''Iberia'' is a suite for

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

composed between 1905 and 1909 by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

composer

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 con ...

. It is composed of four books of three pieces each; a complete performance lasts about 90 minutes. It is Albéniz's best-known work and considered his masterpiece. It was highly praised by

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

and

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

, who said: "''Iberia'' is the wonder for the piano; it is perhaps on the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of instruments". Stylistically, this suite falls squarely in the school of

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, especially in its musical evocations of Spain. Iberia

It is considered one of the most challenging works for the piano: "There is really nothing in Isaac Albeniz's ''Iberia'' that a good three-handed pianist could not master, given unlimited years of practice and permission to play at half tempo. But there are few pianists thus endowed."

Composition

Book 1

Dedicated to

Ernest Chausson Amédée-Ernest Chausson (; 20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899) was a French Romantic composer. Life Born in Paris into an affluent bourgeois family, Chausson was the sole surviving child of a building contractor who made his fortune assisting Ba ...

's wife. * ''Evocación'' ("Evocation", A minor and A major), an impressionist reminiscence of Albéniz's native country, combining elements of the southern Spanish

fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

and the northern Spanish

jota Jota may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Iota (Ι, ι), the name of the 9th letter in the Greek alphabet; * (figuratively) ''Something very small'', based on the fact that the letter Iota (lat. i) is the smallest character in the alphabet; * The name of the ...

song forms. It includes the rarely seen

key signature In Western musical notation, a key signature is a set of sharp (), flat (), or rarely, natural () symbols placed on the staff at the beginning of a section of music. The initial key signature in a piece is placed immediately after the cl ...

of seven flats. * ''El Puerto'' (D major), a zapateado inspired by

El Puerto de Santa María El Puerto de Santa María (), locally known as El Puerto and historically in English as Port Saint Mary, is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. , the c ...

, in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. * ''Fête-dieu à Séville'' (F minor and F major) (alternative titles sometimes found: ''Corpus Christi''; ''El Corpus en Sevilla''), describing the Corpus Christi Day procession in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, during which the Corpus Christi is carried through the streets accompanied by

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

s. Musically, this piece consists of a processional

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

that eventually becomes overwhelmed by a mournful

saeta SAETA Air Ecuador (legally ''Sociedad Anónima Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos S.A.'') was a privately held airline of Ecuador, which was founded in 1966. During its heyday in the 1990s, it flew to numerous destinations in North and South Ame ...

, the melody evoking

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

cante jondo ''Cante jondo'' () is a vocal style in flamenco, an unspoiled form of Andalusian folk music. The name means "deep song" in Spanish, with ''hondo'' ("deep") spelled with J () as a form of eye dialect, because traditional Andalusian pronunciation ...

and the accompaniment evoking

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

guitars. The march and saeta alternate ever more loudly until the main march theme is restated as a lively

tarantella Tarantella () is a group of various Southern Italy, southern Italian Italian folk dance, folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania, Sicilia, and Apulia. It is characterized by a fast Beat (music), upbeat tempo, usually in Ti ...

that ends abruptly with a flamboyant ''ffff'' climactic chord; the piece concludes with a gentle coda again evoking flamenco guitars along with distant church bell sounds.

Book 2

* ''Rondeña'' (D major), after the Andalusian town of

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

. A variant of the

, it is characterized by the alternation of measures of and . * ''Almería'' (G major), relating to the Andalusian seaport of

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

, is loosely based on

tarantas ''Tarantas'' and ''Taranto'' are two related styles ('' palos'') of Flamenco music, that originated in the ''Andalusian'' province of Almería. Each is characterized by a shared modality (F-sharp Phrygian) and harmonic progression (Bm–A7–G ...

, a flamenco form characteristic of the region of

. * ''Triana'' (F minor), after the Gypsy quarter of Seville.

Book 3

* ''El Albaicín'' (B minor and B major) after the

Albaicín The Albaicín (), also spelled Albayzín (from ), is a neighbourhood of Granada, Spain. It is centered around a hill on the north side of the Darro (river), Darro River which passes through the city. The neighbourhood is notable for its historic ...

, district of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. * ''El Polo'' (F minor) after the

Polo (flamenco palo) ''Polo'' () is the name of a flamenco palo or musical form. There is only one known song in this ''palo'', which is extremely similar to another palo called caña, and its guitar accompaniment, like the ''caña'', shares its rhythm and motifs with ...

. * ''Lavapiés'' (D major), after the

district of Madrid Madrid, the capital of Spain, is divided into 21 districts, which are further subdivided into List of wards of Madrid, 131 administrative wards. Additional neighborhoods exist outside the boundaries of administrative borders. Each district is gove ...

Book 4

* ''Málaga'' (B minor and B major) * ''Jerez'' (A minor – arguably E Phrygian – and E major) * ''Eritaña'' (E major) from La Venta de Eritaña, a popular inn outside Seville where

Flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

dance was performed

Premiere performance

The twelve pieces were first performed by the French pianist Blanche Selva, but each book was premiered in a different place and on a different date. Three of the performances were in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the other being in a small town in the south of France. * Book I: May 9, 1906,

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by the acoustician Gustave Lyon together with the architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed i ...

