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Isaac Albeniz, Life and Works19th-Century Spanish Composer & Pianist Composed Iberia Piano Suite
Brief biography of 19th-century Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz, best known for Iberia, a suite of 12 piano pieces.
Isaac Albéniz helped create a national idiom for Spain and an indigenous school of piano music. He is primarily associated with works for the piano, and best-known for Iberia, a suite of 12 piano pieces. Early Life of Isaac AlbenizIsaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz was born in May 29, 1860, in Catalonia, a son of a tax inspector but a musical family. He first appeared in public when he gave his piano recital at the age of four at Barcelona's Teatro Romea, followed by a performance in Paris Conservatoire when he was seven years old. He was praised by no other than Porefessor Marmontel, the teacher of both Debussy and Bizet, but he was too young to be a student. When he was ten years old, he ran away earning a living as travelling pianist before returning back home after two years. He ran away again, this time to South America, and later, to the US. At 13, he studied at the Brussels Conservatory with Franz Liszt, Paul Dukas and Vincent d'Indy. One other important early influence of Albéniz was Felipe Pedrell, a Spanish music specialist, musicologist and composer, who inspired him to turn to Spanish folk music, 19th-century salon piano music, and impressionist harmony. French Influence but Distinctly Spanish IdiomFrom 1880 he toured widely, playing many of his own piano works using Spanish rhythmic and melodic idioms. Three years later, he married Rosina Jordana. They had a son and two daughters. He settled in Paris in 1893, much influenced by Gabriel Fauré and Dukas. Albéniz was not merely a follower of the French school. His works also included numerous zarzuelas, Spanish musical theatre genre that combine song, dance and speech. Major Works by AlbénizMost of his numerous works are for piano solo, notably, suite Espanola (1886) and suite Espana, including ‘Tango’ (1890). His major achievement is the 12-movement piano suite Iberia (1906-1908), named after the Iberian peninsula, Spain and Portugal, and most especially inspired by the romantic region of Andalusia. Albéniz wrote an opera, Pepita Jimenez (1896) and orchestral pieces. Final Years and His SignificanceAlbéniz died of kidney failure in France on May 18, 1909, eleven days short of his birthday. He is significant not only in the history of Spanish music but also in his country's history of musical nationalism. SourcesClassical Music The Rough Guide, 2nd Edition Expanded and completely Revised, edited by J. Staines and J. Buckley, The Rough Guide, 1998 The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan Press, 1994 The Oxford Dictionary of Music, edited by Michael Kennedy, Oxford University Press, 1994
The copyright of the article Isaac Albeniz, Life and Works in Classical Composers is owned by Tel Asiado. Permission to republish Isaac Albeniz, Life and Works in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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