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Test preparation material

MUSICAL ART OF SPAIN

The material presented below

will help you to answer the questions of the test number 1, 2, 3, 4.

Socio-cultural, political and historical aspects of the development of musical art in

Spain

Spain is amazing country with rich artistic traditions. Spanish literature and painting, theatrical

art and song folklore represent a powerful historical and

cultural layer, which is the object of research for more than

one generation of art historians. Spain gave the world the

greatest artists, playwrights and musicians, whose work has

left the greatest impact in the history of the development of

civilization, being symbols of entire eras.

The Iberian Peninsula has long been a

place of intersection of different peoples,

which could not but affect the culture and

traditions of the regions. Over the millennia,

there was an interpenetration of completely

different, and sometimes antagonistic to each

other, ethno-cultural layers: the autochthonous

Ibero-Celtic, Roman, Phoenician,

Carthaginian, German, Byzantine, Moorish,

Arabic and Gypsy [1].

The predominant oldest population of

the peninsula was the Iberians, later from 1100

BC, mainly the Phoenicians colonized along

the Mediterranean coast, then the colonies of the Greeks and Carthaginians, who brought to Spain the

material and spiritual culture of the East. A vivid cultural mark was left by the Celts who came from

France, as well as the Romans, who dominated for more than five centuries and the Arabs, who

invaded from 711 to 718, rapidly capturing almost the entire peninsula, except for the northwestern

region of the country (Galia, Asturias, Basque Country). The influence of the Arabs was the longest

and lasted for almost eight centuries. The mutual cultural penetration of Christians and Muslims in

many respects determined the characteristics of the ethnic development of the Spaniards. The culture

of the Spanish Arabs is a bright page not only in the history of Spain, but also throughout human

civilization. The protest of the Spanish Christians against the active influence of the Arabs was

called the Reconquista, which was a centuries-old war of liberation. The state of Spain arose in 1479,

as a result of the unification of Castile and Aragon. So began the unification of the states of the Iberian

Peninsula and various ethnic groups into a single nation.

For all power processes, such ethnic groups as Castilians, Andalusians, Aragonese, Asturians

remained on the general Spanish background.

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It should be noted that in the north, where the Arabs were not for long, as they were crowded

out by the Franks, special peoples was formed, such as Catalans, Galicians and Basques. The culture of

the Catalans has much in common with France, and the Celts played a great role in the formation of

the Galician nation. The Basques stand out clearly, who remained independent during the years of

Roman rule, and Arab domination and still retain their originality.

Researchers note that the northern part of Spain (excluding the Basque Country) is more

European in historical and cultural terms, while the Moorish culture has left the most noticeable impact

on the Andalusian lowland (Cordoba, Seville), as well as on the Mediterranean coast [2].

Dance music of Spain The flamenco music genre arose in Andalusia, the southern part of Spain, which is

named for the Germanic tribe of vandals, who passed

through the region to eventually settle to North Africa.

Flamenco is a fusion of traditional songs about

love, loneliness and death (cante flamenco), solo dances

(baile flamenco) and guitar music (guitarra flamenca).

Ethno-cultural synthesis determined mainly the

oriental character of flamenco compared to the rest of

Spanish musical folk art. The etymology of the word

flamenco is still not clear: we only know that at the

beginning of the XIX century the gypsies of Seville

and Cadiz, the southern provinces of Andalusia,

called themselves flamencos. It was the gypsies who

immigrated to southern Andalusia at the end of the

15th century from Punjab (northwestern region of

India), and gave flamenco an emotionally passionate

manner of performance. Historians and

musicologists have focused on the fact that the Holy

Inquisition condemned flamenco for obscenity, considering

it to be sinful music. The combination of the fiery passion

of the guitar, the thundering knock of heels and the soul-

tearing southern tunes with some special expression and

emotional exaltation was perceived by true Christians as

something vicious [3].

Thus we conclude that for this reason flamenco was

considered “closed art” for a long time, as gypsies lived as an isolated group, and flamenco was

formed in narrow circles. Only at the end of the XVIII century, the persecution of gypsies ceased, and

flamenco entered the stage of taverns and cafes, gaining the long-awaited freedom.

Flamenco can be considered an actively developing art form, so at the end of the century it

begins to absorb Cuban melodies, jazz motifs, elements of classical choreography and ballet.

At present, flamenco dancer Joaquin Cortes is world famous. The aforementioned performer

introduced his vision into the flamenco dance, saving him from the canonical hard standard, through

his reading, Joaquin Cortes introduced special expressiveness into it.

Spanish dances are often accompanied by guitar songs and castanets. Researchers note that

songs and dances have different features in different areas, for example, in the north they are more

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severe and closer to European; in the south they are more exotic and closer to the east. To some extent,

the music reproduces the landscape, the natural and ethnographic features, using special expressive

means

The musical culture of Spain includes European, Arab and African elements; distinguished by

great emotionality and dance.

Folk dances are flamenco and fandango, one of flamenco varieties, as well as jota, seguidilla,

bolero, habanera, being bright and lively. Most of these dances have gone far beyond the actual

Spanish cultural background, and now they occupy a prominent place in the dance art of many

countries [4].

Seguidilla is a folk dance accompanied by singing. Historically, the dance originates in the

XVI century in La Mancha (Castile). Seguidilla became widespread in the 16th century, and it was

from that time, when local varieties of dance arose. So, the most traditional are the Seguidilla of

Murcia and Seville (the latter is better known as Sevillana, i.e., seguidilla sevillana). For dance

melodies, the characteristic features are natural major, triple meter (3/4), quick tempo (allegro,

allegretto). The mood of the dance is cheerful and active, as for the texts, they have predominantly

lyrical or witty content. Accompaniment instruments are guitars, bandurrias, panderetas and castanets.

Classical examples of the seguidilla used in professional music can be found in the works of various

composers: we will mention the Seguidilla of Murcia from the series “Seven Spanish Folk Songs” by

M. de Falla, also a vivid example of the genre is the overture “Night in Madrid” by Russian composer

M. I. Glinka [ 5].

The nature of the dance can be understood, when one listens to Seguidilla of Carmen from the

same-name opera by J. Bizet. Quick sounds alternate with lingering sounds, which are again replaced

by quick sounds after a “flirty” melismatic figure [24].

Fandango is the general name for a large group of Spanish pair dances, genetically dating back

to an ancient one, performed in pair with singing,

accompanied by guitars and castanets.

In addition, fandango is a pair dance with love

content, imitating the courtship process. Researchers say,

that this dance is most likely of Moorish origin. It became

the most popular in Europe in the XVIIIth century. In the

XX century, it has been preserved as a folk dance in

Spain, Portugal, the south of France and Latin America.

The mime plays a major role in dance choreography. The

dance always begins at a slow tempo under the clicks of a

castanet, clapping of hands and tapping feet. Size is 3/4

or 6/8. The dance music is characterized by periodic pauses, where the dancers stop in a tense pose

until the melodic line continues. The dance, filled with passion, resembles the games of partners who,

as it were, tease each other, flirt and express their fiery temperament and ardor through each step, a

gesture or movement. Thus, the language of the body and music openly conveys the focus of the

dance.

It should be noted that another variant of fandango, performed by two men, is, in fact, a contest

of dancers' skill and demonstration of the inner strength and intentions of expressing this strength and

character. The first dancer sets the rhythm and steps, and the second dancer picks up the given rhythm,

further complicating the dance. Examples of the genre in classical music are: Miller's dance from the

ballet "Tricorne" by Manuel De Falla, Malaga from the suite of Iberia, composed by Isaac Albeniz,

Spanish Capriccio by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

In addition to the fandango dance, there is also a song genre consisting of separate verses. The

verses are improvised, the theme is mainly related to satire, religious and romantic moods [24].

Researchers talk about the close connection of fandango with other Spanish dance, which is

called jota.

This dance became popular by the end of the XVIII century. Fandango was a hit with the

aristocracy, so the dance was often part of ballets and operas.

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As it developed, the fandango dance gave life to various styles. So, the following fandango

styles are distinguished: Fandango grande (the great fandango), performed in pairs, whose

characteristic feature is the slow start and acceleration of the tempo along the course of development;

and Fandanguillo (small fandango) is a more lively version of the dance performed on holidays.

In some regions of Spain, their own fandango style was developed, such as Huelva (fandango

de Huelva) and Malaga (fandango de Málaga or Verdiales). In the northern regions, such as Asturias,

the Basque country and Castile, the slower, power-law versions of the fandango are still preserved.

Also, the Portuguese version of fandango is one of the main folk dances in Portugal [5].