, Paris * Book II: September 11, 1907,

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

* Book III: January 2, 1908, Palace of Princess de Polignac, Paris * Book IV: February 9, 1909,

Société Nationale de Musique Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...

, Paris.

Recordings

Among notable early recordings, pieces from ''Iberia'' were recorded by

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

. ''Iberia'' was first recorded in its entirety by

Alicia de Larrocha Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle (23 May 192325 September 2009) was a Spanish pianist and composer. She was considered one of the great piano legends of the 20th century. Reuters called her "the greatest Spanish pianist in history", ''Time'' " ...

in 1958-9 (Hispavox / Erato DUE 20236/37, MI 64504?. She recorded it three more times, in 1961 or 1962 again for Hispavox in stereo (Hispavox HH 10-89/90), in 1972 (London 448191 and 433926), and 1986 (London 417887). The suite was also recorded by Luis Fernando Pérez, which has been highly acclaimed and earned him the Albéniz Medal. It has also been recorded by

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean and American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque music, baroque to 20th-century classical music, 20th-century composers, especially B ...

(Books 1 and 2 only).

Gustavo Díaz-Jerez Gustavo Díaz-Jerez (born 27 February 1970) is a Spanish pianist and composer. Biography Gustavo Díaz-Jerez was born on 27 February 1970 in Tenerife. Díaz-Jerez studied piano with J. A. Rodriguez at the Conservatorio Superior of Santa Cr ...

, whose 2009 CD recording also won him the 2010 Albéniz Medal, is the first pianist to record Iberia in DVD and High Definition Video. Other pianists that have audio recordings of Iberia include Miguel Baselga, Ricardo Requejo,

Michel Block Michel Block (January 12, 1937 – March 4, 2003) was a Belgian-French pianist. Biography Born of French parents in Antwerp, Belgium, he moved with his parents to Mexico as child, where his grandfather had settled in 1870. Block studied piano i ...

, Guillermo González (according to his own critical edition of the score),

Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, OQ (born September 5, 1961) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer who has received 11 Grammy Award nominations. He is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec ...

Yvonne Loriod Yvonne Louise Georgette Loriod-Messiaen (; 20 January 1924 – 17 May 2010) was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod. Biography Loriod ...

, Marek Jablonski,

Artur Pizarro Artur Pizarro (born Lisbon, 1968) is an internationally-acclaimed Portuguese concert pianist.Kennedy, Michael and Joyce Bourne. "Pizarro, Artur" ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press: 1996. Designated with the presti ...

Jean-François Heisser Jean-François Heisser (born 7 December 1950) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Saint-Étienne, Heisser studied piano first with Paul Simonnar in Saint-Étienne, then at the Conservatoire de Paris with Vlado Perlemuter. His vast r ...

, Esteban Sánchez, Kotaro Fukuma, and Ángel Sanzo, among many others.

Arrangements

Enrique Fernández Arbós Enrique Fernández Arbós (24 December 1863 – 2 June 1939) was a Spanish violinist, composer and conductor who divided much of his career between Madrid and London. He originally made his name as a virtuoso violinist and later as one of Spain's ...

and

Carlos Surinach Carlos Lund (or Carles Suriñach)
i Wrokona (; March 6, 1915 – November 12, 1997) was a Spanish-born

each arranged pieces from ''Iberia'' for full orchestra. There is an orchestral arrangement of the ''Fête-dieu à Seville'' by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

, from the mid-1920s, which he recorded with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

in 1928. More recently,

Peter Breiner Peter Breiner (born 3 July 1957) is a Slovak pianist, conductor, and composer. Biography Early life and studies Breiner, born in Humenné, Czechoslovakia, began to play the piano at age four. When he was nine, he enrolled at the conservatory i ...

arranged the whole work for full orchestra. The composer

Francisco Guerrero Marín Francisco Guerrero Marín (July 7, 1951 – October 19, 1997) was a Spanish composer. He was born in Linares and died in Madrid. During his lifetime, he completed several compositions, among which there are five major works for orchestra: Antar A ...

, calling ''Iberia'' "the greatest Spanish work in the last hundred years", also made an arrangement of six pieces before his death in 1997. A version for three guitars was made by Christophe Dejour and recorded by Trio Campanella. A two-guitar

overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio Music track, tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto o ...

version has been released by French guitarist Jean-Marc Zvellenreuther. An invitation to

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

to orchestrate six pieces from ''Iberia'' was the genesis of that composer's ''

Boléro ''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. It is one of Ravel's most famous compositions. It was also one of his last completed works before illness diminished his ability to write music. Composition T ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iberia (Albeniz) Spanish compositions for solo piano Suites by Isaac Albéniz 1909 compositions Orchestral suites