Who doesn’t love Spanish music? Audiences revel in the passion of Spanish melodies and the sensuality of Spanish rhythms. The music of Spain connects with the human spirit, enthralling audiences and singers, many of whom studied Spanish as a second (or first) language. The striking rhythms, vibrant melodies, and soul-stirring poetry offer unique glimpses of Spain—the land of flamenco and toreadors, Goya and Cervantes, Don Juan and Carmen.
The first and second volumes of Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain (Scarecrow Press, 2003 and 2005, respectively) make available to the singer true Spanish songs—songs composed by a variety of native-born Spanish composers. The anthologies feature songs that deserve their rightful place in history alongside the lieder and melodie of the same period. These Spanish gems, forgotten by the Spanish publishing companies—and, until now, buried in Spanish libraries—are lovely. The songs are fresh and new, since none have been published in decades.
Each volume presents the singer with all the tools necessary to perform this exquisite repertoire, including a thorough guide to Castilian Spanish pronunciation and its International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols. Each line of song text is transcribed into IPA, with word-for-word translations printed below each line. A brief biography of each composer is also provided.
Volume 1 of Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain includes 23 songs by 18 composers. Volume 2 contains 29 songs by 20 composers. The third volume, forthcoming in 2007, will make available 31 songs by 18 composers.
To acquaint you with “Canciones de España,” Volume 2, I have divided the songs into three categories—beginning, intermediate, and advanced. I have also listed keys for high and low voices, ranges, and vocal requirements. For a similar article on the songs included in Volume 1, see Classical Singer magazine, December, 2004 for the article, “Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain: Thinking Outside the Box of Traditional Repertoire.”
Songs for Beginning Students
Song Title: La Imagen(The Image)
Key: Low—A major High—C major
Range: A3—E5
C4—G5
Remarks: Animated, lilting
Composer: Justo Blasco y Compáns
Text: My mother doesn’t want me to see you, light of my life, but I carry an image of you in the depths of my soul.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: ABABA with B sections in minor contrasting with A sections in the parallel major.
Length:7 pages, 3:35 (no repeats)
Song Title: Temores de la Inocencia (Fears of Innocence)
Key: Low—C major High—Eb major
Range: B3—E5
D4—G5
Remarks: Sustained, meditative, sorrowful
Composer: Paulina Cabrero y Martínez (Cabrero was the first woman composer to have her music published in Spain)
Text: Although I’m just a young girl, I despise the hypocrisy of the world. Women were born to cry! Protect me, Father, for I am a woman. Protect my heart.
Tempo: Andante
Form: Strophic with two verses. There are several leaps of a major sixth in the vocal line. The sparse and arpeggiated accompaniment never doubles the vocal line.
Length: 3 pages, 1:48 (one verse only)
Song Title: Melodía (Melody)
Key: Low—Eb major High—F major
Range: C3—F5
D4—G5
Remarks: Romantic, passionate, expressive
Composer: Vicente Costa y Nogueras
Text:I can’t live without you! Away from you, I die of impatience. With you, I am unable to express my feelings. When we are apart, my heart overflows.
Tempo: Andantino
Form: Ternary with a brief coda. The supportive accompaniment doubles the voice at times but it also creates tension through lovely chromatic harmony.
Length: 3 pages, 2:50
Song Title: Madre del Alma Mía (Mother of My Soul)
Key: Low—E minor High—F# minor
Range: D4—E5
E4—F#5
Remarks: Sustained, prayerful, meditative
Composer: J. Cumellas Ribó
Text: Virgin Mary, you are the queen of heaven. You call yourself the mother of grief because you, too, were born in a land of misery. In you alone do I place my hope.
Tempo: Moderato
Form: Ternary, in triple meter with many altered notes. The light accompaniment rarely doubles the voice but complements the vocal line with a scale-like countermelody.
Length: 4 pages, 2:40
Song Title: La Mariposa (The Butterfly)
Key: Low—A major High—C major
Range: B3—E5
D4—G5
Remarks: Gentle, wistful, delicate
Composer: Joaquín Espín y Guillén
Text: A butterfly kisses the perfumed leaves of a rose. Then, the butterfly flies away, as it doesn’t know how to love. Like the butterfly, you may abandon me after a kiss.
Tempo: Andante
Form: Through-composed with two verses. The vocal line moves mostly stepwise, with few leaps. The accompaniment doubles the voice only at the two short climaxes.
Length: 4 pages, 2:03 (one verse)
Song Title: La Perla (The Pearl)
Key: Low—A minor High—C# minor
Range: E4—D5
G#4—F#5
Remarks: Bold, dashing
Composer: Manuel Giró
Text: The pearl is created in the depths of the sea. In the high rocks, the blue violet grows. From the clouds, a drop of dew is formed. And in my dreams, you are created.
