España

In 1882, the French composer Emmanuel Chabrier and his wife made an extended trip to Spain, delighting in the cultural and musical impressions they encountered. The result was España, a six-minute “rhapsody for orchestra” written by Chabrier on his return to France. In the nimble opening bars of the piece, pizzicato strings imitate a strumming guitar and clacking castanets, with colourful woodwind swirls soon added. The infectious rhythms of the malagueña and jota dances propel the music forward—“no Spaniard has succeeded better than Chabrier” in catching their essence, the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla wrote. Among the numerous examples of Chabrier’s richly evocative orchestration are his delicate writing for a pair of harps, and the swaggering brass interjections. España was premiered in Paris in November 1883, and immediately encored by the first-night audience. It quickly gained Chabrier international recognition, and remains his most popular composition.