Cantos de Espana: The Music of Isaac Albeniz - Overtures Transcribed for Two Guitars in the 19th Century - The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo

The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo Cantos De Espana Songs of Spain The Music of Isaac Albeniz

What is the sound of Spanish music? And what makes the music of Isaac Albeniz so evocative of the many sights, sounds, even fragrances of Spain? Albeniz himself said of his music that "It contains sunlight, warmth, and the taste of olives." It also contains the ancient modes of the oud and guzla, Arabic ancestors of the guitar brought by the Moslems from Arabia, through North Africa, and into the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th Century. Albeniz was proud of his Moorish roots, and in his introduction to Cordoba -- his musical depiction of an Andalusian "Arabian Night" -- he wrote: "In the silence of night, interrupted by the aromatic perfume of the jasmines, the guzlas dream as they accompany the serenades, and carry through the air glowing melodies, tones as sweet as the sound of the palms when they sway in paradise heights."