Manuel de Falla, Spain’s most significant twentieth-century composer,
was born in Cádiz on November 23, 1876. After studying music with
private teachers in his native city, and with J. Tragó and Felipe
Pedrell in Madrid, he completed in 1905 _La Vida breve_, a one-act opera
that received first prize in a competition for native Spanish operas
sponsored by the Academia de Bellas Artes. From 1907 to 1914 he lived in
Paris where he absorbed French musical influences and became a friend of
Debussy and Ravel. In 1914 he was back in his native land; from 1921 to
1939 he lived a retiring existence in Granada, devoting himself to
serious composition. He left his native land in 1939 because of his
disenchantment with the Franco regime which he had originally favored.
Until his death on November 14, 1946, he lived in seclusion in Alta
Gracia, in the province of Córdoba, in Argentina.
Falla’s art is deeply embedded in the soil of Spanish folk songs and
dance. His major works, which number a mere handful, are all evocations
of the spirit of Spain in music which, though never a direct quotation
from Spanish sources, is nevertheless Spanish to the core in details of
melody, harmony, and rhythm. His principal works include a harpsichord
concerto, _Nights in the Gardens of Spain_ (_Noches en los jardines de
España_) for piano and orchestra, the ballet _El Amor brujo_, and the
opera _The Three-Cornered Hat_ (_El sombrero de tres picos_).
In Falla’s most effective national idiom are two popular Spanish dances.
The _Ritual Fire Dance_ (_Danza ritual del fuego_) is the seventh
section from the ballet, _El Amor brujo_ (1915). Trills with the searing
intensity of hot flame lead into a languorous Spanish melody for the
oboe, behind which moves an irresistible rhythm. This is followed by a
second subject more intense in mood, loudly proclaimed by unison horns
and after that repeated quietly by muted trumpets. Throughout, this
dance has an almost savage ferocity, the music continually punctuated by
piercing chords; the dance is finally brought to a frenetic conclusion.
The composer himself made a highly effective transcription of this dance
for solo piano, and Gregor Piatigorsky for cello and piano.
The _Spanish Dance No. 1_ comes from the second act of the opera, _La
Vida breve_, with which Falla first achieved recognition. An impulsive
rhythmic opening serves as the background for a bold and sensual gypsy
melody for horns and strings. The piece ends with rich chords for full
orchestra. Fritz Kreisler made a fine transcription of this dance for
violin and piano.