Tempo: Allegro Moderato
Form: Strophic with two verses in 6/8 meter. The vocal line moves stepwise.
Length: 4 pages, 1:40 (one verse)
Song Title: Duérmete, Niña (Sleep, Girl)
Key: Low—A major High—C major
Range: B3—D5
D4—F5
Remarks: Sweet, lilting, tender
Composer: Rafael Hernando Palomar
Text: Sleep, girl, in your mother’s arms. As you gently dream, you will see flying cherubim. Smile when you awaken, for your smile represents all that is good on earth.
Tempo: Moderato
Form: Strophic with two verses (written out). The vocal line has two leaps of an octave, but mostly moves by steps. The sixteenth-note triplets require some flexibility.
Length: 4 pages, 3:10
Song Title: O Sí o No (Either Yes or No)
Key: Low—A major High—C major
Range: D#4—E5
F#4—G5
Remarks: Coquettish
Composer: Mariano Nicasio Rodríguis de Ledesma
Text: I don’t know the deceits of love. Do you love me? Don’t doubt or ponder. Just tell me quickly, yes or no.
Tempo: Allegro assai
Form: Brief strophic—only 20 bars—of two verses (written out) with an extended piano postlude. The vocal line is punctuated with some staccato notes, frequent appoggiaturas, and one turn.
Length: 3 pages, 1:33
Song Title: Ya Tengo Dueño (I Already Have a Master)
Key: Low—Eb major High—G major
Range: D4—Eb5
F#4—G5
Remarks: Charmingly pathetic
Composer: Mariano Nicasio Rodríguis de Ledesma
Text: I go to the country to see my Julia and I tell her how much I love her. But she always answers, “My heart belongs to someone else.”
Tempo: Allegro
Form: Through-composed, in 6/8 meter. The five grace notes and one turn require some vocal flexibility.
Length: 3 pages, 1:30
Songs for Intermediate-level Singers
Song Title: ¡Oh, Celeste Dulzura! (Oh, Heavenly Sweetness!)
Key: Low—Bb major High—C major
Range:D4—F5
E4—G5
Remarks: Prayerful, dramatic
Composer: Emilio Arrieta (y) Corera
Text: Happy is the person who has faith, and, even in despair, continues to hope.
Tempo: Andante
Form: Through-composed. The vocal phrases are sustained, requiring careful breath use. The intensity of this song and its tessitura, lying around the second passaggio, are challenging.
Length: 4 pages, 3:35
Song Title: Sálvale, Virgen María (Save Him, Virgin Mary)
Key: Low—F major High—Ab major
Range:A3—F5
C4—Ab5
Remarks:Lyrical, pleading
Composer: Paulina Cabrero y Martínez
Text: Virgin Mary, please save our father, for without him, we will be orphans.
Tempo: Larghetto cantabile
Form: Binary, with each section repeated. There is one descending leap of a tenth and ascending leaps of up to a seventh.
Length: 4 pages, 2:50 (one verse)
Song Title:El Chairo (The Cobbler’s Knife)
Key: Low—F major High—A major
Range:C4—F5
E4—A5
Remarks: Teasing, vivacious
Composer: Ramón Carnicer y Batlle
Text: When an old man attempts to court a young girl, the future is easy to predict. I feel sorry for my poor cobbler—unable to work, he drools over his young love.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Binary with one verse and a refrain. This charming song features a quick tempo, 3/8 meter, and a vocal line comprised of many dotted sixteenth notes and thirty-second notes. The A section features vocal melismas at the conclusion of each phrase.
Length: 4 pages, 1:40
Song Title : ¡Ay! Mar Que Son Mis Lágrimas
(Ay! My Tears That Are the Sea)
Key: Low—C minor High—E minor
Range:B3—F5
D#4—A5
Remarks: Tormented, gloomy
Composer: Antonio de la Cruz
Text: Ay! My lover promised to be faithful to me, but he has broken my heart. I have cried an ocean of bitter tears. I want to drown myself in the sea and end my torment.
Tempo: Andante con moto
Form: Binary, with the A section in minor and a modulation to the parallel major at the B section. The songs of Cruz feature excellent writing for both the voice and the piano, with sensitive, lyrical, and expressive lines. This song is dramatic, with an extended range.
Length: 4 pages, 3:20
Song Title: Las Hadas (The Fairies)
Key: Low—D minor High—F minor
Range:A3—F#5
C4—A5
Remarks: Delicate, but with yearning
Composer: Antonio de la Cruz
Text: At midnight, the fairies hover over the blue lake. They say that the fairies come to give comfort to the sad victims of love. Come, ghosts, to me. I die of love.
