The final volume in the Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain anthology series was released in February 2007 (Scarecrow Press). The three volumes, published in high and low keys, make available 83 songs by 50 Castilian Spanish composers. The anthologies have unearthed gems of the repertoire, songs illuminating the culture of nineteenth century Spain through heartfelt poetry and rich imagery, luscious harmonies, lilting rhythms, and beautiful melodies. Forgotten by Spanish publishing companies, these canciones were buried in various libraries, waiting to be rediscovered. This repertoire is fresh and new, as none of these songs have been published in decades.
Each volume of Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain presents the singer with all the tools necessary to perform this exquisite repertoire, including a thorough guide of Castilian Spanish pronunciation and its International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols, as well as rules for synaloepha, which occur when a word ending with a vowel precedes a word beginning with a vowel. Opening material includes a rationale for the study of Spanish songs, copyright and publication information, and the introduction discusses nineteenth-century politics and Spanish song style. The “Editor’s Remarks” include corrections made in the original songs, original keys, library resources, and verses not set in the anthology. Completing the preliminary pages, a section describes the various Spanish song types published in “Canciones de España,” including the canción española, the canción habanera, and the balada Árabe, among others.
The volume provides information valuable to the singer and teacher for each song. Every line of song text is transcribed into IPA, with word-for-word translations printed below each line. In addition, the information includes the poetic idea, a translation of musical terms found in the song, and—as information about Spanish music and its composers is not readily available—a brief, well-researched biography of each composer.
For information on songs included in volume 1 of Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain, see the December, 2004 issue of Classical Singer (Vol. 17, No. 12, pages 50-57) for the article, “‘Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain:’ Thinking Outside the Box of Traditional Repertoire.” For information on volume 2, see “‘Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain:’ Volume 2, Spanish Songs for Studio and Stage,” in the December, 2005 issue, (Vol. 18, No. 12, pages 28-31, 52-54).