Paso doble is a public dance of the XIX century, which is characterized by marching. Musical

sizes are 2/4, 3/4, 6/8. The tempo is moderately fast. Through dance, the key moments of the Spanish

corrida are depicted: the solemn exit of the torero, methods of working with a cloak, a fight with a bull,

victory in the fight and jubilation. The dance is performed in pairs, with active movement around the

dancing floor. This is a kind of theatrical action, where one partner portrays a proud, confident Torero,

and the his female partner is considered his cloak. Sometimes a female partner can portray another

torero, and very rarely a defeated bull. The characteristic of the paso doble rhythm is three musical

accents [6].

The popular work “For you, Rio Rita”, often shortened to “Rio Rita”, written in the 1930s,

belongs to the Paso doble genre. The author of the work is Enrique Santeugini, a German composer of

Spanish origin.

Rio Rita has become part of the repertoire of many artists. One of them, the German Jew Marek

Weber, was forced to emigrate to the United States when the Nazis came to power, where he translated

the name of the melody into English: “For you, Rio Rita”. This work, recorded in performance by his

orchestra, without text, but with castanets, ended up in the USSR in 1937, where it gained immense

popularity. As at that time authors were often not indicated on the records, the erroneous opinion

expanded that this was a fragment of the 1927 musical “Rio Rita” by Harry Tierney. The melody from

this musical really exists, it was released on records and also had popularity in those years. Probably

for this reason, the paso doble “Rio Rita” is erroneously called the foxtrot [7].

Jota is national pair dance having triple meter. It appeared at the end of the XVIII century in

Aragon and at the beginning of the XIX century expanded all over Spain. The word "Jota" comes from

Latin and means "leap", the characteristic movement of the dance. Despite this, there are many

different variations of dance depending on the region, for example, in Valencia, Castile, Navarre,

Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia and Murcia people would like to dance jota, but in each region it is

slightly different.

In Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon, there is a municipal jota school, where jota contests are held

there.

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Many of Aragon inhabitants are of Iberian origin, and Moorish traditions have a great influence

on this part of the country, therefore, some researchers believe that the origin of the dance is, in fact,

Moorish [24].

Jota is a fast dance, having size of 6/8. Different dance options have different characteristics,

for example, the Castilian version includes guitars, banduras, lutes and drums as accompaniment, and

the Galician use bagpipes and drums.

Initially, the Aragonese Jota was rather difficult to perform. Jota was performed by Spanish

men and women during social events such as weddings.

The foreign composers presented their interpretations, which retained their classic features

along with Spanish dance genres. For example, the French composer Georges Bizet used the jota genre

in his famous Spanish opera Carmen, as well as another famous French composer Saint-Saens [6].

M.I. Glinka, the Russian composer, created the world-famous Aragonese jota, a symphonic

overture, whose professional melody development is a unique masterpiece and brilliance

manifestation, notated by the composer himself when he was in Spain.

Habanera is another dance closely associated with Spanish folklore. We all know Habanera of

Carmen from the opera by J. Bizet. The dance has Cuban origin; literally the name of the dance is

translated as “inhabitant of Havana”. Cuban Habanera appeared from European counter-dance,

brought to Cuba at the end of the XVIII century.

The dance has duple meter with typical dotted split of the first beat. It is still popular in Spain

and in Latin America. It is considered one of the ancestors of tango.

Tango became popular in the XX century. As it intricately combines vigor and languor, it is an

example of the rich and complex interaction of cultures of different nations.

The researchers say that tango expanded in the middle of the XIX century in Seville, dwelling

from Andalusia, another Spanish province. It was called Andalusian, but it was very similar to the

Cuban Habanera, which was called American tango there. A quarter of a century later, tango came to

Argentina, where it became extremely fashionable and got enriched with the intonations of the

Argentine dance song: milonga. A decade later, the so-called Creole tango arose, which reworked the

same Spanish, Cuban and Argentine elements in its own way. At the turn of the XIX–XX centuries,

the famous Argentine tango appeared, a pair dance in which partners dance, hugging each other by the

shoulders.

Thus, the Spanish background has become a breeding ground for the birth and development of

tango in other countries [24].

________________________________________________________

The material presented below

will help you to answer test questions No. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Musical Theatre Spanish music represented in folk and professional forms is a heritage of an ancient and

rich culture. Its originates from highly developed and strongly traditional musical art of Iberians, the

country's most ancient inhabitants, mixed in the VI century BC with the Celts. Next conquerors

brought their musical culture, also superimposed on the original Iberian basis [7].

A separate layer of the musical culture of Spain is the musical theater. The history of the

development of the musical theater of Spain covers a huge period of time. Let us follow the stages of

the development of music, mentioning the leading genres of this or that period, being the backbones of

creation of a musical theater.

So, during the period of Byzantine influence on Spanish music, supported by military and

political forces in the VI–VII centuries, the emphasis was on the anthem genre, closely associated with

folk song origins.

The anthem is a solemn song. There are variations of anthems, for example, national,

revolutionary, military, religious, anthems, composed in tribute to historical events, heroes and others.

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Outstanding authors of anthems were Isidore, Leander from Seville (VI century), Eugenius of Toledo

(d. 656), and Ildefonso (607–667).

In the period of the Reconquista, which accelerated the national unification of the country and

the formation of the Spanish nation, a national Spanish culture emerged, which was manifested

primarily in folk musical and poetic genres.

After the Reconquista the Arabs were settled in the southern part of Spain, founding a caliphate

with its capital in Cordoba, which became the world center of Spanish-Arab culture. At that time, the

Andalusian school was especially famous, which was created Ziriab, the famous theorist, singer and

instrumentalist (IX century) under the reign of Abd al-Rahman II. Musicologists indicate that Ziriab

was the author of about 10,000 songs, which were popular not only in Muslim Spain, but in all Islamic

countries.

The ethnic amalgamation of Arabs with the conquered population also contributed to the

preservation of the Eastern elements in the local culture. The folk music of the southern and

southeastern regions of Spain, namely, Andalusia, Murcia, part of Valencia, is characterized by the

oriental nature of tradition of the local culture of ancient Ibero-eastern origin, , which is different from

Arabic in its stylistic features.

Over time, the numerous groups of gypsies of southern Spain who settled there in the 15th

century strengthened the specific “oriental” flavor of Andalusian music. 5 centuries after the

Reconquista was completed, the musical culture of Castile became sharply different from the rest of

Spain [25].

By the XIII century, heroic-epic songs became widespread having various themes, for example,

about King Rodrigo, about the invasion of the Arabs, about the battles of the Moors and Christians.

The performers of the songs were troubadours and hugglers (jongleurs) accompanied by Vihuela, a

struck-stringed instrument of the viola family. The nature of the songs was narrative.

In the folk environment, these songs gradually transformed into romances: a musical and poetic

form in which troubadours professional art and folk art were mixed. The theme of romances gained a

wider scope at that time, affecting all aspects of life of the Spanish people. The poetic form of the

romance is an octosyllable trochaic with alternating rhymes or assonances, the so-called "Castilian

verse". This type of versification became predominant in Spanish folk poetry over time. The language

of the romance was close to colloquial, so it suited both narrative speech and dialogue. Often the

romance was given a dramatic form, right up to the stage adaptation of the plot. Subsequently, it was

this genre, which became one of the constituent elements of the emerging Spanish musical theater.

The genre of romance developed and subsequently acquired an emotionally lyrical beginning

(thereby, the epic romance turned into a lyric-epic romance).

In the XVI-XVII centuries collections of romances were widely published.

In the Renaissance, the originality of the Spanish musical theater was manifested primarily in

eclogues, which are dramatic scenes with music on religious and secular subjects, mainly of a pastoral

nature.

In the XVII century, the Spanish form of the zarzuela opera genre began to develop on the

prepared fruitful ground, it did not develop into a big opera, despite the fact that talented authors

worked in this genre; nevertheless Zarzuela retained its viability (up to the 20th century) [4].

Zarzuela is an indigenous Spanish genre, which combines song with recitation, dance and

humorous dialogues. On the basis of such a synthesis of arts, a dynamic performance was formed.

Experts believe that Zarzuela is somewhat close to operetta. The genre was born in the XVII century.

This genre got its name in honor of the royal villa near Madrid, where such performances were first

staged. According to musicologists, the founder of Zarsuels is considered Lope de Vega, the greatest

playwright of the time. A significant influence was exerted on the development of the genre of the

Baroque playwright Pedro Calderon de Barca.

Lope de Vega's play Forest Without Love, created in 1629, is an example of early Zarzuela.

Unfortunately, the musical material of the play was not preserved.

