More than 90 composers are discussed in detail with biographies, examples of the song literature, and comprehensive listings of stage works, books and recordings, compositions in non-vocal genres, and vocal repertoire.

This study of the Latin American art song and its development in the context of musical nationalism shows how the song is a mirror in which the processes of conformation to Latin American national identity are reflected.

Art Song Composers of Spain: An Encyclopedia describes the wealth of vocal repertoire composed by 19th- and 20th-century Spanish song composers. More than 90 composers are discussed in detail with complete biographies, descriptions, and examples of the song literature, as well as comprehensive listings of stage works, books, recordings, compositions in non-vocal genres, and vocal repertoire. Opening with a thorough history of Spain and its political scene, author Suzanne Rhodes Draayer examines its relation to song composition and the impact on composers such as Fernando Sor, Sebasti_n de Iradier, Federico Garc'a Lorca, Manuel de Falla, and many others. Draayer discusses Spanish art song and its various types, its folksong influences, and the major and minor composers of each period. Beginning with Manuel Garc'a (b. 1775) and ending with Carmen Santiago de Meras (b. 1917), Draayer provides biographies of the composers, a discussion and analysis of songs available in print in the US, and a complete list of solo songs for each. Musical examples are given for 175 songs, demonstrating a variety of compositional techniques and lyrical text settings, and illustrating characteristics of orientalism (Moorish) and cante jondo (gypsy) elements, as well as influences such as the German lied and French mZlodie. The final chapter lists contemporary composers and considers the difficulties in researching music by women composers. Complete with a foreword by Nico Castel, a bibliography, and additional indexes, Art Song Composers of Spain proves the importance of the Spanish song as an essential part of vocal training and concert repertoire.

From the exhilarating impact of Isaac Albeniz at the beginning of the century to today's complex and adventurous avant-garde, this complete interpretive history introduces twentieth-century Spanish music to English-speaking readers. With graceful authority, Tomas Marco, award-winning composer, critic, and bright light of Spanish music since the 1960s, covers the entire spectrum of composers and their works: trends and movements, critical and popular reception, national institutions, influences from Europe and beyond, and the effect of such historic events as the Spanish Civil War and the death of Franco. Marco's penetrating aesthetic critiques are threaded throughout each phase of this rich account. Marco provides detailed coverage of the key figures, induding a chapter devoted entirely to Manuel de Falla--Spain's most celebrated twentieth-century composer--and a panoramic survey of recent arrivals on the contemporary music scene. Exploring the rise and fall of the zarzuela, the author highlights innovative works in this authentic Spanish genre. He analyzes the attempts to find an audience for Spanish opera; demonstrates the flowering of symphonic and chamber music at the beginning of this century; traces currents such as romanticism, impressionism, and neoclassicism; and tracks the influence of Spain's distinctive regional folk traditions. Covering musical innovation after Spain's emergence from its period of isolation, Marco notes the speed with which many composers absorbed the work of Stravinsky and Bartok, the twelve-tone system, aleatory forms, electronic techniques, and other European developments. English-speaking scholars, musicians, critics and general readers have for decades been without full information on the rich and varied work coming out of Spain in this century. This lively history fills a long-felt need and fills it superbly, with the knowledge and insights of a major figure in the musical world.

The Spanish Song Companion is an introduction to the rich heritage of Spanish song, providing the texts of over 300 songs with parallel translations in accurate and readable English.

The 2nd-3rd works by Falla are excerpts from ballets, originally for orchestra.

"Each chapter begins with a discussion of its composer's song-output and of the poets and poetry he sets, and goes on to give an account of the influences on him and the hallmarks of his style; the songs are then discussed in detail, focusing on the major works. The text is illustrated with musical examples and there is a comprehensive bibliography and index"--Jacket.