Triana

by Isaac Albéniz

An artistic approach to perform

Analysis of Spanish folk music, inspiration and

sources.

María Luisa Quintas Soriano

Main coach: Mary Sayre

2nd year master (piano)

 Table of contents

1. Introduction 2

2. Isaac Albéniz 3
2.1. Biography 3
2.2. General style and main works 7

3. Iberia 10
3.1. Structure 11
3.2. Stylistic elements 12
3.3. Orchestration of Iberia 14
3.4. Flamenco music in Spain 15
3.5. Flamenco music forms and its relation with Iberia. 16
3.5.1. Main elements of Flamenco music 18

4. Triana.and Iberia 22
4.1. Relationship with the popular genre or Flamenco reference 23
4.2. Formal structure and its relation to main elements of Flamenco 26
4.3. Harmony 43
4.4. Impressionistic elements 52

5. Conclusions 56

6. Bibliography 58

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 1. Introduction

Spanish folklore is an unknown field to most musicians from outside of Spain.

Consequently, without proper knowledge of traditional Spanish music, it is difficult to
understand the depth and meaning of important works based on them. Although this style
seems easy to perform, it is necessary to make an analysis of rhythms, harmonies, modes,
melodies, and other specific elements of folklore. The main reason is to have the most
accurate and sincere approach to this music which entails much more than a technical
method.

“Iberia” is one of the most important works related to Spanish Nationalism and a
masterpiece by Isaac Albéniz. Each piece of this great collection evokes a different place or
festivity of Spain and it is inspired by specific types of folk music. For this research, I
chose to focus on analysing “Triana”. Its inspiration comes from Sevilla’s gypsy
neighbourhood which is one of the main locations of flamenco music in Spain.
As a starting point for this study, the research question is: What kind of folkloric elements
are presented in “Triana” and how can the performer explain them?
The goal of this research is to find all the elements in “Triana” such as the guitar´s effects,
castanets, hand-clapping or foot- tapping which remind us of the atmosphere of this
neighbourhood or comes from Flamenco music. Thus, the study aims to show where the
performer can find them and what their real meaning is.
Nowadays, “Iberia” is played by many pianists around the world but in the opinion of quite
a few musicians, the best performances of this piece come from Spain. Therefore, this
research intends to bring Spanish traditional music closer and more understandable for the
performer. Thus, before starting the study of the piece, the information and meaning of the
score will be clear from it. Furthermore, due to my interests in “Iberia” and Albéniz,
“Triana” is going to be one of the pieces included in the programme of my final Master
exam. Therefore, this research is very relevant and almost necessary for my artistic
development.
In order to discover all these elements, this research is organised into two large
sections. It will include two different methodological approaches, one theoretical part and

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one practical part. First of all, the two first chapters are based on literature sources in order
to find out the background of the composer and to learn more about Spanish traditional
music. It will help to have an idea of Albéniz´ styles, main works, his life, and inspirational
sources. It is also relevant to know the structure and characteristics of “Iberia´s” pieces, in
order to find the connection with folk music. In this case, it will be related to the Flamenco
style which will be explained by discussing its main elements.
In this way, before starting with the practical part and the analysis of the piece, the reader
will have knowledge of what Flamenco music is, its characteristics and where it appears in
“Iberia”.
The second part will consist of the analysis of recordings and of the score, and also my
process of practicing the piece. The goal of this part will consist of discovering all those
elements that were mentioned before and bringing them together. All of the things
considered will be reflected in the conclusion of the research.

2. Isaac Albéniz

2.1. Biography

The journey through the life of the Spanish pianist and composer Isaac Albéniz, is at the
same time, an interesting combination of curious stories together with the depth and interest
of an extraordinary musician´s career. In fact, since the beginning, the life of Isaac Manuel
Francisco Albéniz Pascual was marked by constant trips around the world.

He was born on 29 May 1860, in the town of Camprodon in the Catalonian province of
Girona. Three years later his family moved to Barcelona. Once the family was settled there,
Albéniz showed a great talent for music.

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He was a child prodigy and he received piano lessons from his sister Clementina, together
with whom he made his first public appearance at the Teatre Romea when he was four
years old.

One of the most influential factors in the life of Albéniz was his father´s job. This was the
main reason why Albéniz and his family moved from one place to another around Spain
and also the fact that during this time Spain underwent so many revolutions and was a very
unstable country.

Firsts, all the family moved to Madrid where Albéniz started studying piano at the Real
Conservatorio in Madrid between 1868 and 1869. During this period he composed his first
piece the Marcha militar for piano. The “little Mozart”, as some audiences acclaimed,
began a tour in Andalusia, Catalonia, and northern Castile in the company of his father in
early 1872. However, in 1874 he failed his exams at the Conservatorio and he ended his
formal training in Madrid.

Albéniz didn´t want to study in a Conservatorio because at that time he didn´t have enough
discipline and he continued performing in different Spanish provinces during the academic
year 1873-74. It ended after six months due to a terrible event: his sister Blanca´s suicide
on October 16th of 1874. She failed her singing audition for the Zarzuela´s Theatre and
killed herself. This tragedy was a difficult episode in Albéniz´s life, but his life as a concert
pianist continued in America where some of his father´s friends arranged concert tours for
him in the hope that it would provide money for his future education.

The next period of his life was the transition from a child prodigy to a serious and
disciplined artist. Albéniz decided to start his studies in Leipzig in 1876 because of the
great prestige of German music and its musicians. In the end, he couldn´t stay longer than
two months due to a lack of income from his family.

Back home, he got a grant from the composer and musicologist Guillermo Morphy
(Albéniz wasn’t the only one, the violinist Enrique Arbós and the cellist Pau Casals would
also receive one later) and he was admitted to the Conservatoire Royal in Brussels. He
studied piano and harmony and he finished his studies with distinction in the piano
competition in 1879, after that, returning to Barcelona.

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One of the false stories about Albéniz is that he studied with Franz Liszt around 1880. He
travelled to Budapest in order to meet him because he really admired him, but Liszt was not
in Budapest at that time. Albéniz wrote in his diary that he played for him, which was not
true, but he wanted to explain to his family how he spent all the money there.

The adversities that Albéniz had to overcome during his travels abroad show the bitter side
of the lack of artistic success and how the pianist went through some moments of
depression and discontent.

However, he continued his performances in Spain as a solo pianist and with several
chamber music ensembles with his friends Enrique Fernández Arbós (violin) and Augustín
Rubio (cello). He gave private performances in Granada and he had more appearances in
the North of Spain, where the audiences were appreciative of his technique and
musicianship. Shortly after these performances, Albéniz started composing his own
Zarzuelas which sadly today have never been found.

The following year, Albéniz moved to Barcelona and a new period in his life began
when he started studying composition with the famous and musical Nationalist Felipe
Pedrell (1841-1922). During this time, in 1883, Albéniz married Rosina Jordana Lagarriga.

Pedrell was considered by Albéniz, as a great teacher as well as a composer. Albéniz had
natural skills and musical instincts for composition and with Pedrell´s support he was
inspired to use the musical folklore of his own country as the basis for composition.