Tempo: Moderato
Form: Tri-sectional, with the A section in minor and a modulation to the parallel major at the B section.
Length: 4 pages, 2:15
Song Title: Serenata (Serenade)
Key: Low—G minor High—A minor
Range: A3—G5
B3—A5
Remarks: Tender, loving
Composer: Antonio de la Cruz
Text: Sleep peacefully while I serenade you with my song, telling you how much I love you. As dawn scatters its light, reply to my anguish. Tell me that you love me.
Tempo: Andantino
Form: Binary, with the A section in minor and a modulation to the parallel major at the B section. This song, with its extended range, lilting A section and dramatic B section, requires a sensitive singer with expressive color.
Length: 4 pages, 2:55
Song Title: La Hermana de la Caridad
(The Sister of Charity)
Key: Low—C minor High—D minor
Range: C4—F5
D4—G5
Remarks: Intense, dramatic
Composer: José Espí Ulrich
Text: The sister of charity, a sad, pale, humble woman, spends her time on earth helping the sick and the dying. Her purpose is to serve God.
Tempo: Andante Maestoso
Form: Binary with a modulation to the parallel major at the B section. Expressive, dramatic singing is demanded, as is a wide dynamic range.
Length: 6 pages, 3:15
Song Title: El Ocaso (The Sunset)
Key: Low—C major High—Eb major
Range: A3—E5
C4—G5
Remarks: Dramatic, sorrowful
Composer: Felipe Espino Iglesias
Text: Febo, the sailor, washes his face in the sea as he watches the sun set. At night, he returns home, a soul wounded by the sorrow of lost loves.
Tempo: Moderato
Form: Ternary. The A section is tender and gentle, while the B section features a powerful accompaniment imitating the turbulent ocean.
Length: 6 pages, 3:25
Song Title: La Vuelta del Soldado (The Return of the Soldier)
Key: Low—C minor/major High—E minor/major
Range: A3—D5
C#4—F#5
Remarks: Patriotic, triumphant
Composer: José Falcó Torro
Text: As a soldier returns from the war, he sees white scarves waving to welcome him. He wants to tell his stories of the war, but when he sees the familiar sights remembered from his youth, he begins to sing, “Bless, dear God, the beautiful earth of Andalucía.”
Tempo: Andante, Allegro
Form: Binary, with an A section vacillating between major and minor. The B section is in major. There are melismas and vocal flourishes as well as a passage reminiscent of cante jondo. The vocal triplets in the fast-paced B section require agility.
Length: 7 pages, 4:15 (no repeats)
Song Title: Abre el Ojo, Mona (Open Your Eyes, Nitwit!)
Key: Low—D major High—F major
Range:C#4—E5
E4—G5
Remarks: Teasing
Composer: Manuel García
Text: If you want to keep your woman, pay attention, nitwit! Keep your eyes open. You don’t want other men flirting with your woman.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Ternary, with three verses in the B section. The challenges with this song are fast sixteenth-note triplets in the A section and the rhythm in both sections.
Length: 4 pages, 2:10 (no verses repeated)
Song Title: Juguete Español: Allí Está (Spanish Plaything: There He Is)
Key: Low—Bb major High—D major
Range: A3—F5
C#4—A5
Remarks: Coquettish, charming
Composer: Manuel García
Text: My majo will never leave me, as he is for me and no one else. He is very handsome and charming. If he is annoyed with me, he blows out the lamp.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Ternary, modulating from major to the relative minor in the B section. This song has an extended range, wide leaps, and many appoggiaturas and grace notes.
Length: 4 pages, 3:12 (no verses repeated)
Song Title: Yo Que No Sé Callar (I Don’t Know How to Be Quiet)
Key: Low—G minor High—B minor
Range: D4—D5
F#4—F#5
Remarks: Witty, sly
Composer: Manuel García
Text: I am such a gossip! I don’t want to say anything, but I have such secrets to tell.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Ternary, with three verses in the B section. Both sections are in 6/8 meter with hemiola patterns.
Length: 4 pages, 2:15
Song Title: El Abencerrage (The Abencerrage) [An important Arab family in 15th century Granada]
Key: Low—C minor High—D minor
Range: D4—F5
E4—G5
Remarks: Seductive, caressing
Composer: Isidoro Hernández
Text: I love you, pretty Christian girl. Although you are in prison, I will free you if you are able to love me, a Moorish warrior. (This poem refers to the ancient wars in Spain between the Christians and the Moors [711 to 1492].)
Tempo: Andantino
Form: Binary, with a modulation to the relative major at the B section. There are many eighth- and sixteenth-note triplets throughout this lovely canción, creating a supple, sensual melodic line.