According to studies, Calderon de Barca was the first playwright to use the term Zarzuela for

his work, entitled Bay of Sirens, written in 1657.

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In the XVII century, opera performances in Spain were the privilege of the royal house. The

first performance, The Garden of Falerina, was given at the royal residence of Zarzuela (near

Madrid). The tradition of royal patronage continued into the XVIII century under Philip V, who

cultivated Italian music. After performance of the famous Italian castrato Farinelli in Madrid in 1737,

Philip V invited him to sing for him every evening to entertain His Majesty. Farinelli did this for more

than twenty years, until he was fired by Charles II, who considered the Italian opera unworthy.

Zarzuela flourished in the XIX century, beginning in 1839, with the music of composers

Francisco Barbieri and Emilio Arrieta. Many times, their success was due to one or more songs, which

the audience picked up, turning them into couplets. The composition of the work remained the same:

conversational numbers, songs, choirs, which were intertwined with comic scenes, usually performed

by a duet. The scripts were based on scenes from folk life, and the libretto was understandable to all

sectors and regional communities of the country.

Since about 1850, the popularity of this genre has even spread to the "elite" sections of the

population.

In 1856, a special theater was opened in Madrid (still operating) for staging Zarzuela, followed

by many others [8].

Since its emergence Zarzuela has been divided into two categories: global and small shows.

The first major performance in this genre was shown by Francisco Barbieri. Barbieri, who was

born in Madrid in 1823, made such an important contribution to the development of the genre that he

is often regarded as the father of Zarzuela.

Barbieri wrote 77 works in this genre, which are still known today, including “Glory and a

Wig” (1850), “Playing with Fire” (1851), “Diamonds of a Crown”, (1854), “Bread and Bulls (1864) ,

"The Barber of Lavapies" (1874) and others.

The revival of Zarzuela is associated with the name of Barbieri. The music of Zarzuelas,

composed by Barbieri, is full of Spanish folklore intonations.

Most of the works of Barbieri are farcical in nature using false recognition techniques (taking

one person for another) and other similar tricks to amuse the public. Among topics, which were

interesting to him, there are love affairs and the relationship between the upper and lower classes of

Spanish society of the XIX century. Also, many of his works have a pronounced political character.

For example, the Zarzuela “The Barber of Lavapies” and “Bread and the Bulls” contain stories aimed

at exposing and overthrowing the government.

In addition to his composing activities, Barbieri was also an excellent musician. He founded

“La Espana Musical”: a community whose activities were aimed at promoting the Spanish operetta, as

well as the Society for Orchestral Music.

Together with Barbieri, Emilio Arrieta, who originally wrote mainly operas, was also engaged

in the popularization of Zarzuela. Arrieta wrote three operas, which were very popular in Spain before

switching to Zarzuela in 1853, three years after the first production, made by Barbieri. After he

became one of the forefathers of the nascent form of lyrical and dance form, Arrieta eventually turned

into one of the most prolific composers, who wrote more than fifty plays.

With the opening of the Palacio de la Zarzuela theater in Madrid in 1856, the zarzuela genre

was finally established in Spain, becoming in fact one of the officially recognized forms of cultural

expression in the country [9].

After the revolution of 1868, the country was lost in a deep crisis (especially economic), which

also affected the theater. Theatrical performances were expensive and people could not pay for tickets.

It was then that the Variety Theater of Madrid realized the idea of reducing prices and, at the same

time, reducing the duration of the performance. The Theater of Zarzuela of Madrid continued to

defend a large Zarzuela, but with little success and with a small audience. Despite this, in 1873 a new

Apolo Theater was opened, which, taking into account the failures of the past, could not find another

way than to replace the performances with a small genre [10].

The development of the musical culture of Spain in the second half of the XIX century took

place against the backdrop of unfavorable political circumstances caused by a series of revolutionary

events in neighboring France. Researchers also note that in addition to this, the general atmosphere

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was also influenced by constant fluctuations between the republican and monarchical forms of

government.

At the beginning of the century, Napoleonic troops conquered the country, retaining power

until 1808, when they were overthrown as a result of the uprising. This moment is captured in the

painting by Francisco Goya, "The Uprising on May 2, 1808 in Madrid." A wave of protests swept

across Spain, returning King Ferdinand VII to the throne. However, the conflicts continued after the

king’s death, during the reign of his daughter Isabella II: her legitimacy was disputed by the brother of

Ferdinand VII Carlos Maria, as well as his supporters: carlists, traditionalists and ultra-conservatives.

After a short period of the First Republic, which fell in 1874, and with the advent of the

Bourbons in the person of King Alfonso XII in Spain, the relative peace time came until 1885. After

the death of the king, the country was ruled by his widow, Maria Cristina, who was the regency of her

young son, the future king Alphonse XIII. This king was in power from 1902 to 1931, when he was

expelled as a result of a revolutionary coup. The monarchy was replaced by the Second Republic,

which lasted until 1939. This time was an extremely unstable period in Spanish history. It ended with

the dictatorship of General Franco, putting an end to an unprecedented upswing in all spheres of public

life in Spain, including culture and education.

With regard to music, Spain at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was on the

threshold of entering the circle of the most musically developed countries and at the same time was

influenced by major music centers, primarily Italy, whose opera industry easily conquered the main

Spanish cities thanks to the great love of the Spaniards for opera. This genre was addressed by the

largest theaters in the country, including Principal (founded in 1597 year), Liceo (which appeared in

1847) and many other theaters in Barcelona, as well as the Royal Theater of Madrid (1850) and the

Principal Theater in Valencia (1832).

In the Spanish theaters, an extensive Italian repertoire was established, interspersed with local

opera products, primarily with Zarzuela. Since 1850 more than 25,000 works were created in this

insignificant genre, at first glance. In all the major cities of Spain, concert life was established in the

XIX century, the first conservatories were established, including such reputable ones as the Royal

Conservatory in Madrid (1830) and the Liceo Conservatory in Barcelona (1838), all of which

expressed the growing interest of the Spaniards in music, backed by frequent visits to Spain by foreign

artists with spectacular concert programs.

Thanks to the vehicles improvement, the international cultural exchange gradually became

more intense, and the steady interest in the musical culture within Spain itself attracted more and more

outstanding musicians to this country. The contacts of Spain with France, with England, Germany and

other countries of Central Europe were particularly developed [12].

In the early years of the twentieth century, works of high musical quality appeared (for

example, “Doña Francisquita” by composer Amadeo Vives). Zarzuela returned to life again,

sometimes repeating the musical structure of Italian opera, thanks to such famous authors as Pablo

Sorozabal (1897-1988), Don Monolito, created in 1944, and Jacinto Guerrero's Strawberry Basket,

created in 1951.

Since the 1950s, Zarzuela survived thanks to discography. Audio records were very successful.

Most of them were created under the direction of the Spanish conductor Ataulfo Argenta. The best

voices of our time appeared on these discs, the voices of the most famous singers in the world, who

professionally devoted themselves to opera and concert activity. At this stage, both young and titled

performers participated in the records of Zarzuela: Montserrat Caballe, Alfredo Kraus, Placido

Domingo and many others [10].

In addition to Zarzuela, another genre of musical and theatrical art deserves attention:

tonadilla.

Tonadilla (Spanish: tonadilla) is Spanish musical comedy of the XVIII - early XIX centuries.

Initially, the tonadilla was a song with a chorus, and later it turned into a small scene with

music and dancing, performed between acts of a comedy-lyrical performance. Since 1750, tonadilla

has become an independent stage work of a satirical character, made on topic of the day. In the 1770-

1790s, the tonadilla genre was popular. The authors of the tonadilla were L. Mison, A. Guerrero, H.

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Palomino, B. de Laserna, V. Galban, P. Esteve, P. de Moral. By 1850, tonadilla lost its former

meaning, which was associated with the forefront of the Zarzuela genre. The last of the authors of the

tonadilla is considered M.P.V. Garcia, the singer, guitarist and composer. The song from his tonadilla

“Imaginary servant” (1804) was used by J. Bizet in the opera Carmen. E. Granados owns songs for

voice and piano, published under the title "Old-Style Tonadillas" [11].

Renacimiento Renasimiento is the national movement for the revival of Spain at the end of the XIX -

beginning of the XX centuries, which sought to cover various spheres of political, economic and

cultural. Life of the country.

Spain, after losing the war with the United States in 1898, suffered cultural stagnation and

economic downturn. The founders of the Renasimiento movement, the so-called generation of 98,

mainly writers, musicians and folklorists, went to create a national distinctive Spanish culture. The

movement ideals figure in Spanish music was Felipe Pedrell, the musicologist and composer.