Albéniz moved to Madrid after the birth of his two children in 1889. There, he gave
concerts, started teaching, and he established his reputation as a popular composer as well
as a pianist.

The piano pieces from this period represent most of the genres of salon music but he also
wrote vocal music, two choral works, orchestral works and a piano concerto.

In 1889 he made his first known appearance in London performing his own works and
pieces from Spanish composers such as Arbós, Ruperto Chapí, and Bretón. After the
success of the concerts, he gained a reputation and he started a tour around many cities of
England.

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Albéniz´wife and three children moved to London to join him and his ambitious concert
tour. The year of 1892 represented the top of his career as a concert pianist. After that, he
dedicated his time to serious composition.

As a result of his concert activity, Albéniz signed a contract with a London businessman,
Henry Lowenfeld, who became his manager. One year later he came to an agreement with a
rich London lawyer. This man was Francis Burdett Thomas Nevill Money-Coutts and he
wanted to collaborate with Albéniz in exchange for adding music to his poetry and librettos
Albéniz made a lot of money thanks to this collaboration and over time they became close
friends.

After his London period, Albéniz and his family were attracted to Paris because of its
artistic and intellectual environment. They moved there in 1894 and he ended the
professional collaboration with Lowenfeld but kept the monetary assistance from Money-
Coutts.

Albéniz made a niche for himself in the Parisian musical society due to the fact that
he met many influential people from the Société Nationale de Musique. In addition, he
enrolled in the Schola Cantorum where he studied counterpoint. However, the year 1898
presented more difficulties for Albéniz´ health and it was also a period of personal loss for
him.

The following year, his interests in orchestral writing were increased by the idea of
composing a suite of pieces for orchestra, but at the end, after the suggestions of friends, he
changed his mind and chose to write a suite for piano, but he completed only the first piece,
“La Vega”.

In 1905, the musical-theatrical career of Albéniz ended due to the little success that his
works had brought and he started his masterpiece the “Suite Iberia”. His illness was getting
worse and it made it impossible for Albéniz to do any kind of job. During this time he
received money from Money- Coutts which allowed him to complete the work on Iberia.

During the summer of 1908 Albéniz began a terminal illness due to kidney failure. He
moved with his family to the French Pyrenees where he died in 1909. He received a lot of

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visitors such as Pau Casals, Alfred Cortot, Dukas, and Granados during the last months of
his life to say goodbye to him.

2.2. General style and main works

Nowadays, Albéniz is best known to concert audiences for his piano works inspired
by Spanish folk music and especially with a strong influence of Andalusian music and that
of gypsy tradition. Nevertheless, this composer also experimented with the genre of musical
theatre and he put a great deal of his energy into his operas. However, his reputation as a
great composer is not thanks to the latter, and it´s not as well appreciated.

Albéniz took his inspiration from the traditions of Romanticism and through his works; it is
possible to find characteristics from that period. Therefore it´s important to know his
different composition periods and recognize which features belong to them. It´s possible to
divide his life as a composer into three periods and some of his most known works that
relate to the following periods are as follows:

- Early period: “Cuanto más viejo”, “Catalanes de gracia” and “El canto de
salvación” (Zarzuelas, 1881-82); Collection of Spanish pieces: “Suite Española nº1”,
“Recuerdos de viaje” (1887); Salon pieces (1889); vocal music: “Rimas de Bécquer”, “Seis
Baladas”; Piano Works: “Rapsodia española”, “Concierto fantástico para piano”.

- Middle period: “España: Six Feuilles d´album” (1890), “Chants d´Espagne”

(1894)”, Zambra granadina” (1890); All the stage works.

- Late period: “Pepita Jiménez” (Zarzuela, 1896-1897); “Merlín” (Opera, 1898-

1904); orchestral work: “Catalonia” (1899); piano work: “La Vega” (1899); “Suite Iberia”
and “Quatre Mélodies”.

The first style period corresponds to his trip to Granada in July 1881. Granada was an
astonishing and inspirational place for artists, writers, and musicians due to the fact it was

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the heart and soul of Andalusia with its famous Moorish fortress-palace the Alhambra and
its gardens of the Generalife.

It is possible to find the influence of Granada in others of his most popular piano pieces
such as “Zambra granadina”, “En la Alhambra”, “Granada”, “Torre Bermeja”, and “El
Albaicín”.

During this time, he also composed three zarzuelas but one of them has not been found and
the information about the other two is only found in some press reviews.

The relationship with the Catalan musician Felipe Pedrell was the most important factor
which happened in the life of Albéniz, related to a new learning process of composing.
Pedrell was the promoter of Spanish musical Nationalism and the inspirational source of
other great Spanish composers such as Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Turina and Enrique
Granados.

Some compositions from this period and related to Spanish Nationalism are “Recuerdos de
viaje” and “Suite Española nº1”. The inspiration source of these pieces comes from the folk
music of Andalusia which is called Flamenco. He felt a special attraction to Flamenco, both
its rhythmical and melodic elements. It could be due to the fact that Albéniz toured
extensively during his youth in Andalucia and he returned later as a tourist.

Almost all pieces from this time have Pedrell´s influence and were composed for piano but
with the idea to imitate the sound of the guitar (the most typical Spanish instrument). Many
of these works combine Spanish characteristics with non-Spanish elements such as lively
rhythms, modality, elementary formal structure, melodic arabesques and chromatic
harmonies from Chopin´s pieces.

Albéniz´s stay in Madrid, in 1889, represents the influences and inspiration of the Romantic
period, due to the use of genres of salon music such as mazurkas, waltzes, barcarolles,
pavanes, minuets, romances, polkas polonaises, etudes, and caprices. They were dedicated
to students, friends, and family and they were easy to be played by non- professional
musicians and also to make the name of Albéniz recognized. Other piano pieces were his
seven Sonatas although only the 3rd and 5th are completed.

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The second style period coincides with his years in London and his theatre compositions.
During this time Albéniz had an agreement with Lowenfeld and Money- Coutts and he
received money from Lowenfeld. This allowed Albéniz to continue giving concert tours as
a piano soloist and with chamber music ensembles, in exchange for the exclusive rights to
the publication of his music. After that, he achieved the peak of his career as a pianist and
he started composing for musical theatre.

Some of the operettas, in which he formed a part of the music production, were:
“Incognita”, “The Magic Ring”, “Poor Jonathan”.

Despite the fact that he composed these entire stage works, Albéniz continued composing
piano music and some of the works written for his concerts in Britain were España: Six
Feuilles d´album”, “Chants d´Espagne” and “Zambra granadina”.

According to the contract with Money- Coutts, Albéniz put music to his poetry and
librettos. One of the librettos´ setting for an opera was “Henry Clifford”.

The third style period corresponds to all the contacts that Albéniz had in that artistic and
intellectual capital, Paris. He was introduced into the Parisian musical society and he was in
contact with composers and musicians such as Erik Satie, Albert Roussel, Dukas, and
Déodat de Séverac. He also attended premiere works of Debussy and felt an admiration for
the music of this composer. During this period, Albéniz increased his skills and technical
abilities in the field of composition, and he was in touch with French music and its
composers. As a result, Albéniz´s compositions reflected the influence of some
characteristics of Impressionism style such as sonorities with strange notes to the harmony,
pedal notes with dissonances, and the use of folk elements with new harmonies.

