In the overall analysis of the three pieces in terms of piano, guitar and orchestra versions, I have found that the three songs in various versions are different in some extent. That is to say, each piece has its distinguished feature with reference to sound, time, structure, melody, tempo, and harmony. To be more specific, the report will examine each song within its different versions only. Before I start analyzing the pieces, I would like to give a brief introduction about Albeniz’s work. Composed between 1905 and 1909, Iberia is a collection of 12 pieces for solo piano, organized into four books of three pieces each.
It is ranked universally among the finest works by any Spanish composer, and French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) extended his praise beyond geographic boundaries, calling Iberia “the wonder for the piano; it is perhaps on the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of the instruments. ” Subtitled “Twelve New Impressions,” Iberia was designed as a kind of musical travelogue, with each piece representing a particular locale, primarily in southern Spain, and drawing upon rhythmic and melodic gestures suggestive of each place.
Generally, the pieces are named for, and vividly describe, a dozen of Spanish cities, districts, song and dance forms and even a religious procession, using melodies and rhythms derived from flamenco. In terms of harmonic complexity and density of texture, though. One of the most characteristics of Albeniz’s work is deconstructing the meter and rhythm in enormously complex ways to paint his Impressionist musical images. Particularly, He draws inspiration from various types of songs and dances – and often utilizes particular rhythmic and melodic elements of a given genre but he never quotes anything literally.
As an artist, Albeniz excelled creating his own themes. That is why he regarded as one of the most important works in the Spanish piano literature. Iberia’s style is a terrific mixture of Spanish music with impressionist influences. “It is probably one of the most difficult Spanish works, with Granados’ Goyescas or Falla’s Fantasia Baetica. ” Here in this essay, I am going to make a meaningful comparison among Albaicin, Triana, and Rondena with regard to the original piano sound, orchestra version and guitar version. Basically, the three pieces are highly considered the most popular pieces in his work.
In fact, Triana is the third and last piece of Book Two. It is named after the famous Gypsy quarter of Seville, and it is probably the most brilliant piece in the whole collection. It is a fireworks’ spectacle of Andalusian essence with a significant Moorish influence. It is based on the rhythm of the sevillanas, one of the most popular and exuberant of the flamenco dances. The rhythm is alternated, and at times combined with amarcha torera (bullfighter’s march). Mainly, the early sections have sharp rhythms, but the lyrical in the second theme is the heart of the music.
Besides that, it has a powerful variation. Interestingly enough, personally, this piece in its orchestrated version is the finest among the other versions. Of course, my opinion doesn’t arise from a vacuum, but it is due to the soft, developed sound and the pure tone. Even though the guitar piece has a digital sound, I noted that, it is distorted somehow from the original piece. Next, El Albaicin is the opening song for Albeniz’s Third Book, which represents the gypsy quarter of Granada. It is one of the most remarkable ‘impressions’ in the whole collection. What is a special in this piece is its structure.
To put it differently, the number is structured as a series of three alternations between a dance-like principal theme and a freer, copla-style secondary melody. That is to say, it is built on two alternating or contradicting themes a dance-like principal theme. The dance section recalls the rhythm of the flamenco bulerias, while the distribution of the notes simulates a guitar technique alternating thumb and index finger. Additionally, it has more melancholy than any other piece in Iberia. Albeniz gives us one of the most exquisite coplas with a dense compositional texture.
At a matter of fact, when I compared this piece with its three versions, I have found that, the guitar version is very close to the original in terms of tone, illusion, voice and in addition to the emotion both of them are full of emotion. The only difference between them is the color; the former is full of color. Whereas, the latter, it has no color. Considering the orchestra version, I would say it is the best because of the strong music affects as well as the heavy illusion. It has a musical movie. When I listened to it, I feel as if I watched a movie.
All in all, from my perspective, I believe that El Albaicin with orchestra version appeals to me the most because of many reasons. First, it has a slow moldy. Second, it is very smooth and very effective. Third, it makes the sole spontaneously improvising. Finally, it has a powerful romantic flavor. Finally, Rondena is the first dance in Iberia’s second book. It is based in peteneras, Andalusian dances with continuous metric change – 3/4 and 6/8. There is a slow cante jondo (deep song) section in the middle, and two themes are combined later in an exciting climax and a beautiful coda.
