Suite española, Op. 47 by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) is a suite for solo piano that is often arranged and performed on the classical guitar. Actually, it is more often played on guitar than it is on piano. It is mainly composed of works written in 1886 which were grouped together in 1887. The pieces depict different regions and musical styles in Spain. The original work consisted of four pieces: Granada, Cataluña, Sevilla and Cuba. The editor Hofmeister republished the Suite española in 1912, after Albéniz’s death, but added Cádiz, Asturias, Aragón and Castilla. The other pieces had been published in other editions and sometimes with different titles (Asturias was originally the prelude from the suite Chants d’Espagne). From wikipedia: “In these works the first title refers to the geographical region portrayed, and the title in parentheses is the musical form or dance from that region. From Granada in Andalusia there is a Serenata, from Catalonia a Curranda or Courante, from Sevilla a Sevillanas and from Cuba (which was still part of Spain in the 1880s) a Notturno in the style of a habanera, from Castile a seguidillas, from Aragon a Fantasia in the style of a jota, and from Cadiz a saeta. This last example, like Asturias (Leyenda), is geographically inaccurate.” In Suite española, the first title regards the region and the second in brackets indicates the musical form of the dance of the region: Granada (Serenade); Cataluña (Courante); Sevilla (Sevillanas); Cádiz (Canción); Asturias (Leyenda); Aragón (Fantasía); Castilla (Seguidilla); Cuba (Nocturno).
Video above is Andrea González Caballero Playing Sevilla
Recommended Premium Sheet Music for Suite Española
- Albeniz: 26 Pieces (Yates) – This edition includes a ton of works and are solid arrangements. They are not all historically connected to the classic versions we know from past guitarists but it is certainly worth checking out.
- Suite Española, Op. 47 (Barrueco) – This seems out of print at the moment but it was good.
Free Sheet Music PDFs by Albeniz (Various Pieces)
- From Classical Guitar School (CGS)
- Cadiz – Notation (CGS)
- Cataluña, Op. 47, no. 2 – Notation(CGS)
- Granada – Notation (CGS)
- Mallorca – Notation (CGS)
- Puerta de Tierra – Notation (CGS)
- Torre Bermeja – Notation (CGS)
- Zambra Granadina – Notation (CGS)
- From Forrest Guitar Ensembles (FGE)
- Torre Bermeja – Notation (FGE) – Advanced
- Sevilla – Notation (FGE) – Advanced