Albéniz himself was also an influence for some composers, such as Debussy, Fauré, and
Dukas who found a revelation in the pianism and style of writing of Albéniz. The reason
being, that Albéniz was able to evoke the characteristics of Spanish music on the piano as if
it was the sound of the Spanish guitar.

During this time, most of the works were Zarzuelas and the most successful one was
“Pepita Jiménez”. The libretto was written by Money-Coutts and it was based on the

9
Spanish novel “Pepita Jiménez” by Juan Valera. The next product of Albéniz´s professional
association with Money- Coutts was an operatic project called “Merlin”.

In 1899, Albéniz began an orchestral work called “Catalonia” and a reorchestration of

“Pepita Jiménez” and his interests in orchestral writing were increased during this time
with the idea of composing a Suite of pieces for orchestra. In the end, he changed his mind
and chose to write the suite for piano, but he completed only the first one, “La Vega”.

Even though none of his theatre works worked with audiences in Spain, due to a lack of
interest in his operas, Albéniz improved his composition skills concerning texture, sonority,
and large-scale form. These new skills were reflected in his last piece “Suite Iberia”.

Despite his lack of formal education, Albéniz was interested in philosophical, political,
religious issues and other arts as well. He was a composer from before the 98´s generation
and Spanish Nationalism. That is the reason why several times during his life he was
almost exiled to various places, among them, London, Paris, and Spain. He rejected
Spanish politics, religion and society but he felt a deep love for the popular and traditional
arts which were the soul of his country.

Spain and its rich language of art, existed mostly in his imagination, being a powerful
source of inspiration with its rhythmical and melodic elements. Albéniz knew how to
capture all the strength, intensity and the duende (the equivalent of soul) from the folk
music and especially Flamenco music.

3. Iberia

Albéniz spent a long time working on the creation of Suite Iberia, from 1905 until
1908 (completed a year before his death). This Suite is a collection of twelve pieces which
are called twelve nouvelles impressions (“new impressions”) for piano and they represent
the idyllic picture that Albéniz had of Spain. As opposed to his first piano work, this piece
develops a new world of colours, timbres, textures, and harmonies for the piano.

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It is considered the highlight of his works, Walter Aaron Clark says in his book: “In
“Iberia”, he brought forth a bona fide masterpiece, without doubt one of the greatest
collections of keyboard works ever written, and the foremost by a Spanish composer in the
modern era”1.

“Iberia” is also one of the most demanding of Albéniz´ works, which not only requires a
good piano technique but also has a harmonic and rhythmic complexity. Performers can
find in these pieces some characteristics which make them difficult to read, such as hand
crossings, chords with several accidental notes, mixed – rhythms and big leaps. Albéniz
was hardly able to play it.

3.1. Structure

Albéniz composed these pieces for his favourite pianist and friend Joaquim Malats,
who premiered several of the numbers in Spain. Despite the fact Malats was the favourite
performer of the pieces of Albéniz, it was the French pianist Blanque Selva who presented
the completed work in concert. The first critics in the Spanish press described it as
“foreignized” music and it wasn´t until after Albéniz´s death that they received the accolade
for its success.

The twelve pieces of “Iberia” are organized in four books comprised of three pieces each:

I) 1st book. It was composed in December 1905 and dedicated to Madame Jeanne
Chausson.
- Evocación
- El Puerto
- Fête-Dieu à Séville (El Corpus Cristi en Sevilla)

II) 2nd book. It was dedicated to Blanche Selva.

1
Clark, Walter Aaron (1999). Isaac Albéniz: A portrait of a Romantic. New York: Oxford University Press.

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 - Triana (He composed it a month after the first book)
- Almería
- Rondeña
He changed the order of the pieces in the first publication so that Rondeña is the
first one followed by Almería and Triana.

III) 3rd book. It was composed during November and December and dedicated to
Marguerite Hasselmans.
- El Albaicín
- El Polo
- Lavapiés

IV) 4th book. It was composed in the summer of 1907 in Paris (the middle number) and
was finished in January 1908) and dedicated to Madame Pierre Lalo.
- Málaga
- Jerez
- Eritaña
After these pieces, Albéniz wanted to conclude the collection with Navarra but he was
unable to finish it due to his death (it was finished by D. de Séverac).

3.2. Stylistic elements

In order to understand the language of “Iberia”, it is necessary to understand that

Albéniz tried to capture, in each of these pieces, the environment and the daily life of that
time in Spain. Each one of them suggests a place, a city, a song or a dance from the South
of Spain, especially the style of Flamenco music. In the nineteenth century, this genre of
folk music appeared in public performances in taverns or popular festivities in some
neighbourhoods of Spain and it is probable that Albéniz was involved in this kind of
atmosphere.

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Some of the characteristics2 of these pieces are:

- Imitation of guitar playing. Albéniz evokes the punteado (plucking) and rasgueado
(strumming) of the guitar. In some pieces, he suggests using the accompaniment of
the guitar before commencing the melody. The same as happens in the introductions
of Flamenco songs.
- Symmetrical phrasing in four- bar units due to the influence of folk music.
- The use of modality.
- The hemiolia as Spanish folk music element.
- Alternation between sections for dancing (with rhythmic vivacity) and more
expressive and lyrical sections called copla. This copla can be alternated by
estribillos.
- Albéniz was inspired by cante jondo which is the pure flamenco folk singing with
its rhythmic freedom, melismas, and vocalizations on the syllable “ay”. He used
melodies.

There are also some characteristics which come from French Impressionism3:
- The use of modal scales, pentatonic scales and the scale of tones which produce the
effect of non- tonality.
- The chords are made of fourths, fifths and octaves, or have added notes
- The use of pedal notes in order to create an atmosphere.
- The use of dissonances in chords or notes which are strange to the harmony in order
to change the colour or the texture.
- Overlap chords or clusters in order to create a sound or colour instead of having a
harmonic function.
- The different layers in the sonorities by the use of extreme dynamics such as ppp or
fff.

2
Clark, Walter Aaron (1999). Isaac Albéniz: A portrait of a Romantic. New York: Oxford University Press.
3
Schimitz, E.Robert (1966). The piano works of Claude Debussy. Dover Edition.

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Unlike other composers such as Manuel de Falla who uses folk songs directly in his
compositions, Albéniz does not make reference to any folk songs but he is familiar with
some collections such as “Cancionero” by Felipe Pedrell. Besides which, Albéniz uses
melodic and rhythmical components of particular songs or dances in these pieces but that
doesn´t mean that these are the only folkloric references which are used. Also, some of
these references are very stylized or mixed.

3.3. Orchestration of Iberia

The Suite Iberia presents a new concept of the piano which is able to reach a new
world of colours, timbres, and polyphony. It is not surprising that Albéniz thought about its
orchestration and at the end, he started to compose for it. Actually, Albéniz used the word
Suite when he made reference to the transcription for orchestra but when he talked about
the piano works; he described them using the name of Iberia.

