credited as the “arranger” of the piece.

51 Later publications of Paquito have even more variants

from the 1897 autograph manuscript !Sola¡. There is no evidence that any later version was a
product of Tárrega’s doing.

!Sueño¡, Mazurka Conchita

!Sueño¡ [meaning “Dream”] Mazurka Conchita bears no dedication on the manuscript.
Instead Concepción’s diminutive familiar name is embedded in the title, suggesting this is a
musical portrait of the lady. If so, this portrait certainly reflects the contradictory enigmatic
woman described by Pujol. The opening is a direct quote from another Mazurka, namely Op. 7,
No. 1 by Frederic Chopin. Perhaps this was a favorite piece of Concepción or the composer, who
was a skilled pianist as well as a guitarist. This first section (in a bright C major) has Chopin’s
triumphant ascending melodic sweep and complimentary descent (with flourishes that is all
Tárrega). One can easily imagine that “lively spirit, strong temperament and exalted fantasy” that
Pujol described. Likewise, Pujol’s description of an “unrestrained contrast” is perhaps found in
the second, harmonically unstable section, seeming almost like a different piece. Starting in the
relative minor, the key alternates with the modal median minor. It leads to a final segment
marked “misterioso,” recalling Pujol’s words to describe Concepción’s personality: “a nebulous
and indescribable enigma” The title “Dream” also contributes to the impression that this piece is
a kind of brief vision or reverie, with seemingly incongruent elements in close proximity.
!Sueño¡ was published by Ildefonso Alier as No. 10 in the series Obras póstumas
escogidas para guitarra, plate No. 5393. This first print includes two minor modifications
involving bass notes with harmonic implications: one finds an F natural instead of the original F
sharp on the final beat of bar 7 and a low E on the first beat of bar 8 instead of the original tonic
C. Both seem to be errors, as a missing sharp is not a rare in music printing and the low E is
impossible to play at the same time as the G a third higher. The reason for the omission of name
“Conchita” from the title remains a mystery. Perhaps it is a vestige of the break, or if the family
was involved in the posthumous publication project by Ildefonso Alier, perhaps there remained
some resentment over perceived wrongs.

Improvisación !A Granada¡ Cantiga Árabe,

Two and a half years later, Tárrega composed another piece for Concepción while in
Malaga. He gave it the title Improvisación !A Granada¡ Cantiga Árabe, but it was published as
Recuerdos de la Alhambra a few years later. Spanish nationalist composers at the time,
particularly Isaac Albeniz, but also others, wrote pieces about memorable Spanish places. But !A
Granada¡ is the only piece Tárrega ever composed about a place.52
This autograph manuscript is a rarity in that it is a completely pristine fair copy that
Tárrega meticulously wrote, including a with a personal dedication and an intimate inscription at
the end. The manuscript is unique as it was a gift presented to Concepción, commemorating the
time they spent together in Granada, admiring the Alhambra palace and fortress complex, hence

51
“Arreglo de Francesco Tárrega (hijo).” This version is found in Francisco Tarrega Album No. 4. Cinco Obras
Originales para Guitarra (Madrid: Ediciones Musicales Madrid, 1956), p. 6-7. “Paquito Vals in Do” is the third
piece in this collection, and it it is the only one with the date of 1956 (the other pieces have earlier dates, 1929 and
1930). There are a number of variants, mostly in the expressive indications, giving an impression of a more
conventional danced waltz rather than a dreamy vals lento.
52
For example, Isaac Albeniz wrote pieces such as Cadíz, Granada, Seville, Iberia, Cataluña, Mallorca, Aragón,
Castilla, Cuba, Rumores de la Caleta, Puerta de Tierra, Torre Bermeja (the vermillion tower at the Alhambra
palace), and Zaragoza. Enrique Granados wrote Andalucía and Rapsodía aragonesa.

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