Albeniz: Iberia

Written between 1905 and 1908, the Suite Iberia was and is without any doubt Albeniz's masterpiece. Iberia is an ambitious and remarkably sophisticated composition with a formidable architectural structure of uniquely impressive dimensions. All the pieces are based on traditional Spanish dance rhythms, arranged in a freely artistic and idealized manner. The rhythmical dances smoothly alternate with the \vocal" part, the copla. In traditional Spanish music the copla is a characteristic part of the structure seen in many forms like the saeta (arrow), or a cante jondo (deep song), the song of deep feelings. Albeniz has included a copla in almost all of the pieces in Iberia.