Presents
Isaac Albeniz
Catalonia from Suite Española No.1 for String Quartet
Catalonia, (Cataluña in Spanish) like most of Albeniz's works were for the piano, although he did write some operas. Surprisingly, his most popular works, the Suite Española Nos. 1 and 2, and the Suites España and Iberia, all for the piano are have become better known in transcriptions for the classical guitar. Similarly, Mallorca, Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, Cordoba, the Tango in D. and several other pieces are more familiar from performances by guitarists. Albeniz wrote Catalonia while living in Paris. Originally intended as part of a work known as Suite Populaire. In 1911, a well-known German publisher brought out a so-called "complete" version of the Suite Española, now numbered Op. 47. In this version, Catalonia was placed second.It was dedicated to the Catalan painter Ramon Casas. Subtitled Currenda or courante in Italian, it is an old baroque dance.
Sadly, Albeniz wrote no chamber music, however, arrangements of several of the above mentioned works, such as Catalonia, are every bit as effective, if not more so, for an ensemble such as the string quartet as they are for the guitar. It is in this spirit that we present our arrangement of Catalonia for string quartet.
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) was born in the Spanish town of Camprodon in the province of Catalonia. However, he never thought of himself as Catalonian and never spoke the language. He considered himself Spanish and although raised a Catholic believed himself to be of Jewish and Moorish descent as so many in Andalusia and Catalonia were. He began to study the piano at an early age and it was quickly discovered that he was a child prodigy of the highest order. He studied piano with a series of famous teachers and pianists, including Antoine Marmortel, Reinecke and Franz Liszt. He enjoyed a career as soloist, but also as a conductor and composer. Albéniz's influence on Spanish music was profound. His activities as conductor, performer and composer significantly raised the profile of Spanish music abroad and encouraged Spanish music and musicians in his own country.
Parts: $12.95
