Aspects of nationalism in nineteenth-century Spanish piano music : a critical commentary on selected works by Granados, Falla and Albeniz

Nineteenth-century Spanish piano music resembles a cave of hidden treasure. With the exception of several large-scale works such as Granados' Goyescas, a large proportion of it is still neglected and rarely performed in today's concert repertoire. The purpose of this commentary is to introduce and provide information on selected piano works by late nineteenth-century Spanish nationalist composers. This critical commentary identifies stylistic traits and characteristics that composers borrowed from Spanish folk song, dance, and music, with the objective of shedding further light on the performance practice of this repertoire. The commentary is divided into five major sections: brief history of the development of Spanish music, Enrique Granados, Manuelle de Falla, Isaac Albeniz, transfer of guitar effects and, finally, Summary.