In 1891, Pedrell published the manifesto “For Our Music” (“Ro nuestra musica”), in which he

approved the aesthetic position of Renacimiento. Subsequently, Pedrell propagated these principles in

his musicological works and embodied in musical compositions (the opera trilogy “Pyrenees” and

others).

The originality of Spain is reflected in the musical creativity of professional musicians. Among

them, first of all, there are the three Spanish composers: the above mentioned Isaac Albeniz, Enrique

Granados and Manuel de Falla.

The aesthetic principles, introduced by Pedrell, were widely implemented by Isaac Albeniz in

his work. So his best works are examples of a truly national and at the same time original style of the

composer [13].

Albeniz Isaac (1860–1909) is a Spanish composer and pianist, one of the founders of the

Spanish national music school. Albenis studied at the conservatories of Madrid and Leipzig. Later he

improved his skills in the Brussels Conservatory, one of the best in Europe. The meeting with Liszt in

Budapest (1880) had huge influence on Albeniz and on all subsequent creative activities of the

musician, when he completed his pianistic education. Albeniz became an outstanding virtuoso pianist

and performed in many countries (Mexico, Cuba, Germany, England, France, etc.). His brilliant

pianism attracted contemporaries with its colorful and virtuoso scale; The Spanish press called him

"Spanish Rubinstein" for the performance of his own compositions.

Since 1894, Albeniz lived in Paris, where he improved himself in the field of composition with

such famous French composers as C. Debussy, P. Duc, G. Foret. Albeniz as a composer created a huge

number of works of different genres. The composer's creative heritage should include the opera Magic

Opal (1893), fantasy for the orchestra and piano Catalonia (1899), and numerous piano pieces. These

are “The Spanish Suite” and “Spanish Songs”, “Spain” (opus 165) and “Iberia” (12 plays), one of the

peaks of Albeniz's work. “Albeniz’s sublime and unusual musical intuition could be compared to a

bowl filled to the brim with pure wine warmed by the Mediterranean sun” - F. Pedrell wrote so

figuratively about the composer.

The close connection of dance and singing, which is characteristic of Spain, permeates the

works of Albeniz; in his music you can hear the dancing soul of Spain. Albeniz as he recreated the

characteristic features of various Spanish regions and cities in his music, turned to specific song and

dance genres, the most popular among which were the inhabitants of Spain. Malaga is an example,

where the composer used the dance of malagene, another example could be “Seville”, where Albeniz

applied Sevillana.

The Spanish Suite has various forms of dance music, which consists of several parts with their

geographical names: Castigliana, Aragon, Iberia, Cadiz and Cordoba. In each part of the suite there are

sketches of the originality, which is inherent in individual cities and regions. In general, the suite gives

a romantic image of multicolored Spain. Another suite "Spain" is rich in folklore material of certain

geographical areas: "Asturiana" and "Catalonia"; it consists of the songs of old Spain. The best

composition of Albeniz, the Iberia piano cycle, is filled with ethnographic themes of his beloved

10

homeland. This is the whole musical panorama of Spain having folkloric and psychological character.

As we listen to music, we see live pictures of Spain with national character.

It should be noted that the music of Albeniz absorbed the originality of folk music, folk vocal

and speech intonations as well as polyrhythmia (“El Polo” and “Triana” from “Iberia” in the piano

pieces). In his work, Albeniz used new textured techniques to play the sounds of Spanish folk

instruments on the piano: tambourine, bagpipes and, especially, guitars: tremolo combined with

Rasgueado (playing with chords) and punteado (distinctive performance of each note).

An expression of the national style is also the piano work of Enrique Granados (the piano cycle

"Spanish Dances", which recreates the dance genres of various regions of Spain, especially known No.

5, which is based on malagene) [29].

Bright and temperamental are "Spanish Dances", composed by Enrique Granados, another

Spanish composer. The Granados images of the country are very colorful. They became popular in

Europe as a kind of musical symbols of Spain: just like the Slavic dances of Dvorak or the Norwegian

dances of Grieg. An interesting series of piano pieces called "Goyescas", inspired by the paintings of

the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya.

Researchers note that his Goyescas piano cycle, based on folk genres linked by the unity of

song and dance (the plays Fandango, Mach and the Nightingale), is one of Renacimiento's highest

achievements; in the vocal cycle "Tonadillas in the old style" Granados revived the tonadilla dance.

Enrique Granados (1867–1916) is considered to be a composer who revived Spanish national

music. The creative work of the famous Spanish composer and gifted pianist Enrique Granados is

associated with the revival of national music in Spain [31].

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) is considered the youngest in the magnificent trio of the Spanish

composers, but the most significant composer of Renacimiento at the same time.

In 1905, the composer received an Academy of Fine Arts award for the famous opera La vida

breve (Life is Short).

While in the best works of Albeniz (Iberia) and Granados (Goyeschi) there is a regionality (the

use of South Spanish musical folklore), in the de Falla music the Spanish character is embodied for the

first time in its nationwide manifestation, completely free from local narrow-mindedness.

Manuel de Falla’ spent his childhood in the ancient port city of Cadiz, founded by the

Phoenicians in ancient times. Life was seething on the streets of Cadiz, the sounds of the guitar were

everywhere.

Frederico Garcia Lorca, the famous Spanish poet, wrote vividly about Manuel’s childhood: “He

was brought up by magnificent servants who came from the mountains to give us the first lessons of

Spanish history and to imprint in us the harsh Iberian motto:“ You are alone and will live alone. ”

From 1907 to 1914, the composer lived and worked in Paris. Manuel de Falla was on friendly

terms with Claude Debussy (1862–1918). In 1914, de Falla returned to Spain, where he composed his

most significant works: Puppet opera The Performer of the Maestro Pedro (1923), the ballets Love

Sorceress (1915) and the Tricorn (1919).

Like many composers, Manuel de Falla sought to Paris, the musical capital of Europe to gain

recognition of the European public. In Paris, he wrote The Four Spanish Pieces for pianos, which

originate in different parts of Spain, they are all based on the folklore of his native land Andalusia,

which has always remained the main source of inspiration for the composer. These plays bear the traits

of elegance acquired in Paris, but Spanish folklore, of course, remains the leitmotif. The geographical

features of the territories are expressed in the corresponding parts of the plays: "Montanes" (which

means "mountainous") is based on the songs of the Pyrenees north; “Andalusa” is built on the contrast

of dance and song in flamenco style. These works made the name of Falla widely known in Paris.

In Seven Spanish Songs, Falla showed a variety of Spanish folklore. “Asturiana” stands out of

particular lyricism, and one of the most popular is “Segidilla”. Garcia Lorca, who knew well Spanish

folklore (he compiled a collection of almost 300 songs), noted that with all the variety of local genres -

Asturian, Galician, Andalusian songs and dances – there are those, which acquire common Spanish

meaning, for example, jota (whose homeland is Aragon) and seguidilla. Seguidilla is danced to the

11

accompaniment of guitars and castanets, but its melodies have their own flavor in different areas. The

desire to uncover the nationwide in the local is clearly manifested in the songs of Manuel de Falla.

With the outbreak of World War I, the composer left Paris, but his merits in music were highly

appreciated there. So, many years later, he was elected a foreign member of the French Academy.

In Spain, Manuel de Falla creates one of his best works, “Nights in the Gardens of Spain.”

Impressionist features appear here: his many years of communication with French composers affected

the work. Impressionist landscape is felt in the music: the image of the southern night, the silence of

the asleep gardens, broken only by the murmur of fountains [31].

The last, but unfortunately, incomplete work of Manuel de Falla work was the oratorio Atlantis.

The composer was attracted by the theme of the ocean, near which his hometown of Cadiz is located.

In the oratorio, the fate of his native land, closely connected with the Atlantic Ocean, sounds and

stretches across the whole work. The surroundings of Cadiz are fanned by the memory of Columbus

sailing. The composer wrote about his composition: “The theme is between Greek and Latin;

mythology and the mysterious era of prehistoric Iberia, the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea. "

Musicologists agree that in his monumental composition Manuel de Falla wanted to create something

like the Spanish “Parsifal” of Wagner, that is, the mystery of the nation, the glorification of the Iberian

peoples and their connection with the elements of the ocean. This is indicated by the names of the

individual parts: “Anthem of Spain”, “Song of Barcelona”, “Song of Atlantis”. We conclude that in

this work synthesizing musical folklore of various regions of the country, the composer sought to

express a nationwide Spanish character.

