70805 for PDF 11/05 - Ivory Classics

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Enrique Granados (1867-1916) n7 Andaluza (Playera) (Danza española No.5) from Doce danzas españolas, Opus 37 n14 Quejas, o la maja y el ruiseñor “Complaints, or the Maiden and the Nightingale”) from Goyescas Enrique Granados was born in 1867, the son of an officer in the Spanish army. He was a gifted child, and his parents were proud to foster his music. Like his famous compatriots, Albéniz and Falla, Granados studied with Felipe Pedrell. When he was twenty years old, Granados went to Paris in the hope of studying at the Conservatory, but typhoid fever prevented him from taking the necessary entrance examinations. Although, he was never admitted into the Conservatory, Granados remained in Paris for two years. Upon returning to Spain he began a career as a pianist. His success as a trav- Enrique Granados elling virtuoso did not deter him from composing. He produced some of his most enduring piano works, which included the four volumes of Spanish Dances and the remarkable set of six pieces, entitled Goyescas. From these piano pieces, Granados composed an opera which received its first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on January 28, 1916. Despite the war, Granados came to the United States to attend the premiere. An invitation to play for President Wilson at the White House proved fatal to Granados. Delaying his return to Europe by a week in order to honor this engagement, Granados was traveling aboard the Sussex, when the Germans torpedoed and sunk it on March 24, 1916. The Doce danzas españolas were composed between 1892 and 1900. These – 8 –
exquisite pieces were greatly admired by Jules Massenet, Camille Saint-Saëns and Edvard Grieg. The fifth in the set is entitled Andaluza. This music with its vigorous changing rhythms, sudden outbursts, and languid melodies, evoking sunny Andalusia, is the expression of a southern people in whom strong emotions and indolence are strangely mingled. In his masterpiece, Goyescas, Granados sought to evoke the spirit of the Madrid which Spanish painter and printmaker, Francisco Goya (1746-1828) knew and depicted. It was the Madrid of the late eighteenth century with its picturesque majas and majos (coquettes and mashers), a Madrid of romantic patios, grilled windows, and gardens sweet with scent and nightingale song. The suite of six pieces was completed in 1911. The fourth piece is entitled Quejas, o la maja y el ruiseñor (“Laments, or the Maiden and the Nightingale”). It is one of Granados’ most luxurious melodic inspirations. The maja sings and the nightingale answers with trills. The work is full of passion and tension. Lyricism abounds. Granados writes in the score: “Con celos de mujer; no con tristeza de viuda” (“With a woman’s jealousy, not with a widow’s sorrow”). Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925) n8 Caprice espagnole, Opus 37 Moritz Moszkowski was born in Breslau. He began music studies in Dresden, eventually moving to Berlin to continue his education with Kullak and Wüerst. He was an extraordinary pianist who toured extensively throughout Europe. His debut in Berlin at the age of 19 was sensational, prompting Franz Liszt to write admiringly of him. Frederick Kitchener witnessed one of Moszkowski’s recitals in England. He related that “the playing of Moszkowski was beautiful; there was no attempt to astonish… a musician, not an acrobat was at the piano.” According to Emil Liebling, “considered as a pianist, Moszkowski is hors de concours… Everything was done musically and with the utmost ease.” Highly influential as a teacher, Moszkowski taught at the Kullak Conservatory in Berlin and later in Paris. Many Americans flocked to Europe to study with him. Illustrious pianists such as Josef Hofmann were among his pupils. For a figure of such professional stature, his personal life in later years was less fortunate. After an unsuccessful marriage to pianist Cecile Chaminade’s sister, Georgette, Moszkowski moved to Paris with his two – 9 –
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Page 4 and 5: Ingeniously, then, Carmelo induces
Page 6 and 7: Claude Debussy (1862-1918) n4 Refle
Page 10 and 11: children (a daughter who died short
Page 12 and 13: very much like to be music itself.
Page 14 and 15: Earl Wild Biography Earl Wild is a
Page 16: Music by Albéniz, Debussy, Falla,

70805 for PDF 11/05 - Ivory Classics

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