Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909)
A child prodigy who became the father of modern Spanish piano music, Albéniz culminated in Iberia; several of his pieces have become guitar classics.
Born in Camprodon in 1860, Isaac Albéniz gave his first piano concerts very young. He studied notably at the Leipzig and Brussels conservatories and long pursued a career as a virtuoso pianist.
Under the influence of the musicologist Felipe Pedrell, he turned to Spanish folk music, especially from Andalusia. He wrote collections such as the Suite española, Op. 47, and España, Op. 165, with its famous Tango.
Settled in Paris, he mixed with Dukas, Fauré and Debussy. His masterpiece, Iberia (four books, 1905–1908), combines the Andalusian spirit with highly complex piano writing. He died in Cambo-les-Bains in 1909.
“Asturias (Leyenda)”, written for piano, became famous in its guitar transcription. His pieces teach imitating the guitar at the keyboard, Andalusian rhythms and modal colours.