The work of Manuel de Falla put the Spanish composer school on a level with other Western

European schools and brought Spanish music worldwide recognition. The works of de Falla are

distinguished by the depth of penetration into the melos, a subtle reflection of the modal rhythmic

features of folk music.

Granados and de Falla performed their own piano works and created the National Musical

Society in Madrid in 1915 to validate the ideas of Renasimiento and propagate contemporary Spanish

music.

The revival of the art of playing classical (Spanish) guitar is associated with the activities of

Francisco Tarrega, a composer (he owns compositions for guitar “Recall of the Alambra”, “Moorish

Dance”, variations on the theme of jota, etc.),and a teacher (teacher of outstanding guitarists: Miguel

Llobeta and Emilio Pujola).

In the Renascimiento era, the guitar was internationally recognized as a solo instrument thanks

to the work of Andres Segovia, whose art is associated with the heyday of guitar performance. He

expanded the expressive and technical capabilities of the guitar, introduced classical and modern music

into the guitarist’s repertoire [14].

Theaters The development of the theater has always been

inseparable from the development of society and the state

of culture as a whole, with the features of social

development, its heyday or decline, the prevalence of

various artistic trends in the theater. For a long time,

performances were played in palaces. In the 1920s,

special theater buildings began to appear, where, as in

ancient Rome, the auditorium was built in the form of an

amphitheater. The new Italian theater was born as a court,

but soon gained popularity in the widest sections of

society, to the interests and tastes of which it began to

adapt at the turn of the XV–XVI centuries.

The first theater in Barcelona is the Principal Theater. This is one of the oldest theaters

not only in Spain, but throughout Europe. The theater is located on the pedestrian street of Las

Ramblas. The architect of the theater building is Francesc Daniel Molina. In those days, Santa Cruz

12

was the main hospital of the city, which gave the theater its original name. It was in this hospital in

1597 that secular music began to emerge when Philip II approved the privilege of organizing theatrical

and musical performances. For a long time, the theater was the center of Barcelona's musical culture.

The theater building was built in 1603 from wood, and in 1729 expanded and erected from

stone. In 1787, the Santa Cruz Theater burned down, but was restored a year later. In 1708, the theater

introduced the city to opera. It was then that the first opera performances were staged. Since 1750, on

the initiative of N. Setaro, ballet performances were held, and the basis of the theater’s repertoire was

composed by Italian authors. The opera orientation of the theater and the support of the royal court

allowed the theater to gain universal recognition and affection of the public. The Barcelona Theater

hospitably opened its doors and introduced Spain to numerous music authors. So, for the first time in

in the country the public enjoyed the works of Gluck, Mozart, Salieri, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi and

others. In 1837 the Santa Cruz Theater was renamed the Principal Theater. It is known that at various

times many theater troupes competed with it. It is curious that since the opening of the Liceo Theater

in 1847, the Principal Theater has been in open competition with former for many years. According to

historians, this rivalry between the two theaters has developed historically and reflects the situation in

the relations between wealthy and poor people, between the bourgeoisie and the clergy [16].

The Royal Opera House in Madrid was opened in 1850, the first stone of construction of

which was laid on April 23, 1818, it was designed by

the municipal architect Antonio Lopez Aguado during

the reign of Isabella II. In 1977, the building, which is

located near the Sol quarter, was given the status of a

monument of history and architecture of national

importance. Although the theater was closed for a

long time, and then used as a concert hall, over time it

was decided to return it to its original purpose. Since

1997, the Royal Theater has again been the center of

the Madrid Opera.

The Royal Theater of Madrid combines

different architectural styles. Its pearl is a stage with

an area of 1472 m². 18 movable platforms, which can

be combined in different ways on the stage and in the orchestra pit, let change the scenery completely.

There are 1748 or 1854 seats in the hall, depending on the requirements for the organization of the

stage space. There are 28 theater boxes on different circles, 8 proscenium theater boxes and a royal

box of double height [15].

National Theater of Zarzuela "Palacio de la Zarzuela" in Madrid.

The national Opera House of “Zarzuela” was opened on October 10, 1856. The author of the

architectural project of the theater was Jeronimo de la Gandara. This theater has become the main

guardian of the traditions of Zarzuela in Spain.

The development of the interior and exterior decor of the theater was greatly influenced by

Italian opera houses. The U-shaped hall currently contains more than 1,200 spectators. In 1866, Jose

Maria Guallart made significant changes to the layout of the building. He built a large neo-Renaissance

staircase and changed a lot in the interior decor. In 1909, the theater was badly damaged during the fire

and in 1913 it was rebuilt by the architect Caesar Iradier

In 1955, the theater was reconstructed again, and

then it was opened on the 100th anniversary of its

founding with the production of Doña Francisquita, an

opera by the Spanish composer Amadeo Vives. For many

years, the Zarzuela Theater has been the stage on which

both Italian and Spanish operas are performed. The opera

season lasts from January to July [17].

The Lope de Vega Theater was built in 1945-

1949 by architects Joaquin and Julian Otamendi. It was

13

named after Lope de Vega, the Spanish playwright, poet and prose writer. The theater was opened on

April 16, 1949 specifically for the production of musicals, but by the end of 1954 it was converted into

a cinema. In 1997, The Lope de Vega Theater again became a musical theater. Soon it got a synonym:

"Spanish Broadway." In 2011, the theater underwent reconstruction to show on its stage the most

successful musical in Spain: The Lion King (as it turned out later).

Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria is a city

theater of Santander, which was built in 1990. Since 1952,

the city hosts the International Santander Festival of

Music, Cinema, Theater and Dance from the end of July

to the end of August every year. Ever since it began, it

was planned to build this building, which was built only

by 1990 according to the project of Javier Saenz de Ois.

He faced facade marble covered with copper, which

oxidized and became a characteristic green color. Prior to

this, all important city events were held on Velarde

Square (plaza de Velandre) and Porticada Square (Plaza

Porticada) [18].

Spain reflected in works of composers of other countries Spanish themes and subjects were often attractive for French composers. It is enough to

recall “Carmen”, one of the most popular operas by Georges Bizet.

For French composers, however, as well as for Russian, the Spanish theme was something

unusual: it revealed the world of a romantic country where folk customs, songs and dances, retaining

their originality.

The most remarkable figures of the natural images of Spain among French composers were

Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, being representatives of impressionism in music.

Claude Debussy, one of the founders of “plein-air music”, believed that “music is the art

closest to nature: only musicians have the privilege of capturing all the poetry of night and day, earth

and sky.”

Debussy owns such works of "musical Spanish studies" as "Evening in Granada" and a

symphonic poem "Iberia". The images, created by him, are foggier, veiled, that is, they carry features

characteristic of impressionism. “Iberia” is a symphonic poem about the Spanish country and the

Spanish people, with images of street life and landscapes. Here are the names of the parts of the poem:

“On the streets and roads”, “Flavors of the night” and “Morning of a festive day”.

The most striking Spanish images in French music belong to Maurice Ravel, as his mother was

from Spain, so the future composer had absorbed the spirit of this country from childhood. Manuel de

Falla wrote: "Spain of Ravel was Spain, mentally perceived by him from his mother".

The colors of the Spanish nature, the rhythms of dancing, the southern temperament of the

inhabitants are all reflected in Ravel’s music. Not only the image of Spain is reflected in it, but also the

characteristic features of individual areas. In some works it is the Basque Country, in others it is

Andalusia.

In Spain, as already noted, the song is inseparable from the dance, and dance rhythms are

characteristic of many of Ravel’s works. His serenade, entitled Alborada, is a genre scene from folk

life; it focuses on a jester, a traditional participant in Spanish folk performances, which take place on

the streets and squares.

The Iberian Peninsula is also heard by Ravel in the Spanish Rhapsody. Jota sounds like sunny

Spain. But Spain also appears here at night, when the exhausting heat subsides and street life comes to

life. Night in Spain is time of festivities, holiday processions and serenades. It is mysterious rustling

and melodic guitar chords; the air is saturated with the smell of lemon and orange trees. The

mysterious charm of Spanish nights has been especially appealing to musical impressionism. Let’s

recall the "Flavors of the Night" in "Iberia", "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" by Manuel de Falla. The

"Spanish Rhapsody" of Ravel opens with the "Prelude to the Night", which introduces the listener into

14

the night atmosphere and arises from the night landscape; dance themes carried by gusts of wind

dissolve in the distance. Being parts of the Spanish Rhapsody, they include the dances Habanera and

Malagene, as well as Extravaganza, depicting a national holiday.

“Spanish Hour”, Ravel’s opera, is a comedy in nature. Here again there are the rhythms of

dances of Habanera, Seguidilla, Fandango and Bolero. The keynote is Habanera, it’s like the soul of

the whole opera. One of the topics is purely geographical: the rumble of the Guadalquivir.