Albéniz was a virtuoso pianist, composer, and orchestrator and he started to study
composition and orchestration when he met Felipe Pedrell in 1883. Although he learned
from Pedrell how to use the colours in the orchestra and more techniques from this field, he
didn´t orchestrate his own pieces such as “Rapsodia Fantástica” and “Concierto fantástico”
(1886-1887) because he didn´t feel prepared enough. After this time, he went to London
where he started to compose operas and to develop his orchestration skills.

As a result of these years of experience, Albéniz began the orchestra version of “El Puerto”
in 1907 and in February of the same year he finished it (as stated on one of the covers of the
score). In addition, he had organized the general structure of the Suite and he wanted to
orchestrate the twelve pieces because in the manuscript he wrote: “12 nouvelles
impressions pour Orchestre”. However, two factors didn´t allow him to finish it: he had not
finished the fourth book of Iberia yet and his health was getting worse. This is one of the
reasons why Albéniz took so much time to finish this last book of Iberia because he was
also working on the orchestration of the pieces. Even so, Albéniz became ill during this
process and he died after that.

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Albéniz asked his close friend Enrique Arbós to take over the work of orchestrating it and
he did orchestrate five of the twelve pieces: “Evocación”, “El Puerto”, “El Corpus Christi
en Sevilla”, “Triana”, and “El Albaicín”. After that the conductor Carlos Surinach
completed the rest of the pieces. The orchestration by Arbós is the most famous version.

3. 4. Flamenco music in Spain

Flamenco music is considered a Spanish art which became established during the
XVIII and XIX centuries. It was developed in the cities in the South of Spain such as
Sevilla, Cádiz, and Jérez located in Andalusia.

From the Medieval period, a mix of cultures co-existed in this region such as Muslims,
Jewish, Christians, and Gypsies. Thanks to this heterogeneous cultural environment new
rhythms and melodies appeared and developed into a folkloric form of singing called
Flamenco.

During the XVIII century, Flamenco music cohabited with other popular music from
Andalucía. This fact caused some of the folkloric styles to be influenced by flamenco music
and the creation of new musical forms such as Andalusian and Spanish songs, tonadillas,
Cuban songs or coplas. However, it´s important to know that some of the basic dances from
Andalusian folk had an important role during this time such as the Fandango or Seguidillas
since many flamenco folk songs were born when they accompanied these kinds of dances4.

Flamenco music comes from folk music but it´s considered a unique musical style and it
was marked by its origin in the lowest social classes. For some writers, this music came
from the gypsy people who worked in the fields during the day and they sang and danced at
night in order to earn money from rich people and it was transmitted by oral
communication from one generation to the next in the gypsy families and neighbourhoods
of Andalucía, located in the South of Spain.

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PAPELES DEL FESTIVAL de música española DE CÁDIZ, No 5, Año 2010

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Certainly, the great personality and richness of this music were created by Flamenco artists
in their get-togethers, where they sang and danced to each other in order to exchange ideas,
knowledge, and inspiration.

One of the most famous examples was the Venta Eritaña in Seville which was the centre of
social life and the meeting point of flamenco musicians. The writer, Walter Aaron Clark,
describes in his book the visit of Artur Rubinstein to this place: “where the flamencos sang
and danced. I watched them with delight, sipping Jerez and devouring jamón crudo”.

“Flamenco” people practiced this art as another activity in their daily lives and without the
necessity of becoming professional musicians and each neighbourhood or place had its own
style. Thanks to that, the philosophy of Life appeared in such a great variety of shades and
sonorities in this music.

3.5. Flamenco music forms and its relation with Iberia

Flamenco music has an original language with its own characteristics: tonality,
modality, micro-tonality, unsolved dissonances and a variety of music forms. These music
forms are called Palo or Cante and can have an instrumental version or both vocal and
instrumental version with specific rhythms and harmony. Generally, these traditional forms
are based on a group of small pieces with a guitar accompaniment and voice, and they are
classified by musical and historical- geographical criteria.

This music was a source of inspiration to Isaac Albéniz who found enough music material
in order to compose his own works with Spanish features. These new elements were also
recovered by other Spanish composers such as Granados, Turina, and Manuel de Falla
during the Nationalist movement in the XIX century in Spain.

One of the particularities of Albéniz´s works is that he used mostly the Palos which were
popular forms in order to dance. Using them allowed him not only to explore their vocal
and melodic world, but also to use the complexity of the rhythms which were very useful in
order to make a difficult piece with a lot of virtuosity possibilities.

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The reason why Albéniz chose that kind of Palos comes from the fact that probably during
the XVIII and XIX century, it was more accessible to see and listen to music for dancing in
village celebrations or popular festivities by professional musicians or amateurs. In this
way, it was easier to become familiar with this music, instead of being part of the closed
circle of the world of Flamenco which wasn´t available to the rest of the people and was
difficult to understand due to having its own language. Furthermore, Albéniz had contact
with this music and he acquired guitar knowledge during the course of his life due to his
different friendships, some examples are: when he was in Granada and he met Antonio
Barrios5 who was the flamenco guitarist mentor there or he met the guitarist Francisco de
Tárrega who made some transcriptions of Albéniz´s works. It is recognizable in his works
such as the use of harmonies which are related to the different positions in the Flamenco
guitar. In fact, all the guitar transcriptions which were made by Tárrega, of Albéniz piano
pieces, (one example is the Suite Española) are very popular and the sounds and colours fit
in with the technique of that instrument.

However, it is important to consider that Albéniz doesn´t use the Flamenco forms in a very
strict way because his music is elaborated from an inspirational point of view of traditional
music without using direct folk melodies. This fact shows a big difference between his
music and the music from Manuel de Falla whose material was more related to popular
music. Albéniz wanted to evoke Andalucía’s atmosphere, using to a greater extent his
imagination in order to create new colours and registers in the piano. Besides which, his
music presents an innovation in the musical forms because it received a huge influence
from Romanticism and French Impressionism.

Some of the most popular dances which were performed at that time by singing and
instrumental accompaniment were Fandango and Seguidilla but there were also some
others representative dances such as Bolero, Malagueña, Verdiales, Rondeña, Polo, Tango,
Farruca, or Zapateado. Those forms can be connected to the pieces from Suite Iberia in the
table6 below:

5
PAPELES DEL FESTIVAL de música española DE CÁDIZ, No 5, Año 2010. Pag.87

6
Fernández Marín, Lola: El flamenco en la música nacionalista española: Falla y Albéniz. Nº 65, revista
música y educación.

17
Piece Music form
Evocación ¾ Fandanguillo. Fandango- malagueña
El Puerto 6/8 Zapateado
Fête-Dieu à Séville (El Corpus Christi en 2/4 Marcha (Popular song)
Sevilla
Triana ¾ Sevillanas o Seguidillas de Sevilla
Almería 6/8 Guajira and Zapateado. There is a
Copla in the middle section as a Fandango.
Rondeña Alternation 6/8 and ¾. Guajira
El Albaicín 3/8 Fandango rhythms
El Polop 3/8 Polo de baile
Lavapiés 2/4 Habanera rhythms
Málaga ¾ Aire de Malagueña.
Jerez ¾ Seguidillas rhythms
Eritaña ¾ Sevillanas

3.5.1. Main elements of Flamenco music.

In order to have complete understanding and information about Albéniz´s works, it is

necessary to analyze and collate the material which is used therein. Therefore, it is very
important to consider some elements of Flamenco music and describe them, in order to not
only know about them but also to be able to recognize them in the piece.

