Andaluza

Andaluza is the fourth member of Manuel de Falla’s Cuatro Piezas Españolas for solo piano first published in 1909. My imagination runs wild contemplating what may be pictured in de Falla’s music. It certainly seems to be a civic gathering: perhaps a wedding, a baptism, a dedication, or a feast taking place in the civic square of perhaps on a hacienda. There are scenes that may be dancing, speeches, passionate sonnets, arguments, celebrations, all ending in a lingering mysterious question with a tinge of hopefulness. Whatever Falla may have have had in mind it is full of life, drama, and humanity.

I first became aware of de Falla’s work, particularly Andaluza, in the summer of 2021 during an online orchestration seminar. Each of Cuatro Piezas’s movements expresses Spanish folk music idioms through an impressionistic lens reflecting Debussy’s influence on de Falla. Andaluza immediately struck me as music that would shine in the realm of the concert band. It was a joy to explore de Falla’s music, transforming the implications of the piano stylings into the nuances and colors available to the modern wind ensemble. It was just as much if not more challenging to develop this arrangement than creating my own original music typically proves to be. But it was so rewarding to have done so and I hope you find the rewards of listening just as much worth your effort.

Robert Myers
S.D.G.

INSTRUMENTATION:
Piccolo
Flute 1, 2
Oboe
Bassoon 1, 2
Bb Clarinet 1, 2
Bb Bass Clarinet
Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Trumpet 1, 2, 3
Horn in F 1, 2, 3, 4
Trombone 1, 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani (4)
Mallets: Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Marimba
Percussion 1: Almglocken/Cowbell, Suspended Cymbal, Marimba, Snare Drum, Glockenspiel,
Triangle, Xylophone
Percussion 2: Hand Cymbals, Suspended Cymbals, Snare Drum, Bongos, Mark Tree
Percussion 3: Tambourine, Castanets, Hand Cymbals, Rainstick, Gong, Tam, Tam
Percussion 4: Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Gong, Tam Tam, Woodblocks
Optional Parts: Eb Clarinet; Baritone T.C. 1, 2; Double Bass