The most famous and, apparently, the most striking work of Ravel on the Spanish theme is his

“Bolero”. The music of this mysterious work, as critics say, is rooted in the most ancient strata of

Basque folklore; It is written in the style of ancient Basque male dances. The rhythm of the small drum

in the Bolero is typical of folk dances. The whole work reflects the folk character of the dance: first,

we hear clicking the castanet, and only then the dance melody; moreover, the second part of the

melody is written in the manner of gypsy-Andalusian folklore. The purpose of this original work, as

Ravel himself wrote, was to create a generalized image of Spain, that is, “joy in dance”. By the power

of reproduction, this composition can be considered one of the most outstanding in musical Spanish

studies.

The image of Spain attracted many Russian composers. M.I. Glinka lived in Spain in 1845-

1847. and as he studied the life of the people, their songs and dances, he fell in love with the country

and found many friends here. Glinka studied folklore of various areas: from Catalonia to Andalusia.

The composer's diaries say a lot about the beauties of Spanish folk melodies. From the Spanish

impressions, the brilliant “Spanish Overture”, “Aragonese Jota”, “Night in Madrid” were born. In the

Spanish theme, Glinka seemed to have affirmed the connection between the folk and the

professionalism, following the traditions, developed in the process of his work on Russian music. The

“Aragonese Jota” had the meaning of a creative experiment for Glinka: this is an attempt to use

national elements in “serious” music preceded the creation of “Kamarinskaya”, the famous work of

Glinka. His small piece of music “Spanish Dance” gave an example of developing a folkloric dance

theme, and the Spanish composers Albeniz and Granados went this way. The Glinka’s Spanish cycle

gave birth to Don Juan serenade by Tchaikovsky, Stone Guest by Dargomyzhsky, and Spanish March

and Spanish Serenade by Balakirev.

Russian composers subsequently continued to show interest in Spain, penetrating deeply into

the essence of its national character. This is reflected in the brilliant "Spanish Capriccio" by Rimsky-

Korsakov. Dmitry Shostakovich, who had never been to Spain, used Spanish themes on the verses of

Garcia Lorca in the famous Fourteenth Symphony: these are its first two parts: “One hundred

passionate lovers fell asleep for a century” and “Malagene”.

Unusual Spain has an attractive force, which inspired composers from different countries to

create compositions, which reflected the soul of the country. The temperamental southern land in all its

diverse manifestations, that is, morals, customs, psychological stock, heady aroma of nature, was

reflected in bright, fiery musical melodies having a very special flavor, well recognized throughout the

world musical heritage [14].

_____________________________________________________________________

The material presented below

will help you to answer questions of the test No. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

National Musical Instruments of Spain In the Middle Ages, Spain was the main center for guitar development, the genesis of

which is usually associated with Arab influence (Moorish guitar). In addition to this type, there was a

second guitar, which was called the Latin guitar. The first documentary information about the guitar

dates back to the XIII century. Moorish guitar existed until the middle of the XVI century, musicians

played on it using mainly a plectrum. The strings were clamped with fingers on a Latin guitar.

The most ancient flamenco genres were played in the middle register, for which 5 strings were

enough. The 6th string appeared later, only at the end of the 18th century.

15

Wandering gypsy guitarists have long wandered along the roads of many European countries.

In their music, they used only a few traditional melodies, but combined them so skillfully that an

impression of infinite variety was created. The gypsies improvised masterfully, decorating the melody

with sharp turns, in a word, they created their own music, which is hardly transmitted by the musical

notes familiar to us. The theme of gypsy music is also peculiar: at first it is very slow, it gradually

accelerates and reaches almost the limit of the musician's abilities, then there is a sharp stop, and

everything starts all over again.

During the XVIII–XIX centuries, the design of the Spanish guitar undergoes significant

changes, the masters’ experiment with the size and shape of the body, the fastening of the neck, the

design of the peg mechanics and so on. Finally, in the XIX century, Spanish guitarist Antonio Torres

gives the guitar a modern shape and size. The guitars of the Torres construction are called classical

today.

The most famous guitarist of the time is the Spanish composer and guitarist Francisco Tárrega,

who laid the foundations of the classical guitar playing technique. Among the famous guitarists of the

XIX century, are François de Fossa and Dionisio Aguado. In the XX century, their work was

continued by Andres Segovia, the Spanish composer, guitarist and teacher. The Spanish guitar came to

Russia in the 18th century, thanks to Italian composers and musicians who worked in Russia, primarily

Giuseppe Sarti and Carlo Canobbio.

Since the beginning of the XX century, a seven-string guitar has rapidly spread in Russia,

combining the design features of an English guitar and a Spanish guitar. In 1907, the first Russian-

language manual. Devoted to play on seven-string guitar by Ignacy de Gelda was published,

containing additions by S. N. Aksenov.

In addition to the so-called Russian seven-stringed guitar, there is an ukulele, not so

widespread and almost unknown to us. The instrument does not differ in special contraction, but there

are indeed some minor features in the device, for example, it has no steel strings. The ukulele is laid

flat on its knees during performance. The performer puts special plectrums on three fingers of his right

hand, which resemble thimbles with metal feathers, with which strings are plucked. And in the left

hand the guitarist holds a metal plate, with which he glides along the strings without pressing them to

the fretboard. The sound of the ukulele is singing, vibrating, and resembles a human voice. Usually an

ukulele leads a melody, and a second guitar or some other instrument accompanies it [19]

The instrument classification According to the number of guitar strings there are:

• Four-string guitar (4-string guitar), a guitar with four strings. In the vast majority of cases,

four-stringed guitars are bass guitars or tenor guitars.

• Six-string guitar (6-string guitar), a guitar, which has six single strings. The most standard and

common variety of guitars.

• Seven-string guitar (7-string guitar), a guitar, which has seven single strings. It is used in the

performance of Russian romances.

• A twelve-string guitar (12-string guitar), it is a rhythm guitar with 6 double strings, forming

six pairs, tuned, as a rule, by the classical system in an octave or in unison. It is played mainly by

professional rock musicians, folk musicians and bards.

There are a large number of less common, intermediate and hybrid types of guitars with an

increased number of strings. There are also guitars with additional (usually one) neck for the

convenience of solo performance of some works [20].

Flamenco guitar

Returning to the origins, we cannot, but note another type of guitar: flamenco guitar.

Many historians of music believe that the Spanish gypsies greatly influenced the formation of

flamenco: there was a mixture of gypsy and Spanish manners, borrowing and processing melodies, and

as a result a completely special and independent art was born.

Gypsy guitarists rarely perform separately from the choir. And some flamenco guitarists

eventually became cramped as part of the accompaniment of song and dance, they separated and began

16

to perform independently. Their mastery, which grew to an extraordinary virtuosity, opened the doors

of the most famous concert halls in front of them.

Flamenco guitar plays melodies, which alternate with chords. The melodies are so fast

that they cannot be played on most other instruments. And on the guitar they are possible only thanks

to special tricks.

And flamenco is improvisation. Two or three guitarists can come together and

immediately, without any rehearsal, play a complex composition, which has never been recorded on a

musical sheet paper. If they are asked to repeat, they will do it, but in a different way than the first

time: music is born during the performance.

Flamenco guitar has the basic design features and the structure is the same as that of the classic

six-string guitar, having its own distinctive features. The ribs and the back plate are made of cypress,

instead of dark rosewood, namely, Brazilian mahogany, as on classical guitars. As experts note, these

differences alongside with a slightly different thickness of the plates, dimensions and internal springs

give the flamenco guitar a characteristic sounding feature, which is distinguished by a high brilliance

and vibration feedback. Instead of metal peg mechanics for tuning the strings of the guitar, flamenco

was equipped with ebony (black) wood pegs, which worked on friction, like a modern violin. To

protect the top plate from damage, which inevitably occurs when using the golpe technique (nail hit

with the fingers of the right hand on the plate), a holpeador, a special protective plate, is installed on it.

The flamenco guitar is more sensitive and “responds” faster than the classical guitar. This is a decisive

factor for getting the right sound.

There were several varieties of such guitars:

Guitarra de tablao: so the flamenco guitar was called until the middle of the XIX century.

Literally translated, it is a guitar for a dance scene. These guitars were smaller than a modern guitar,

with a narrower rib and weaker sound.

Guitarra genre is the "dark" guitar. This is a modern type of flamenco guitar, which was created

by the famous master José Ramírez III. This guitar has a back plate and a rib made of mahogany or

rosewood.