Firstly, the Palos or Cantes are made up of two elements which build up the main structure:
accompaniment section (generally a guitar) and vocal section. The most traditional and
simple organization of the Cantes is basically formed by a guitarist accompaniment and a
dialogue between voice-instrument. Due to the fact that this music is very instinctive,

Clark, Walter Aaron (1999). Isaac Albéniz: A portrait of a Romantic. New York: Oxford University Press.

18
without the use of score and with not too much rehearsing, Flamenco musicians know the
small sections which form the main elements and have a special rhythm and harmony in a
predetermined order with the purpose of understanding each other.

The formal structure7 and its small sections are:

- Vocal section:
Entonación or temple. It is the preparation of the voice in order to get the
tone through the sound of some syllables or vowels without any meaning
such as “ay” or “ti-ri” and it could be used in the middle or the end of the
Cantes as well.
The lyrics of the song could be:
Estrofas (stanzas). Generally in the traditional songs and poems, a group
of verses are used which have a common rhyme, rhythm or number of
syllables. The text of estrofas could be similar in the melody or metre or
to alternate estrofa with estribillo as well. Estrofa is used as a synonym
of Copla.
Estribillo (chorus) is a fragment of the text which is repeated with the
same melody.
One example is the song “Anda jaleo” from the Spanish popular songs
which were recovered and transcripted by the famous poet Federico
García Lorca:

7
Fernández Marín, Lola (2004). Teoría musical del flamenco: ritmo, melodía, armonía y forma. San
Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid): Acordes Concert.

19
Some writers find differences between Estribillo and Copla but it is not so relevant if it is
taken into consideration that Copla is directly connected to Flamenco and popular spanish
songs, and its main characteristics are that it is formed by four verses and eight syllables,
different text and the same melody. The previous example is:

20
 This vocal section is not going to have the same form every time that it
appears, due to the Flamencos very often changing the quantity of
syllables when they sing in order to adapt them to the Cante. It means
that the singer is allowed to choose different lyrics (estrofa or verses) in
the moment that he or she wants to sing it. Each estrofa defines a
feeling, state of mind, an isolated memory or reflection and it doesn´t tell
a complete story Furthermore, most of the estrofas from poems or lyrics
which are taken by Flamenco musicians have their origins in Andalucía
and at the end they sing with an Andalusian accent. This fact causes
alteration of the metric in the verses because some of the words are cut
out or extended and it helps to adjust them to the metric that they want.

- Accompaniment section (guitar):

Introducción (introduction). It is the preparation part of the piece and it is
not neccesary to do it. Usually it is made by a guitar or another instrument in
order to present the tone and before the vocalist starts to sing.
The technique used for this is called rasgueados (strumming) which is a
rhythmical sequence of chords in the way of arpeggios; for melodical
instruments arpeggios, tremolos, trinos or floreos are used on the notes of
the chord. On the other hand, adornos (adornments are also used on one of
the notes of tonic chords whilst this chord is sounding).

21
 Llamadas. The accompanist intrument informs performers when a new
section is going to start and it allows them to recognize which kind of palo
is.
It has important harmonic information about the cadence and the rhythmical
information about the bar.
Falsetas. The music which is played between the vocal verses and it is
created personally by the accompanist instrument.
It could also have a remate at the end of the last bars. This technique creates
a precipitation effect by making an accelerando or playing more notes.
Cierre. Small element where the tonic chord is used in order to close the
llamada and falseta bars.

4. Triana and Iberia

Triana is considered one of the main locations of Flamenco in history due to the fact
it had its origins there and it developed its main styles. This neighbourhood is located in
Sevilla on one side of the Guadalquivir River and it was the starting and growing point of
Flamenco artists during the XVIII and XIX century. In fact, nowadays so many Flamenco
musicians still come from there and they have their own style and dances.

The first Flamenco shows were in small groups or family reunions but, after that, it took on
a public form due to the “singing cafés” “cafés cantantes”. Those cafés were coffee-bars
with chairs and a stage for Flamenco. It was able to bring this music closer to all the people
and create professional musicians due to the big passion for it. Furthermore, the existence
of dance academies to learn this art also made it possible that different styles appeared such
as “seguiriyas”, “soleares”, “bulerías”, “tangos”, “saetas” and “sevillanas”.

All the artists of this time had the possibility to be aware of these shows or at least they
knew about its existence. In the XX century it became very famous together with Spanish
traditional music and most of the composers of this period expressed it in their works.

22
Some pieces by Albéniz such as “Sevilla” from “Suite Española nº 1” or “Seguidillas” from
“Chants d´Espagne” are directly influenced by this city, Flamenco music and its rhythms.
Another great example is the famous piece from “Iberia”: Triana.

The date of composition of Triana was on 23th of February 1906 in Paris. It

was premiered by the Spanish pianist Joaquim Malats in Barcelona on 5th of November
1906 and on 14th of December in Madrid. The compositional process of Triana took less
than a month. After it, Albéniz composed “Almería” (27th of June 1906) and “Rondeña”
(17th of October 1906). In the first published edition they appeared in the same order of
creation but in the second published edition Albéniz changed the organization as
“Rondeña”, “Almería” and “Triana”. This whole second book was premiered by Blanche
Selva in 1907 in St.Jean de Luz.

4.1. Relationship with the popular genre or Flamenco reference

It is well- known that the titles of Iberia´s pieces can confuse the performer, due to
the fact that their names are not directly related to the Flamenco Palos or the places which
are referred to in the score. As already stated, in this case, the title of the piece is the name
of the famous district of Sevilla. Consequently, one of its main dances is called
“Sevillanas”.
Nowadays, there is a way of playing “Sevillanas”. However, it is not the same one that
existed in Albeniz’s time, which was more connected to the style of “Seguidillas”.

The picture below shows the connection between Folk and traditional music8:

8
Núñez, Faustino (2011). “Sistema musical flamenco”. http://www.flamencopolis.com/archives/1469

23
It is called “Seguidillas”910 to the estrofa of four verses with a specific rhyme (ABAB). It is
very common in traditional Spanish music and the poetry base of other folk styles. Its
origin comes from Castilla La Mancha, but in Andalucía it is called “Sevillanas” and
“Boleros” in the North of Spain. The differences between them are found in the character or
tempo but relating to the structure, it is similar with four parts:

- Introduction (instrumental part).

- Invitation to dance. It is called “salida” (singing part).
- Instrumental part and copla.
This traditional music was practised in all the theatres in Spain during the XVIII century.
The harmonic and rhythmical part of this genre was used in Flamenco music, and the style
was developed with the gypsy name of seguidillas during the XX century.

Some features of traditional “Sevillanas” are:

- A dance for two people (a couple) with castanets and it has steps from the
Spanish Bolero School as well.

9
Núñez, Fasutino (2011). Seguidillas. http://www.flamencopolis.com/archives/3292
10
Arranz Rico, Francisco (2005-2006). El folklore musical en España.

