Manuel de Falla's homage to Debussy . .. and the guitar Michael Christoforidis The great Catalonian guitarist, Miguel Llobet, was a larly so in Noches en 10s jardines de EspaAa very good friend of Falla . . . . He had repeatedly (191 1- 1915), Trois milodies (1909) and the asked Falla to write a work for the guitar, and Falla MontuZesa from the Cuatro piezas espaiiolas finally agreed. Debussy had recently died, and one (1902-1908)? He possessed scores of most of day at a concert in Paris, Falla met Henri Prunikres, Debussy's major works which in the majority of who told him that he was going to devote an issue of his Revue Musicale to Debussy's memory and asked cases he annotated. Orchestral textures and har- Falla to write an article for it. Falla would much monic devices, including extended pedals, are rather have written some music . . . . Eventually he signalled. Examples of rhythmic counterpoint are did both. With regard to the music, he had only one transcribed along with keyboard reductions of fixed idea, that it should end with Debussy's Soirie sections of pieces. Particular regard is given to use dans Grenade. Then it occurred to him that he could make it a work for the guitar, thus satisfying Llobet of specific instruments with the harp coming in for at the same time.' especially close scr~tiny.~ Similarly the guitar, in its Andalusian style of The above account of the conception of Falla's playing, had been crucial to Falla's development Homenaje (Homage) (1920); in the anecdotal style to 1920. He had incorporated the instrument of Falla's last approved biographer, Jaime Pahissa, accompanying a flamenco singer, in simple gives some idea of the close relationship between strumming fashion, in La vida breve (1905-1913) the article and the guitar piece published in La Revue and had provided similar accompaniments to a set Musicale on 1 December 1920. The high esteem of folksongs he had c~llected.~The works from in which Falla held Debussy, along with the enor- this period abound with guitar-like figurations. mous influence the guitar had exerted on his own Several numbers from El amrbrujo (19 14- 1915) musical language, combined to form a sort of and El sombrero de trespicos (1919) give a more double homage. stylised translation of guitaristic effects. The Debussy's importance to Falla's output and his fullest adaptation and distillation of the instru- Paris years (1907- 1914) is inestimable. The French ment's rhythmic and harmonic possibilities was composer had been important in introducing Falla achieved in the strident Fantasia Baetica for piano to the wider Parisian musical establishment as (1919), which is the work immediately preceding well as recommending his works for publication. the Hoinenuje. Apart from the abovementioned Their initial contact was through a letter from accompaniments, all that remains by Falla for the Falla, courteously answered by Debussy3, in which instrument to that date is an eight-bar fragment the Spaniard asks for advice on the interpretation entitled Copla de Soleti,l0 which is strongly remi- of the Danse sacrie et danse profane, which he niscent of the guitar scores of Juli4n Arcas and was to perform in his piano adaptation of the harp Rafael Marin, scores which are amongst those part in Madrid.4 When the two men met in late heavily annotated in Falla's possession." Inter- 1907, Debussy was at work on the second of his estingly Falla chose not to write for the instrument orchestral Images, Ibiria (1905- 1908). He had in a blatantly Spanish manner in the Homenaje. The already composed the Spanish-inspired Soirie clans composition of a work inspired by Debussy must Grenade (1903) and was yet to write the two have encouraged him not to be obviously folklor- hispanically-tinged preludes, La se're'nade istic with the instrument which had provided him interrompue (1910) andhpuerta del Vino (19 13). with such fecund material. The latter is said to have resulted from a postcard Falla was quick to pay tribute to Debussy after depicting the famous Moorish gate of Granada the French composer's death. On 27 April 1918 he sent to Debussy by F~illa.~ took part in a concert dedicated to Debussy which In Paris Falla had the opportunity of hearing was organised by the music section of Madrid's most of Debussy's mature works6 and a clear in- Ateneo. Falla delivered a speech entitled, 'El arte fluence upon his own works can be traced, particu- profundo de Claudio Debussy' ('The profound art of Claude Debussy'), parts of which he was later referred to and employed in Pedrell's Cancionero to use in his article, 'Debussy and Spain'. He then which Falla was consulting at the tirne.13 The accompanied Aga Lahowska, who sang five of thought of writing the Debussy piece for guitar Debussy's songs that they had performed many may have been prompted by this coincidence. times in the previous two years. Arthur Rubinstein Towards the end of May and early June of that also took part and the Soire'e dans Grenade was year Falla was in Paris and the meeting with amongst the works he played. In previous years Prunii?res which Pahissa mentions in the opening Falla had performed several of Debussy's works quotation probably dates from this period.14 The for piano, including theDeuxarabesques and some recently discovered guitar manuscript of the of the Pre'ludes, and there is a reference in Ricardo Homenaje is dated '27 VII-8 VIII 1920'. This is the Viiies's diary that on 3 April 1909he accompanied first reference and cursory study of the original Falla to Mrs Brooks's matine'e musicale where Falla manuscript and related sketch material.lSPrunikres played some of his works as well as recent pieces claims to have received a copy of the guitar piece by'~ebussy.12On 24 May 191 1 he played at Franz in a letter of 6 October, but asks after the article. In Liebich's concert of Spanish music at