Spanish Music

The guitar
makes dreams weep.
The sobbing of lost
souls
escapes through its round
mouth.

Excerpt from "The Six Strings", by Federico Garcia Lorca.


Music Hall Usher by Miró.

    Spanish composers and performers have left an enduring and unique legacy for our enjoyment.  Composers such as Rodrigo, Falla and Albéniz have embraced their Spanish heritage to create a body of work which differentiates itself from their contemporaries by melding traditional Spanish folk music and instruments into their compositions.  For such a relatively small country, Spain has produced an astonishing number of  distinguished performers like Andres Segovia, Alicia de Larrocha and José Carreras who are internationally recognized masters of their respective trades.
 
    Of course, one must acknowledge Spain's most significant contribution to the world of music -  the modern guitar.  Few instruments are so readily associated with a specific culture, forming an almost symbiotic, spiritual bond.  The guitar perfectly epitomizes the layers of complexity and contradictions inherent in this rich culture, and at its fulcrum offers a cathartic release of both dreams and anguish for the "lost souls" of Lorca's Spain.

    We welcome you to explore the world of Spanish music referenced within the links below.  We hope that the information contained within can serve as an introduction and resource to inspire you to further explore this aspect of Spanish culture.   Thank you for visiting!  Alfredo & Dominick Vila

We welcome all comments and suggestions:

This site was created by Alfredo and Dominick Vila for the express purpose of promoting music from Spain.  We do not generate any income whatsoever from this site.  If we have violated any existing copyrights we apologize and will remove the offending passages upon notification.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Fernando Diaz Cutillas - "Nanino".
He devoted his life to promoting the folk music and culture of the Canary Islands.