F.J. Giménez-Rodríguez: What Spanishness?

Avant-garde Vs. Nationalism, Neopopularism and IRASM 49 (2018) 1: 95-114

Espagnolade in El Amor Brujo de Manuel de Falla (1915-1923)

El Pueblo reported that »both script and music could not be more soporific.«37
Regarding the music:

Maestro Falla has not shown any originality or inspiration this time, and despite the fame
that the young composer is preceded by, his score was not liked by the audience either,
and a light stamping of feet could be heard during the prelude to the second scene.

The chronicler does praise the dances of Pastora Imperio and the stage
scenery by Néstor, the ’true winner’ of the night. In fact, to keep El Amor Brujo on
the Valencian stage two days after the premiere, it was announced that »Pastora
Imperio, in addition to performing this piece, and as a special treat to the
distinguished Eslava audience, would end the show with one of the most original
numbers of her exclusive repertoire«.
After the performances in Valencia were over, the magazine El Eco Artístico
published a brief and blunt review, »Eslava.– Previously acclaimed Pastora
Imperio made her debut with El amor brujo, and the audience, having paid to see
something supposedly phenomenal, saw this was just an illusion.«38

Barcelona (Teatro Imperi, 21 June 1915)

There are few references to the premiere of El amor brujo in Barcelona in the
press. La Vanguardia published a brief review pointing out the extraordinary
dancing skills of Pastora Imperio, rewarded with enthusiastic applause, and
describing her singing as »very inspired«. It also highlighted the costumes and
stage scenery by Néstor, the secondary characters and the orchestra, predicting a
large number of performances.39
There is also an interesting review in Teatre Català focused on the theatrical
aspects of the work. It is described as a piece centred exclusively on Pastora Impe-
rio; Martínez Sierra has not been concerned with anything other than »including
dances and writing couplets for her«. From the dramatic point of view, the
correlation of the plot is lost as it abruptly takes us from one place to another.
However, the piece highlights Pastora Imperio’s voluptuous talent. Falla’s music
is also praised: »it is highly pleasurable and always applauded«. These criticisms
go unnoticed to the audience, »and proof of this is the resounding success at the
premiere and the following nights; a long season is assured for El Amor brujo.«40

37
E. M., Teatros. Eslava, El amor brujo, El Pueblo: diario de republicano de Valencia, 20 May 1915, 4.
38
Valencia. Eslava, El eco artístico, 25 May 1915, 24.
39
Música y teatros, La Vanguardia, 23 May 1915, 15.
40
»I la prova és l’èxit esclatant que obtingué la vetlla de l’estrena ratificat en les succesives, i que
asseguren l’existencia al cartell de Amor brujo una llarga temporada.« Teatre castellà. Informacio. Imperi,
El teatre català, 3 July 1915, 442.

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 F.J. Giménez-Rodríguez: What Spanishness?
Avant-garde Vs. Nationalism, Neopopularism and
IRASM 49 (2018) 1: 95-114
Espagnolade in El Amor Brujo de Manuel de Falla (1915-1923)

In spite of this anticipation, El Amor brujo did not run for long, and again we
find some striking lines in El Eco artístico: »Pastora Imperio performed El amor
brujo at the Teatro Imperio, a gitanería nobody seemed to like, as happened also in
Madrid. You, Doña Pastora, just dance, nothing more; anything else will be simply
making a fool of yourself.«41

Buenos Aires (Teatro San Martín, 27 September 1915)

The one-act, two-scene gitanería also premièred in Buenos Aires. There was a
positive review in the Argentine newspaper La Nación, which had already covered
the Madrid première in May and repeated the criticisms aimed at Pastora Imperio
that »Zeda« had made.42
In September43 the forthcoming première of the gitanería at the Teatro San
Martín was announced, a broad summary of rehearsals was published two days
later, the value of the piece was highlighted and a concise summary of the plot
was included together with several complete passages of the text such as the
»Romance del pescador.«44
Among the strong points mentioned is that the work is full of character,
conceived for the brilliance of an impetuous gypsy dancer. But the main highlight
is the musical score, extremely complicated, difficult and original, it consolidates
the great success that Falla had achieved with La Vida Breve.
Finally, on 27 September, El Amor Brujo was premièred in Buenos Aires and the
following day an extensive review was published.45 It begins by reflecting on an
increasingly popular genre in mid-19th century Spain, whose character was under-
mined by the espagnolades made for export that were shown in Paris. »Gregorio
Martínez Sierra could not fall into the vulgarity of presenting a tambourine Anda-
lusia, false and exaggerated with ‘mise-en-scène’ effects, with bullfighters and cir-
cus pantomime chulapas.«46 However, the reviewer sees El amor brujo as an »accurate
gypsy expression«, and for that reason, of less theatrical effect than the ’género chico’