Length: 4 pages, 2:10 (one verse only)
Song Title: La Odalisca (The Odalisque) [The Concubine]
Key: Low—Bb major High—C major
Range: C4—G5
D4—A5
Remarks: Playfully seductive
Composer: Isidoro Hernández
Text: Alí, the man I love, sleeps to my seductive cooing. Come and enjoy, my sultan, the delights of love and the intoxicating perfume from the jasmine.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Binary, with a four-bar cante jondo vocalization separating the sections. Sixteenth-note triplets and grace notes adorn the stepwise melody in the A section. At the B section, the melody is playful, with leaps of sixths and sevenths.
Length: 4 pages, 2:00 (one verse only)
Songs for Advanced Singers
Song Title: Su Desventura (Her Misfortune)
Key: Low—D major High—F major
Range: A3—G5 (A5)
C4—Bb5 (C6)
Remarks: Dramatic, exciting, sorrowful at the conclusion
Composer: José Espí Ulrich
Text: At dawn, pure Ines crossed the mountain pass to meet her charming young man. Discovering her rival in her love’s arms, Ines fell lifeless to the ground.
Tempo: Andante moderato
Form: Tri-sectional. This is the most dramatic and challenging song in the collection, due to its wide range, intensity of expression, and frequent ritenuti and affrettandi.
Length: 9 pages, 4:45
Song Title: La Ausencia de Colás (The Absence of Colás)
Key: Low—E minor High—G minor
Range: A3—F#5
C4—A5
Remarks: Sad, coquettish
Composer:Joaquín Espín y Guillén
Text: Colás left more than a year ago, and although the swallows are returning, Colás is not here. Oh, how I miss Colás!
Tempo: Andante español
Form: Through-composed, with frequent modulations, sixteenth-note triplets, and octave leaps. Facility and agility are required in this delightful song.
Length: 4 pages, 1:30
Song Title: El Corazón en Venta (The Heart for Sale)
Key: Low—E major High—G major
Range: B3—G#5
D4—B5
Remarks: Charming, coquettish
Composer: José Melchor Gomis
Text: Who will buy my heart, a heart filled with pure, tender love? I am searching for a buyer who is compassionate.
Tempo: Allegretto
Form: Ternary, with grace notes, turns, trills, and appoggiaturas. Facility and agility are necessary in this graceful, enchanting song.
Length: 5 pages, 2:25
Song Title: El Li Lis (Tra la la)
Key: Low—F minor High—A minor
Range: C4—Eb5
E4—G5
Remarks: Boastful
Composer: Pablo Huertos
Text: When I look at you, I am dazzled by your charm. Tra la la!
Tempo: Andantino
Form: Binary, with a fast, active vocal line decorated with appoggiaturas, staccati, and sixteenth notes.
Length: 3 pages, 1:20 (one verse, no repeats)
Song Title: La Mantilla de Tira (The Mantilla of Cloth)
Key: Low—D minor High—E minor
Range: A3—B5
B3—C#6
Remarks: Arrogant
Composer: Sebastián de Iradier
Text: As I walk through the streets of Sevilla, men are entranced by my beauty. But I only want my Paquillo, who comes to me every night and every day.
Tempo: Moderato, Allegro
Form: Tri-sectional, alternating between 6/8 and 3/8 meters, and minor and major keys. After “Su Desventura,” this is the next most difficult song with its wide melodic leaps, sixteenth-note triplets, and cante jondo melismas.
Length: 6 pages, 2:25 (one verse)
Song Title:Ayes en la Inquisición (Moans in the Inquisition)
Key: Low—F minor High—G minor
Range: C4—F5
D4—G5
Remarks: Tormented, depressed
Composer: Florencio Lahoz Otal
Text: I cry in the depths of the prison, yearning for liberty, my family, my life.
Tempo: Andante
Form: Binary, with a modulation from minor to the parallel major at the B section. There are many thirty-second notes, dotted rhythms, and wide leaps in the vocal line.
Length: 5 pages, 3:25
Selected Bibliography
Alonso González, Celsa, ed. La Canción Andaluza, Antología (siglo XIX). Madrid: Ediciones SGAE, 1996.
Radomski, James. “Manuel del Pópulo Vicente [Manuel García, Manuel Rodríguez Aguilar].” Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana. Director y coordinador general, Emilio Casares Rodicio, Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 1999.
Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain, Volume 1, (low voice, ISBN 0-8108-4729-9, high voice, ISBN 0-8108 4728-0) and Canciones de España—Songs of Nineteenth-Century Spain,
Volume 2, (low voice, 0-8108-5675-1, high voice, 0-8108-5667-0) are available from www.scarecrowpress.com (search under Draayer), tismusic.com (search under Spanish song anthologies), or from your local music store.
