Albeniz was taught by his elder sister to play piano at the very early age of only one, and by the age of 4 had made his first public appearance. He auditioned for the Paris Conservatory at the age of 7 and impressed the faculty, however he was too young to enter the Conservatory and instead went to the Madrid Conservatory. He toured North and South America beginning at the age of 9 with his father and on his return to Europe, began further studies at Brussels and Leipzig. On returning to Spain, Albeniz began to compose music which incorporated traditional Spanish folk music and was strongly influenced by the cultural history of Spain, especially by the Alhambra. He produced numerous piano pieces in this genre. His magnum opus is Iberia, which he worked on from 1905 until his death in 1909. Among his other best-known works are Suites Anciennes (1886), Suite Espanola (1886-87), Seis Danzas Espanolas (1886-87), Rapsodia Espanola (1886-87), Torre Bemaja (1889) and Merlin (1902). Albeniz suffered from Bright's disease and died just before his 49th birthday. He is recognized as one of the greatest piano virtuosos and influential Spanish composers. |
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