness of sound. The music alters between a solo and accompaniment that is typical of flamenco. The short middle section of the piece is written in the style of a malagueña — another flamenco style piece. The malagueña borrows two motives from the previous copla and builds on them. The piece returns to its first theme until a slow "hymn-like" passage ends the piece.
2. ''Orientale''
This piece (Spanish: ''Oriental'') too is based on the songs and dances of Andalusia in spite of its Asian name. Opening with a dissonant clash of chords, the Phrygian mode
The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the moder ...
is established quickly. It is melancholic and reflective. The main theme is also based on an octosyllabic copla.
3. ''Sous le palmier''
''Sous le palmier'' (Spanish: ''Bajo la palmera'' = Under the Palm Tree), also known as ''Danse espagnole'' (Spanish Dance). As the piece has two names, it also has two feelings as it progresses. The gentle swaying of the palm trees coincides with the swaying of the Gypsy tango
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
. When Ericourt describes how the rhythm should be played in these pieces, he writes, "First, the rhythm is to be steady, with even beats throughout, but at the same time, give a supple and relaxed, even languid or voluptuous impression. The 'marcato' indication at the beginning means exactness, rather than a rigidity of rhythm. The music must flow uninterruptedly."
Ericourt also emphasizes the importance of moderation in expression: "Any exaggeration, tonal or otherwise, could easily bring vulgarity to this composition."
At measure 17, the music moves to the parallel minor
In music theory, a major scale and a minor scale that have the same tonic note are called parallel keys and are said to be in a parallel relationship. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p.9. 3rd edition. Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. . "Whe ...
, a move seen in other pieces by Albéniz. Clark describes the power the shift creates when he writes, "(it) expresses a sadness that we can fully understand only if we recall the depression that underlay his outward sanguinity." This sadness is touched on sparingly in the biographical works on Albéniz.
4. ''Córdoba''
''Córdoba'' celebrates one of Albéniz's favorite cities. In the heart of Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...
, the city of Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to:
* Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain
* Córdoba, Argentina, 2nd largest city in the country and capital of Córdoba Province
Córdoba or Cordoba may ...
is home to Spain's famous "great Mosque". The city is rich in history, both Christian and Moorish, and Albéniz captures the mood and feel of both in ''Córdoba''. Clark states that the name of the piece may have been inspired by Albéniz's namesake, St. Isaac of Córdoba, who died defending his faith in this southern Andalusian city.
The piece begins with the sound of tolling church bells. The sound of a hymn in dorian mode
Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the medieval musical modes; or—mo ...
plays in a faux bourdon style, rhythmically ambiguous so as to resemble liturgical singing. The first section ends in contrasting character, reminiscent of a gusla
The gusle ( sr-cyrl, гусле) or lahuta ( sq, lahutë) is a single-stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanied by s ...
playing a serenade with a Moorish sound. The second section sounds of flamenco dancers and Spanish folk song rhythms as it mounts to a moving climax. There is a repeat of the first section and then a brief coda . Ericourt states, "In view of the multifaceted nature of this piece, it would not be improper to consider this evocative composition a tone poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...
for the piano."
5. ''Seguidillas''
The final piece of the collection is ''Seguidillas''. A seguidilla
The seguidilla (; ; plural in both English and Spanish ''seguidillas''; diminutive of ''seguida'', which means "sequence" and is the name of a dance). Accessed May 2008. is an old Castilian folksong and dance form in quick triple time for two peo ...
is a popular song or dance form composed from four to seven verses. The form is explained as, "based on strong flamenco rhythms. Its seven "verses" are tied together by the similarity of the first three verses, the fact that the 4th and 5th verses begin in the same way as the first three, and that the 6th is based on their endings; the 7th verse is a free mixture of the beginning and ending materials just mentioned. The seven verses are enclosed by a four-bar introduction, which set the rhythm, and a 13-bar Coda which provides a brilliant ending."
Exact rhythm is paramount in the performance of this piece to be true to the typical Spanish dance form.
Summary
''Chants d'Espagne'' demonstrates new forms and new harmonies that Albéniz had not shown previously. Clark writes, "The suite represents the furthest advance in Albéniz's Spanish style to date in its seriousness, harmonic richness, and formal variety." It was after the composing this suite that Albéniz redirected his compositional energy toward musical drama, opera and theatre.
Bibliography
*Walter Aaron Clark, ''Isaac Albéniz: A Guide to Research'', Garland Publishing Inc. New York & London, 1998.
*Walter Aaron Clark, ''Isaac Albéniz: Portrait of a Romantic'', Oxford University Press, New York 1999.
*Daniel Ericourt and Robert. P. Erickson, ''MasterClasses in Spanish Piano Music'', Hinshaw Music, Chapel Hill North Carolina, 1984.
Notes
{{Authority control
Spanish compositions for solo piano
Suites by Isaac Albéniz
1892 compositions
Articles containing video clips