24
 - In many cases this repertoire uses the abandolao strumming (a rhythmic
pattern corresponding to the Spanish bolero accompaniment in ¾ and guitar
accompaniment):

- Melody: Syllabic not melismatic. The melodic music line is repeated.

- Structure: There are a lot of kinds of “Sevillanas” which have different
melodies and accompaniment. Despite this, they have a common structure and are
open to small variations.
o Introduction. It is the preparation for the dance (4, 6 or more bars).
o Salida. It is the first verse (4 bars+ 2 bars of musical interlude with the main
rhythm = 6 bars).
o Copla. This structure is repeated four times and the dance is performed in a
different way:
1. 10 bars+ 2 bars main rhythm= 12 bars
2. 10 bars+ 2 bars main rhythm= 12 bars
3. 10 bars
- Accompaniment: Guitars, clapping and castanets.
- Bar: ¾
- Tonality: Major, minor or Flamenco mode.

With regards to “Triana “by Albéniz, the bar is in ¾ and the character is Allegro con anima.
This indication and the French words written in the second bar “gracieux et tendre” reflect
the unique atmosphere of light spirit rhythms of “sevillanas”. Therefore, together with this
analysis it is possible to hear how Albéniz evokes the sound and effects of the guitar, the
clacking of castanets, percussive heel clicking and the “juerga”(celebration) environment of
this music.

25
 4.2. Formal structure and its relation to main elements of Flamenco

The structure of the piece is very similar to “sevillanas” and the elements of
Flamenco music. This is the general point of view:

Triana Bars Flamenco/ Sevillanas elements

Introduction 1-6 Instrumental introduction

Rhythmical pattern 7-9 Llamada

First main theme 10(Up- Salida (singing part)

beat 9) -
13

Rhythmical pattern 14 Llamada

Second main theme 15-22 Falseta (instrumental part)

Rhythmical pattern 23-24 The end of falseta (Remate)

First main theme, variation 24-29 Singing part

Second main theme, variation 30-38 Falseta

Transition section 38-49 Falseta (instrumental part) + Remate

Introduction new section 48-49 Llamada

Copla (4+4) Singing part

26
 50-57

58-65

66-73

74-81

82-89

Transition with known elements 90-109 Falseta

Copla 110-117 Singing part

End part section 118-121

Coda Instrumental and singing part

First main theme, variation 122-125

Rhythmical patterns 126-129

130-133

134-137

First main theme 138-140

27
 The Introduction in “Sevillanas” (as stated in the previous chapter) consists
of the preparation of the piece in order to present the tone and the rhythm before the singer
starts in the main tonality. It is the instrumental part, generally played by a guitar, and the
singing part which would start with an up- beat after this.

The next example is the melody transcription of one of the most popular “Sevillanas” in
Spain. It shows an introduction in the C minor tonality where the guitarist plays and then
the up-beat where the singer starts:

Albéniz was in contact with this music and its structure. Comparing and analysing, it is
possible to see why the beginning of Triana cannot be treated as one of the first themes of
the piece if not as an introduction of six bars with a descending rhythmic motive in the
melody. The first theme would appear with an up-beat in the melody and in the main
tonality, F# minor.

Furthermore, it is composed for a polyphonic instrument and is common to use groups of

chords for the introduction or in other cases chords in arpeggios.

28
Albéniz writes these groups of chords but the accents and syncopations are in the second
part of each beat. The performer has to take into consideration that Albéniz plays with the
accentuations in order to make it “gracieux” but it is also important to remember the first
beat of “seguidillas” rhythms. In this way the first picado note will have a light character
but it will be the first note of each group, and it will have the most important one in order to
indicate the bar.

29
Rhythmical patterns at bars 7-9:

After the introduction, it is very common in Flamenco music that the accompanist
intrument informs performers when a new section is going to start. It is called llamada and
it has important harmonic and rythmical information.

Albéniz uses it before the singing part starts. There are two bars of tonic chords with the
annotation “avec grâce et bien rythmé” and it has a conclusive character. These bars show
one of the traditional rhythms of Sevillanas:

30
 11

The first main theme appears with the up-beat in the bar 9 and with the
annotation “forte et bien chanté, posé”. The motive short-short-long is similar and related
to the introduction.

Regarding to the dance, this part would be the invitation for the couple to start dancing. It is
called salida in Flamenco music. Albéniz represents the same characteristics of this part in
Triana.

It is interesting how Albéniz represents the same characteristics in his piece. The texture
starts changing at bar 11 where four voices appear with different accents and rhythms. It
could be a portrait of the percussive taconeos (heel clicks) or clapping, and the clack of

11
Fernández Marín, Lola (2004). Teoría musical del flamenco: ritmo, melodía, armonía y forma.
San Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid): Acordes Concert.

31
castanets joining the music. Another factor to consider is the annotation “sec.” in that bar,
which could be connected to the dry clicking sound of castanets.

Bar 14 is similar to the two bars of llamada or cierre that appeared in the introduction
(bars 7-9) in order to close one section and start a new one.

The second main theme starts in bar 15 until the 22nd. It is made up of 4+4
phrases with melodic and rhythmical elements that appeared before.

The reason why this theme is related to an instrumental part (the element in Flamenco
music would be falseta) is due to its texture and polyphony, and the annotation “expressive,
bien sonore”. If Albéniz had wanted something connected to the voice he would have
written “chanté” as he wrote in other parts of the piece. Another reason is that falseta is the
music which is played by the guitarrist between the vocal verses.

32
At bars 23-24, Albéniz uses the same rhythmical pattern but this time he adds a last rhythm
at the end of the last bar, which remains a remate. This Flamenco technique create a
precipitation effect by making an accelerando or playing more notes.

33
It makes sense that Albéniz was inspired by all these elemnts in order to recreate the
environment and sonority of a real “Sevillanas”.

The first main theme appears in the up-beat of bar 24 but with more strength due to the
annotation “con anima” and the motive in octaves. The timbre is different, the rhythm is
maintained and it is possible to hear a main voice with an accompaniment. It is followed by
the second main theme at bar 30 but with a small variation of it, presenting more harmonic
than melodic information. The structure is the same, a phrase of 4+4 and it keeps the
character of” falseta.”

34
In this case, Albéniz extends this section with some transition bars in order to imitate the
playing of a guitar and what its improvisation would be.

The transition section presents some elements which make clear that it is connected to an
instrument:

- The rhythmical pattern at bars 38-39, which was previously used at bars 7-
8 as a” llamada” with the purpose of changing from one section to another.
- Principal rhythmical motives from “seguidillas” or “sevillanas” at bar 40. It
was also used at the beginning of the piece.

12

12
Fernández Marín, Lola (2004). Teoría musical del flamenco: ritmo, melodía, armonía y forma. San Lorenzo
del Escorial (Madrid): Acordes Concert.

35
- At bars 44-45, it is possible to find the most representative example of
rasgueado due to how the effect of the guitar is written and created. This effect
consists in the twist of the wrist on the strings in the way that, first the thumb plays,
and then the rest of the fingers. It can be in triples or quadruplets.

