Albéniz, Isaac 1860 - 1909
Author: Uehara, Yukine
Last updated：August 1, 2007
Author: Uehara, Yukine
Isaac Albéniz was a composer who became a leading figure of the Spanish Modern Nationalist School and a prodigious pianist. He was born on May 29, 1860, in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. He attended the Madrid Conservatory from 1869 to 1873, during which time he toured various parts of Andalusia in southern Spain, performing. It is believed that at the age of 15, he traveled to Cuba with his father, who had taken a position at the Cuban Treasury Department. He performed in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and later studied with Reinecke and Jadassohn at the Leipzig Conservatory, and with Brassin at the Brussels Conservatory. As a prodigious pianist, he toured the world performing, but at the age of 23, he married Rosina. Around this time, he studied under Felipe Pedrell (known as Felip Pedrell in Castilian) (1841–1922), who advocated nationalism. However, Pedrell reportedly did not teach him composition techniques, only advising him to "familiarize himself with piano literature." This was because Pedrell recognized Albéniz's prodigious talent. After his marriage, Albéniz ceased his wanderings, moving from Madrid and London to settle in Paris, where he spent the rest of his life. In Paris, he interacted with Chausson, Fauré, Dukas, and d'Indy, and their musical influence was reflected in many of his works. He also taught at the Schola Cantorum, and among his pupils was Déodat de Séverac. He died on May 18, 1909, at the age of 49, from kidney disease (Bright's disease).
Although he also left behind operas and orchestral works, he composed a particularly large number of piano pieces, which were highly acclaimed in European musical circles from his time. While he composed many Romantic miniatures, Albéniz's charm is most evident in his works as a composer of the Spanish Modern Nationalist School. His masterpiece is the 12-piece suite "Iberia," composed between 1906 and his death in 1909, which is considered one of the pinnacles not only of Spanish music but also of modern piano music. It should be noted that the opus numbers assigned by Albéniz himself are ambiguous; there is a work catalog, T. (Torres number), organized by Jacinto Torres in 2001.
Works(45)
Concerto (2)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (1)
Piano Solo (11)
sonata (5)
rhapsody (2)
pieces (14)
etude (2)
mazurka (3)
waltz (3)
pavane (2)
other dances (2)
barcarolle (2)
serenade (2)
character pieces (6)