Isaac Manuel Francisco Albeniz y Pascual

Isaac Albéniz was born in Camprodon, Catalonia, on May 29, 1860. He was a child prodigy who first performed at the age of four. He studied piano with Narciso Oliveros in Barcelona and later with Antoine François Marmontel at the Conservatoire de Paris. He also received lessons from Franz Liszt, Felip Pedrell, and Eduard Compta i Torres. He began his concert career at the age of nine, touring with his sister Clementina throughout northern Spain. He also travelled to Latin America, the United States, and various European countries, giving solo recitals and playing with orchestras. He was acclaimed for his virtuosity and expressiveness, as well as for his improvisational skills. Albéniz composed mainly for the piano, drawing inspiration from Spanish folk music, especially from Andalusia and Catalonia. He wrote several suites, such as Suite española, Recuerdos de viaje, and España, that contain some of his most popular pieces, such as Asturias (Leyenda), Granada, Sevilla, Cádiz, Córdoba, Cataluña, and Tango in D. His masterpiece is Iberia, a collection of 12 impressionistic pieces that depict various aspects of Spanish culture and landscape. Iberia is considered one of the most difficult works in the piano repertoire and one of the finest examples of musical nationalism. Albéniz also composed operas, zarzuelas, sardanas, chamber music, songs, and orchestral works. Some of his pieces have been transcribed for guitar by Miguel Llobet and others, becoming part of the classical guitar canon. [^10^] Albéniz was married to Rosina Jordana, a pianist and singer, with whom he had two children: Alfonso and Laura. He also had a son named Blas from a previous relationship. He was friends with many prominent musicians and writers of his time, such as Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla, Claude Debussy, Paul Dukas, Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, Émile Zola, and Rubén Darío. He was awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French government shortly before his death. He suffered from chronic nephritis and died on May 18, 1909 in Cambo-les-Bains, France. He was buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona. His personal papers are preserved in the Library of Catalonia. ¹¹