36
Before the Copla theme starts, there is an introduction of this new section (bars 48-49)
which does the function of llamada in order to prepare the main rhythm and the new
tonality. It is possible to find the effect of a small strum as well.

The Copla theme is presented between bars 50 and 57 with the annotation
“bien chanté” and “très doux et nonchalant”. It is the singing part which has a joyful
melody that will be repeated during the piece. The similarity with the estrofas from
Flamenco music (showed in previous chapters) is that it keeps the same melody but it
changes the accompaniment and harmonies, and there is a similitude in the structure as
well.

In addition, it is interesting to note, that the general structure of the piece is very similar to
other pieces of Albéniz as “Sevilla” from Suite Española. Within this, the composer uses a
first section with some rhythmical and instrumental parts and a second section with a
singing copla.

The main melody is accompanied by a dolce and repetitive rhythm in the bass voice,
together with off-beat notes.

37
The most common estrofas of Flamenco coplas have four verses. The organization is
similar to:

- Bar 50-57. 4+4= 8 bars. Presentation of the copla.

- Bar 58-65. 4+4=8 bars. 1st verse. After Albéniz presents the theme, once
more he writes “cantando, doux et sonore, and tranquillement sans presser” with
the aim of making clear that the main section should begin with this character.He
uses octaves in the melody, changes the accompaniment texture and the tonality.
- Bar 66- 73 (8). 2nd verse. The melody is in the left hand part and the
accompaniment is taken by the right hand and it is also a modulation part. It is
possible to think that Albéniz was inspired by the guitar playing in this piece, due to

38
 one of the techniques that is used here and which is very similar to left hand legato
technique of this instrument. It consists of playing two or more notes with the left
hand but just pressing one string with the right hand. It is necessary that the fingers
are strong, in order to play all the notes with the same sound and be easily
recognizable. The way of writing it looks like the effect that Albéniz wants to
represent here:

- Bar 74- 81 (8).3rd verse. The texture is combined for both hands and it is a
modulation process. The difficulty starts increasing in this passage.

39
 - Bar 82- 89 (8).4th verse. It has a similar process as the previous verse until
one of the climax of the piece starts.
The transition section takes place from bar 90 until 109. In this part Albéniz
uses the same material and effects that appeared before:

40
After these bars, the Copla theme begins at bar 110 with the annotation “dolce e cantando”
but with the rhythmic motive of the main theme in the left hand part in order to produce
four layers of different textures. At some point he writes the Copla theme at bar 114 in the
left hand part together with the right hand, getting a polyphonic texture and a harmonic
richness.

At bar 119 the preparation of the climax begins, due to the use of different rhythmical and
melodic elements until bar 120 where it reaches the dynamics ff with sf.

41
The final part of the Coda has very similar material which was used in the piece and has
instrumental and singing parts such as a variation of the first main theme and rhythmical
patterns:

This time Albéniz writes “ben staccato” and “senza pedal” imitating the dry sound of a
guitar and ending with the first main theme

42
 4.3. Harmony

In order to know the main harmonies in the piece and those which are the elements
connected with Spanish traditional music, it is necessary to have an overview of the main
tonalities that appeared in the main sections of the piece:

- Introduction (bar 1-8): F# minor.

- The first main theme (bar 9-13): F# minor.

- The second main theme (bar 15- 22): Region of C# Major (C# Frigio
Mayorizado or Major Phrygian).

- First main theme, variation (bar 24-29): F# minor.

- Second main theme, variation (bar 30-38): Region of C# Major (C# Frigio
Mayorizado or Major Phrygian).

- Copla:

o Bar 50-57 (8): A Major.

o Bar 58-65 (8): A Major.

o Bar 66- 73 (8): F Major

43
 o Bar 74- 81 (8): Db Major.

o Bar 82- 89 (8): C# minor- F# minor.

- Transition with known elements (bar 90-109): C# Major (C# Frigio

Mayorizado or Major Phrygian).

- Copla (bar 110- 117) + Cierre/taconeo Bar 118-121: F# Major.

- Coda: F# minor.

o Bar 123-125 First main theme

o (4) Bar 126-129

o (4) Bar 130-133

o (4) Bar 134-137

o (2) Fist main theme

Some elements from Flamenco harmony are found in this piece. For instance, at the
beginning of the piece, Albeniz uses one of the most famous cadences in Flamenco music,
the Andalucian Cadence. This is presented by four chords following each other:

The harmonies are: I (F# minor) - VII (E Major) – VI (D Major) - V (C# Major).

44
In her book about Flamenco music, Lola Fernández Marín states: “The Andalucian cadence
is the group of four chords of the minor mode one after the other (I- VII- VI- V). This
cadencial process begins from the minor Tonic until the Dominant and it has the function
of Semicadence”.

This Cadence appears very often in classical music and Spanish popular music as well, but
with more frequency in folk music from Andalucía. One of the characteristics of this
cadence is the fact that it ends in the Dominant and it produces the effect that the tonic is
the Dominant instead of the tonic of the main tonality. This cadence is very common in the
minor mode due to the fact it can appear between a minor tonic and its dominant.

The Andalucian Cadence of F# minor is:

Generally, it is known that one of the most common modes which is used in Flamenco
music is the Phrygian mode o mode of E. This mode is the personality of Flamenco music
because most of its styles are based on it and it is common of the other oriental cultures
which had a big influence in Flamenco. This mode is a minor mode which has the second
grade low:

45
Therefore, the Phrygian mode of the main tonality of the piece (F# minor) would be:

Some examples in the piece which use this mode:

Albéniz starts to write the G natural in the left hand part but he uses the G# in the right
hand. It is a kind of game with the minor mode and the Phrygian mode because after these
bars he writes:

46
Consequently, Isaaz Albéniz ends the piece with the first main theme but in Phrygian
mode:

Another factor to consider is that this mode very often appears with its interval of
third major in most of the Cantes. It means the third grade is high when the scale is
ascending and it is natural when the scale is descending. It is called Frigio Mayorizado
(Major Phrygian)13. In addition, if this mode is harmonized in order to make an
accompaniment for the singer, the interval of third major is presented in all the tonic

13
Fernández Marín, Lola (2004). Teoría musical del flamenco: ritmo, melodía, armonía y forma. San Lorenzo
del Escorial (Madrid): Acordes Concert.

47
chords. As a result of that, the Flamenco mode is created. The harmonies from this mode
are:

I: Major II: Major III: Major IV: Minor V: Diminished

VI: Major VII: Minor

In this case, the first four chords of this mode, when played after each other, as IV-III-II-I,
create the Flamenco cadence. This cadence uses chords with more than three sounds and
dissonances, the opposite to the Andalucian cadence which uses triad chords. For instance,
the second main theme of “Triana” is in C# Major (the major dominant of F# minor) but if
it is analyzed by the Flamenco mode it would be C# Flamenco:

48
Therefore, the scale of C# Frigio would be:

The scale of C# Frigio Mayorizado or C# Flamenco would be:

The Flamenco cadence would be:

The variation of the second main theme is the same mode, in bar 30:

49
50
The first main theme also is composed in this mode but it is used in the transition bars:

51
 4.4. Impressionistic influences

The music written by Albéniz was well-known outside of Spain, especially

in France, where most of the great Spanish composers lived or studied. It favoured the
popularity of folk- inspired music in order to evoke Spain in the compositions of French
composers such as Debussy. However, composers such as Manuel de Falla or Isaac Albéniz
were likewise influenced by the new style which appeared in French music at the end of the
XIX century.