Guitarra blanca is a “white” guitar. The rib and back plate are made of light Spanish cypress

[3].

One of the most outstanding flamenco guitarists is Spaniard Paco de Lucia. Paco de Lucia

admits in his interviews that he does not remember when he first picked up the guitar, since it was in

early childhood. He learned to play with his father, at the age of six he already performed with him in

small cafes. At thirteen, he was a professional flamenco guitarist who performed independently in

concerts. At twenty-three, he won the first prize in the flamenco guitarists’ competition. Five years

later, he was invited to perform in the concert hall of Madrid, intended exclusively for the performance

of classical music. Despite all these achievements, Paco de Lucia believes that he managed to master

17

only the basics of flamenco, and he still has to study the depth and expressiveness of Spanish folk

music.

During his creative career, the unsurpassed guitarist has recorded more than 30 albums, which

have been innovative for traditional flamenco. Thanks to his ability classical flamenco was enriched

with jazz, blues and rock elements. For many people, the virtuoso is a living legend, and for the vast

majority he is the greatest performer of flamenco.

Tocaor is a flamenco guitarist. For a long time, flamenco was considered exclusively as a

dance and singing art, and the tocaor could only act as an accompanist to the cantaor or bailaor.

The opinion on instrumental flamenco has changed thanks to the gypsy tocaor from Spain,

Ramon Montoya Salazar Sr. (1880-1949). Thanks to his mastery, audience began to pay more

attention to guitar performance. In 1910, the tocaor recorded the first solo album of guitar flamenco,

thanks to which the world recognized the possibility of the self-sufficiency of this art. Ramon Montoya

also became the founder of the tradition of solo performances of tocaors.

In addition to the guitar, singing in cante flamenco is accompanied by “palmas flamencas”,

rhythmic beats of three pressed fingers of one hand in the palm of the other. This is the so-called

"pitos" technique: snapping fingers in the manner of a castanet, tapping heels, etc.

Flamenco music is often improvisational in nature. Flamenco singers (cantaors) never repeat

exactly the same song, but always bring something new and unexpected to it.

The improvisational nature of flamenco, the complex rhythm and the specific technique of

performance often impede the accurate musical notation of flamenco melodies. Therefore, the art of

both a guitarist and a dancer and singer is usually transferred from master to student.

The characteristic performance of flamenco with singing and guitar accompaniment, consists of

a series of pieces in various styles. Each piece is a collection of verses (called copla, tercio or letras),

which are interspersed with guitar interludes, which are called falsetas. Typically, the guitarist also

performs a short intro, which sets the tone, compass and tempo of the song.

The falsetas of the flamenco guitar is a variation, which is part of the main section of the guitar

both in solo and in accompaniment to the dance. In one guitar or dance number with a guitar, there

may be several such variations. Falseta is melodic phrases, solo fragments filling the pauses between

vocal phrases of flamenco, playing which the performer can give free rein to his creative imagination,

improvising and decorating them [3].

Singing in flamenco is characterized by the following features:

1. Brightly dramatic, often tragic in nature (in most styles).

2. Melodic improvisation based on a relatively small set of traditional melodic types.

3. Extremely rich ornamentation (melismatics).

4. The use of micro-intervals, that is, intervals smaller than a semitone.

5. Portamento: often one note is transited to another one using a small smooth "entrance" to the

next note, that is, notes are not taken immediately accurately (in terms of pitch).

6. Narrow tessitura: most traditional flamenco songs are limited by the range in sexta (four and

a half tones). Melodic diversity is achieved by singers due to their use of various timbre and

dynamic shades, micro-intervals, melismatic variation, etc.

7. Persistent repetition of a single note and notes adjacent to it in the chromatic scale (also used

in guitar playing).

8. The lack of a stable regular meter of the vocal part, especially in the genres of cante hondo,

such as sigiriya and others (in this case, a non-metric vocal melody can be superimposed on the

metric instrumental accompaniment).

9. Decrease in intensity from the beginning to the end of the vocal phrase.

10. In many styles, such as in the Solea or Sigiriya, the melody tends to follow the nearby

steps. Leaps through a step or more are much less common (however, in fandango and its

derivative styles, leaps through three or four steps are often found, especially at the beginning

of each line of a song, which, presumably, indicates the earlier origin of songs of this style,

which were influenced by Castilian music ).

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Castanets Castanets are a percussion musical instrument, which

consists of two concave plate-shells, connected by a cord in

the upper parts. Plates are traditionally made of hardwood,

although in recent years fiberglass has been increasingly used

for this. Castanets are most widespread in Spain, Southern

Italy and Latin America. Similar simple musical instruments,

suitable for rhythmic accompaniment of dance and singing,

were used in ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. In Russian the name of castanets is borrowed from Spanish, where they are called castanuelas

(“chestnuts”) due to their similarities with the fruits of

chestnut. In Andalusia, they are often called palillos

(sticks). In world culture, castanets are most strongly

associated with the image of Spanish music, especially with

the music of Spanish gypsies, flamenco style, etc.

Therefore, this instrument is often used in classical music to

create “Spanish color” (for example, in “Carmen”, the

opera by J. Bizet).

Castanets are a paired instrument, and before putting

them on your hands, you need to determine which of them

is Hembra (Hembra means woman), it is usually marked, and which is Macho (Macho means man).

They differ in timbre, hembra gives a higher sound. Castanets are put on the thumbs of each hand. In

this case, the node should be on the outside of the palm. Hembra is put on the right hand, and Macho is

put on the left hand. In folk style, castanets are attached to the middle fingers. In this case, the sound is

extracted by hitting one castanet against the palm of the hand. The video shows the way a performer

wears castanets. The left rhythm beats out the main rhythm of the music, and the rest of the intricate

musical pattern is created by playing with four fingers of the right hand [21].

Bandurria

Bandurria is a traditional Spanish musical instrument often used

in folk music. It resembles a mandolin. “Bandurria”, the Spanish name

for this stringed plucked pectoral instrument, comes from Greek. So, the

word "pandoura" literally means "three-stringed cystra." It should be

mentioned, that bandurria is a rather ancient instrument, known since the

14th century. True, in those days it bore the name of "Mandurria."

As for the appearance of bandurria, in the 18th century it had a flat body,

and the back of the plate was round in shape, but the sound was

extracted using 5 pair strings, which were tuned into a quarte.

In the Middle Ages there were three strings, the instrument itself

had no modes, and during the Renaissance, the 4th string was added,

while in the Baroque era there were 10-5, placed in pairs. Among the

famous composers who created works for this instrument, we should

mention Isaac Albeniz, Pedro Chamorro, Joaquín Turina, Juan Miguel

Villar, Antonio Ferrera, Joaquín Nin y Castellanos, Felix de Santos and

Augustine Pio Barrios.

The modern instrument has a pear-shaped body, two flat plates,

high ribs and a short neck ending in a scapular head. 6 double strings are pulled onto the instrument,

three of which are intestinal, and another three are entwined with the cantle or also intestinal. By the

way, Sonora, one of the varieties of bandurria, has metal strings, and recently, musicians began to use

nylon strings. The instrument is tuned in quartes or quints. The neck has 12 to 14 modes. The

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bandurria is played using a method of sound production called tremolo, which is characteristic of this

and other similar instruments (for example, mandolin). So, the repetition of sounds merges into one

due to rapidly alternating, rhythmic beats of the plectrum (or mediator) [5].

_______________________________________________________________________

The material presented below

will help you to answer questions of the test number 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.

Creative community of musical art of Spain

Francisco Tarrega

Francisco Tarrega, was born on November 21, 1852 in a small Spanish village of

Villarreal and died on December 15, 1909 in Barcelona. He was an outstanding classical guitarist and

composer, one of the founders of modern guitar performance.

The parents of the great guitarist were not rich people. They had to take a babysitter for their

son, as they both were busy with work. However, the girl they hired had a complicated nature. Once,

as she was annoyed by the cry of little Francisco, she threw him into the river. And if it were not for

the neighbor who watched this scene and managed to save the child, the world would never have met

the musical genius of Francisco Tarrega.

After the child was rescued from cold water, he was for some time between life and death.

Unfortunately, due to injuries, the boy’s eyes were severely affected. He had to undergo several eye

operations, but all of them did not help. His myopia worsened year after year.

Francisco’s father decided that the blind can earn money with music. Therefore, he did his best

for Francisco to develop his abilities precisely in the musical sphere. Blind guitarists helped the boy to

master the guitar. In particular, it was Eugenio Ruiz, the blind musician, who gave Francisco the first

music lessons, and later the baton of giving these lessons was passed to Manuel Gonzalez, also a blind

guitarist.