41
»Pastora Imperio, en el Teatro Imperio, ha representado la gitanería »El amor brujo«, que, como
en Madrid, no ha gustado a nadie. Usted, Doña Pastora, baile nada más; todo lo que no sea eso será,
sencillamente, hacer el ridículo.« Varietés.– Barcelona, Eco artístico, 5 June 1915, 27.
42
Teatros y conciertos. Notas extranjeras. Los teatros de Madrid, La Nación, 19 May 1915, 9.
43
Teatros y conciertos. Ecos diversos, La Nación, 24 September 1915, 11.
44
Teatros y conciertos. El amor brujo. Gitanería de Martínez Sierra y el maestro Falla, La Nación, 26
September, 1915, 13.
45
Teatros y conciertos. La escena lírica. El amor brujo, La Nación, 28 September 1915, 10.
46
»Gregorio Martínez Sierra no podía caer en la vulgaridad de presentar esa Andalucía de
pandereta, falsa en sus asuntos y exagerada en sus efectos de ’mise en scene’, con toreros y chulapas
de pantomima de circo». Teatros y conciertos. La escena lírica. El amor brujo, La Nación, 28 September
1915, 10.

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 F.J. Giménez-Rodríguez: What Spanishness?
Avant-garde Vs. Nationalism, Neopopularism and IRASM 49 (2018) 1: 95-114
Espagnolade in El Amor Brujo de Manuel de Falla (1915-1923)

espagnolades. He also affirms that a mistake made by the author of the script was to
mix dance, dialogues and songs in a way that does not place the piece within any
traditional genre. Still, he sees an accurate theatrical effect, especially in the first
scene, as the outcome of the second one is blurred and, therefore, cold.
In terms of the music, it was described as colourful and violent, »as appropri-
ate for the poetic and visual unity of the whole«. The rhythm of ’pure gypsies’, the
richness of expression and the beauty of form stand out in the score. He sees Falla
as a modern musician educated in the French school, with an exquisite handling
of orchestral tones within a harmonic freedom learned from the Russians, ad-
mired by the author in Hahn and Debussy.
For the Buenos Aires critic, this was to place the work beyond the scope of
Spanish theatre, and the musical composition »among those of the most advanced
elite of contemporary musicians«. The review also covered other aspects such as
Néstor’s set design, which was inspired by Léon Bakst and the Ballets Russes,
thereby going beyond the Spanishness of the piece.

Other Versions: Lisbon (1916), London (1920), Nantes (1923) and Paris (1923)

The 1915 gitanería did not premiere as such in other cities. Falla produced a
series of concert versions: one for sextet (2 vn, vla, vc, cb, p.) which was premiered
in Lisbon in the autumn of 1915, and another for orchestra (with the addition of
clarinets, bassoon and strings) which was performed in concert halls in other
European cities from 1920 onwards.
Some excerpts from El amor brujo arrived in London first included in renowned
soloists’ concerts, like the »Ritual fire dance«, who was played and recorded by
Arthur Rubinstein several times,47 or the »Gypsy Song« (probably »La canción del
fuego fatuo«), sung »in a true gitana style« by Marguerite D’Alvarez48 on her
return to the Queen’s Hall in May 1920.49 It is appropriate to note that specifically
these two excerpts were introduced to audiences in London as intense pieces of
exoticism. Therefore, the review of D’Alvarez’s concert pointed out that: »Every-
thing was finely sung with a strong emotional emphasis which was not invariably
justified by the text or the music, but which is the secret of Mme D’Alvarez’s
strong hold upon her public.«

47
Carol A. HESS, Sacred Passions: The Life and Music of Manuel de Falla, New York, Oxford Univer-
sity Press, 2005, 88-89.
48
Marguerite d’Alvarez (1883-1953) was an English contralto with Peruvian-French parents who
studied in Brussels and Paris, making an international career as operatic and concert singer. Among
her recordings, she made one in 1920 dedicated to Spanish songs by Falla, Chapi and Tabuyo. See Pot-
ter T. Ladies of low repute – Part 7. Classical Recordings Quarterly, 78 (Autumn 2014), 45.
49
Queen’s Hall. Welcome return of Mme. D’Alvarez, Pall Mall Gazette, 17 May 1920, 10.

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