FFIT36 Spanish Music at the Piano ‘There are three important elements that make Spanish piano music unique in character — the combination of the guita dance, and voice. The guitar expresses harmonically the colors and thythmic energy of the music, using techniques such as violent silences and the percussive use of the fingerboard. Spanish dance has greatly influenced the music’s sthythmic intensity and aesthetic quality. Lastly, the voice is the final ingredient that conveys the sorrow, pain, and expressivity of the music. When one thinks of Spanish music, the most representative style, Flamenco, comes from the South of Spain (Andalucfa). Manuel de Falla (1876- 1946) was one of the most successful ‘composers to reproduce these uniquely Spanish characteristics with fidelity to the language of the piano, Many of the 19th and 20th century classical Spanish composers were strongly influenced by the music of Chopin and Schumann in a “salon” type of atmosphere. These composers — especially Granados and Mompou—were also strongly impacted by French music. It was not until Isaac Albeniz. (1860-1909) wrote his famous “Suite Iberia” that the Spanish music’s roughness and violence came into full character. The alternating of the dance and singing aspects of the music clearly defines the individual character of each piece as the confrontation between life and death, love and hate, joy and sorrow, and passion and pride. These elements define the character of Spanish music at the Piano. Daniel del Pino Madrid, Spain