When the boy was 10 years old, he began to study with Julian Arkas, the famous guitarist.

Along with learning guitar, Tarrega learned to play the

piano, as his father insisted on. Five years later, in 1869,

Francisco acquired the first serious instrument, a guitar,

made by Antonio Toressa, the famous master.

Don Antonio Cones, who had a considerable

fortune, was impressed by the talent of the young guitarist.

It was he who provided Francisco Tarrega with the

necessary financial support for moving to Madrid, where in

1874 he managed to enter the piano and composition class

at the Madrid Conservatory, since there was no guitar class

at that time.

Six years later, in May 1880, Tarrega decided to

give his first guitar solo concert, which was a huge success.

After that, his concert activity began. He performed not

only in his native Spain, but travelled with concerts in

France, Italy, Austria, Holland and England ...

After another 2 years, Francisco married dona

Maria Riso, who gave birth to two children: the son

Francisco and daughter Maria. Together with his family,

Tarrega settled in Barcelona, where he began to engage in

concert and teaching activities.

According to musicologists, this outstanding

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man of art had a pedagogical talent, creating numerous exercises to practice this or that skill for each

finger.

During his life, Tarrega arranged for the guitar more than 120 works of such famous

composers as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others, and wrote 78 works for the guitar, including “Arab

Capriccio”, “Memories of the Alhambra”, a work which is part of repertoire of any professional

guitarist. This composition is impossible even to try to play for an amateur, as it takes several years to

practice a tremolo. According to researchers, this amazing work by Francisco Tarrega demonstrated to

the world the uniqueness of his favorite instrument.

Another interesting work is “Grand Waltz”, a fragment of which Nokia borrowed for its

“trademark” ringtone for cell phones. It should be noted, that among Tarrega's students there were

such famous virtuoso guitarists as Emilio Pujol, Miguel Llobet and others.

Intense concert activity resulted that in 1906 Tarrega suffered a blood stroke, the consequences

of which became paralysis of the right side of the body. The musician failed to recover completely.

However, despite his ailment, he continued to give concerts. Unfortunately, his creative life was short.

Three years after a stroke, Francisco Tarrega died on December 15, 1909 at five in the evening at

home from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 57.

The International Guitar Competition was named after Francisco Tarrega, which is held in

Spain every year. Francisco Tarrege monument was erected in the city of Castellon de la Plana. [27].

Pablo de Sarasate

Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908) was a Spanish violinist and composer, a brilliant

representative of the ever-living, virtuoso art. He was called “Paganini of the end of the century, the

king of the art of cadency, a sunlit artist”.

Sarasate was born in the family of a military bandmaster. The glory attended him truly from

the first steps of an artistic career. He showed his colossal

virtuoso talent from early childhood and already performed

in public, when he was seven years old. The Spanish queen

Isabella, admired by the talent of the little musician,

awarded Sarasate the violin of A. Stradivari and granted

him a scholarship to study at the Paris Conservatory.

Just one year of classes in D. Alar’s class was

enough for a thirteen-year-old violinist to graduate from

one of the best conservatories in the world with a gold

medal. However, as he felt, that he should develop musical

theoretical knowledge, he studied in the composition class

for another 2 years.

After completing his education, Sarasate made

many concert tours in Europe and Asia. Sarasate has

constantly visited Russia. He made close creative

relationships and was on friendly terms with Russian

musicians: P. Tchaikovsky, L. Auer, K. Davydov, A.

Verzhbilovich and A. Rubinshtein. The Russian music

press wrote about a joint concert with the latter in 1881:

“Sarasate is as incomparable in playing the violin as

Rubinstein has no rivals in piano playing ...”

Contemporaries saw the secret of creative and

personal charm of Sarasate in the almost childlike

immediacy of his worldview.

His friends recalled, that Sarasate was a simple-minded man, passionately keen on collecting

canes, snuffboxes, and other antique things.

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The clear, cheerful art of the Spanish virtuoso captivated the audience for almost half a century.

His playing attracted by the special melodious silver sound of the violin, exceptional virtuoso

perfection, enchanting lightness and, in addition, romantic elation, poetry, and noble phrasing.

Sarasate wrote exclusively for his instrument [28].

The violinist’s repertoire was extensive. But with the greatest success he performed his own

compositions: “Spanish Dances”, “Basque Capriccio”, “Aragonese Hunt”, “Andalusian Serenade”,

“Navarra”, “Habanera”, “Zapateado”, “Malagene” and the famous “Gypsy tunes”. In these

compositions, the national features of the composer and performing style of Sarasate were especially

vividly manifested: rhythmic originality, coloristic sound production, subtle implementation of the

traditions of folk art. All these compositions, as well as two great concert fantasies “Faust” and

“Carmen” (on the themes of the operas of the same name by S. Gounod and J. Bizet), still remain in

the repertoire of violinists. The works of Sarasate left a significant mark in the history of Spanish

instrumental music, having a significant impact on the works of I. Albeniz, M. de Falla and E.

Granados. In total, he wrote 54 works exclusively for violin [29].

Joaquin Turina Perez

Joaquin Turina Perez (1882–1949) was a Spanish composer, pianist, conductor and

music critic. This is an outstanding representative of the Spanish music school of the first half of the

XX century, which is a continuation of the traditions of Renacimiento. Joaquin's work is imbued with

a national spirit, he used the rhythmic and mode elements of Andalusian musical folklore, an imitation

of the techniques of folk music. Works of Turina are characterized by brilliant mastery of rhythmic

writing, polymodality, rich and

original harmony, free melody and

harmonious form [30].

Joaquin Rodrigo Vidre

Joaquin Rodrigo Vidre

(1901–1999) was the largest figure

in Spanish music of the XX century.

At three years old, after he had

suffered diphtheria, Rodrigo turned

completely blind.

He studied composition with

Francisco Antic in Valencia. In 1927

he left for Paris, where he studied at

the Normal School of Music with

Paul Duke. In 1933, in Valencia, he

married Victoria Camhi, the Turkish

pianist, after which he returned to Paris, where he continued his education at the Conservatory and at

the Sorbonne. Until the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Rodrigo lived and worked in France and

Germany. In 1940, the premiere of Rodrigo’s Aranjuez concert for guitar and orchestra took place,

which brought him great fame. Music critics began to talk about him as one of the largest musicians in

Spain. In the following years, Rodrigo composed a lot and was also active as a music critic, working

with music newspapers and magazines, worked on radio and in the Spanish National Organization of

the Blind. In 1947, he was appointed head of the Department of Music at Complutense University of

Madrid, and three years later he was elected to the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts.

The composer made tours extensively in Spain, Europe, America and Japan, giving master

classes and concerts, conducting festivals of his own music (1949 – Argentina, 1953 and 1972 –

Turkey, 1973 – Japan, 1975 – Mexico, 1986 – Great Britain).

Rodrigo is the holder of the Grand Cross of Alphonse X (1953), the Order of the Legion of Honor

(1963), a doctorate at the University of Salamanca, Southern California, Valencia and Madrid, a

member of the Belgian Academy of Sciences and other honorary degrees, titles and awards.

22

In 1991, the 90th anniversary of the composer was widely celebrated. King Juan Carlos I

awarded him the title of Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez. In the second half of the 20th century,

Rodrigo played an important role in the musical life of Spain, like Manuel de Falla in the first half of

the century.

Rodrigo composed his works, focusing not on the main trends in European music of that time,

but on the traditions of Spanish classical and romantic art.

Among 170 works of the composer there are 11 concerts, numerous orchestral and choral

works, songs and romances, compositions for piano and guitar, music for films and theatrical

productions, etc. Rodrigo's collection of critical works, released in 1999, demonstrates his deep

knowledge of musical art.

Rodrigo’s most famous compositions for guitar are included in the repertoire of leading world

performers: “Aranjuez concert”, “Fantasy for a gentleman”, “Madrigal Concert”, etc.

The Aranjuez Concert is Rodrigo's most famous work, the success of which cemented his

reputation as one of the most outstanding Spanish composers of the 20th century. Rodrigo wrote this

Concert in Paris in the spring of 1939. The concert was first performed on November 9, 1940 in

Barcelona by Rehino Sainz de la Masa, the Spanish guitarist [30].

_________________________________________________________________________________

The material presented below

Will help you to answer questions of the test number 23, 24, 25.

Creative community of vocal art in Spain

Montserrat Caballé

Montserrat Caballe (full name is María de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folch)

was born in Barcelona on April 12, 1933 in the family of a factory worker.

Since childhood, the girl showed interest in music and was fond of singing. She studied music

and vocals at the Conse