The writer Robert Schmitz14 describes in his book: “In literature, in painting, in music, the
aim of these kindred artists was to suggest rather than to depict; to mirror not the object
but the emotional reaction to the object; to interpret a fugitive impression rather than to
seize upon and fix the permanent reality”.

During this period it was a renovation in the artistic language of music with the beginning
of Impressionism: freedom in the rhythms and harmony, timbres, structure, and the use of
modes. The art of suggestion, the new orchestral colours in the piano sonority, and the right
balance between blur and definition were some of its characteristics. Due to the contact that
Albéniz had with Claude Debussy, one of the key composers of this style, it is also possible
to appreciate some characteristics in each piece of Iberia.

In relation to Triana, it is possible to find some of the most noted charachteristics and the
performer will have to take them into consideration together with the Spanish elements
which were explained before:

- The chordal superimposition (independent triads juxtaposed that sound

close to a cluster) or the superimposition of intervals of 2 Major or minor. This
effect is used in order to modulate (bitonality) or just to enrich chords; Albéniz
avoids the staticity of the tonic chord and it is coloured with dissonances:

14
Schimitz, E.Robert (1966). The piano works of Claude Debussy. Dover Edition

52
53
In his book, Walter A. Clark15 states: “Wrong notes and tone clusters in unstable, offbeat
effect suggest the jaleo of a festive juerga in which there is a virtual cataract of sound made
by stomping, clapping, finger-snapping, shouting, singing, and guitar playing […]”. It is
also possible to think that all the effects of clusters and different accents that Albéniz wrote
were the way of transmitting not only the richness of the music but the atmosphere which
was evoked.

- The different layers in the sonorities by the use of different and specific dynamics
or effects in each voice. In the music of Debussy the melody or melodies are clearly
differenced, motifs or ostinatos, and pedal points. They have their own characters,
recognizable pitches, rhythms, and harmonic and tonal implications. This
characteristic is one of the difficulties of the piece:

15
Clark, Walter Aaron (1999). Isaac Albéniz: A portrait of a Romantic. New York: Oxford University Press.

54
 - The use of chromaticism16 by Debussy was used in order to modulate through a
uniform pattern without a break in the texture. It is seen in the Copla section where
there are a lot of modulations and changes in the harmony:

16
Schimitz, E.Robert (1966). The piano works of Claude Debussy. Dover Edition.

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 5. Conclusions

All the information that is included in this research has shown the direct influence
of Spanish folk music in “Triana”. Isaac Albéniz not only used these elements from
Flamenco music in order to inspire him and evoke the environment of Spain but also it is
possible to see the participation of rhythms, harmonies, melodies, and the structure of the
piece.
First of all, it is worth analysing and knowing these elements in order to make the
performer aware of the style and soul of the piece. It is not just a matter of reading the score
precisely because the performer can play the accents and all the effects with the best of the
pianistic techniques. It is also a matter of what is behind the notes and these effects, and the
coexistence between them. The beginning of the piece is a clear example of the detailed
writing of the composer which has to be carefully played in that way, but at the same time
with the light rhythm of the character which is also written. To get a symbiosis of both
things and its organic sound, with a flow and air of dance, that is the difficulty or, as I
would call it, the art of this music.
All the technical issues come together, along with a deep understanding of Spanish
traditional music in order to shape the technique with the flow of this music, and at the end,
it is in your system without the need for thinking about it.
The rhythm itself, hidden behind the music annotation, represents a dance which has to be
executed with flow; the melodies have to be sung with the same passion and personality as
a Flamenco singer would do. The articulations have to show the clarity and spontaneity of
the effects that a guitar can make, as well as the precision and rhythmic values of castanets.
The impressionist elements which are to be found in the piece present a new world of
richness in sonority and textures where each annotation has to be respected in order to
achieve what Albéniz desired.

Taking everything into consideration, and after looking back on this research, I have
discovered that it is not only necessary to have a good piano technique in order to carry out
a good performance of the piece but that you also need to research and understand each

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detail which appears in the score before playing it, in order to feel it from the instrument, in
your body, and try to transmit it later in your way of playing.
Once I have the information about the basic components of the piece, I would like to
continue researching this topic but more related to the performing and artistic
considerations. It is not easy to make decisions and explain to the rest of the performers
about how to study the piece and how to solve all the passages which are not possible to
play with only two hands. I think it is necessary to have experience, playing not only this
specific piece if not the whole Iberia suite in order to make the best artistic choices.

This research also pretends to show a new artistic and extraordinary approach to Albéniz´s
music, and the marvellous Spanish traditions of which we are most fortunate to be able to
take part.

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 6. Bibliography

- Albéniz, Isaac (1987). Iberia [music score]. United States of America. Dover.
- Blasco García, J. A. Los cantes flamencos: El uso del ámbito formal clásico para su
descripción, análisis,codificación y trasmisión. Universidad de Alcalá. Madrid
2008.
- Cal y Cante (2017). “1846. Flamenco en la Venta Eritaña de Sevilla”.
http://calycante.blogspot.nl/2017/07/1846-flamenco-en-la-venta-eritana-de.html
- Clark, Walter Aaron (1998). Isaac Albéniz. A guide to research. New York: Garland
Publishing.
- Clark, Walter Aaron (1999). Isaac Albéniz: A portrait of a Romantic. New York:
Oxford University Press.
- Dominguez Arjona, Julio (2007). “La Venta de Eritaña”.
http://www.galeon.com/juliodominguez/2007/eritana.html
- Fernández Arbós, Enrique. Memorias de Arbós. Madrid: Editorial Alpuerto.
- Fernández Marín, Lola: El flamenco en la música nacionalista española: Falla y
Albéniz. Nº 65, revista música y educación.
- Fernández Marín, Lola (2004). Teoría musical del flamenco: ritmo, melodía,
armonía y forma. San Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid): Acordes Concert.
- Giménez Miranda, Juan Miguel (2010). Albéniz, Falla, Granada y el flamenco.
Papeles del festival de música española de Cádiz, No 5.
- Iglesias, A. (1989). De la dificultad del gran piano de Isaac Albéniz, Barcelona:
butlletí de la Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi.
- Madrid Malo, Nestor (1979). “García Lorca, sonetista”. Boletín cultural, Vol.16 nº
05.https://publicaciones.banrepcultural.org/index.php/boletin_cultural/article/view/3
635/3758
- Núñez, Faustino (2011). “Sistema musical flamenco”.
http://www.flamencopolis.com/archives/1469
- Pineda Novo, Daniel. “Triana en el Cante”. Revista Candil, Septiembre 2000.
- Schimitz, E.Robert (1966). The piano works of Claude Debussy. Dover Edition.

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- Roberts, Paul (1996). Images. The Piano Music of Claude Debussy. Portland,
Oregon: Amadeus Press.

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