the Aeolian the second number of La Revue Musicale, 1 De- Hall in London which ended with Debussy's Soirie cember 1920, the Homenaje is dated Granada, dans Grenade and a four-hand piano transcription August 1920,while the article is given as Granada, of Ibe'ria by Andre Caplet. The notes for the 8 November 1920.16 concert were written by Mrs Franz Liebich, It is interesting to read the article as an apologia Debussy's first biographer, and outline some for the composition or even as an outline of Falla's similar ideas to those aired in Falla'sarticle almost own aesthetic development and personal concur- a decade later. rences with Debussy.17 Falla advocates a wider In a letter dated 4 February 1920, Henry 'Spanishness' for Hispanic pieces. Debussy's Prunii?res asked Falla to contribute to the new songs, Fantoches and Mandoline, as well as the series of La Revue Musicale in which he was piano Masques, the Danse sacre'e et danseprofane thinking of including an issue dedicated to Claude for harp and string orchestra and the second move- Debussy. As editor of this journal he suggested ment of the string quartet are thus characterised, that Falla could possibly write something on although Falla goes out of his way to state that Debussy and Spain. In April of that year Falla was when 'Debussy was questioned about this matter to perform several works by Debussy in Madrid. he declared that no such idea was ever in his Adolfo Salazar, the music critic who was a close mind'.l8 This similarity is however partially ex- friend and musical ally of Falla, reviewed a per- plained by Falla as resulting from the relationship formance of Debussy's Sonata for flute, viola and between Spanish folk music and the liturgical harp in the Madrid newspaper, El Sol, on 23 April, music and modal inflections Debussy was so fond in which Falla played his own adaptation of the of. harp part on piano. The Soire'e dans Grenade There is also praise for Debussy's avoidance of along with the three preludes and two arabesques literally quoting Spanish folk music and 'creating by Debussy were given by Falla at a concert of music of his own based on the essential elements Sociedad Nacional de M6sica in Madrid on 24 of folk music'.lg This is Falla's own declared April. He was preceded by the guitarist Regino position though he was occasionally prone to Sainz de la Maza playing a bracket of mainly quoting folk material. He makes reference to Spanish works from the sixteenth to the early Debussy evoking the flamenco cante jondo, ele- twentieth centuries. The notes for this concert ments of which are present in numerous of Falla's included an article by Felipe Pedrell, Falla's first scores, especially the Fantasia Baetica of the influential teacher, entitled Obras para vihueta y previous year, and which continued to fascinate guitarra de autores espaiiolesantiguos y modemos him in the following year. Falla's defence of (Works for vihuela and guitar by ancient and Ibiria is also apocryphal in that he says that modem Spanish composers). Pedrell had drawn 'Debussy strove at all costs never to repeat hirn- Falla's attention to the guitar and the instrument is self. "One's own technique must be constructed

Contexf3 (Winter 1992) afresh according to the demands of each work", he Curiously enough the Spanish musicians have ne- truly remarked'.20 Falla was himself in the midst glected and even despised these effects. They con- of composing El retablo de Maese Pedro (1919- sidered them primitive. At most, Spanish composers were able to incorporate guitar figurations in works 1922) which represented a radical shift from his of conventional harmonic or melodic design. It was Andalusian musical idiom largely due to the de- Debussy who showed how these guitar figurations mands of adequately setting the episode from Don were to be used with imagination.= Quixote. By claiming that Debussy 'became spellbound Debussy's interest in the guitar is no whimsical by an imaginary Andalusia', Falla may have been connection on the part of Falla. Apart from La reflecting his own state of mind.*' Falla was cer- sirinade interrompue being headed 'quasi tainly aware of the 'Granada syndrome' in guitarra' this interest is expressed as early as 1895, Debussy's 'Spanish' works and was in the process prior to the composition of his 'Spanish' works, in of setting up his residence in that picturesque town a letter from Debussy to Pierre Loujis who was in 1920.22 He could now fulfil his ambition of then living in Seville, savouring the Granada he had so often evoked, and I look forward to hearing whether so many centuries return to Andalusia. The quotation of a fragment of civilisation have tamed the celebrated 'Spanish from Soirie duns Grenade in the Homenaje is arrog'mce', but whatever you do bring me back a hardly mere coincidence given that it is his first guitar so that whenever I strike it it gives off a kind of subtle, sonorous dust, the relic of its savage composition in these new surroundings. me1,mcholy of old.16 Debussy's preludes, Lesparfum de la nuit and Lo puerta del Vino are placed by Falla in the same An examination of the guitar manuscript of the harmonic category as the Soire'e duns Grenade. Homenaje and sketch material reveals the incor- These works also employ the habanera rhythm poration of a fragment from Soire'e dans Grenade which is prevalent in the Homenaje. Falla does not as an early idea even though it occurs towards the seem to have been familiar with Debussy's end of the Homenaje (Example 1). The crucial Lindaraja (190 1) for two pianos, again inspired by importance of the open string tuning of the guitar GranadaZ3 This work is also dominated by the is also evident. Falla seems to toy with the har- habanera rhythm which Falla is at pains to define monic clashes resulting by sounding open strings as 'a sort of Andalusian tango'.24 simultaneously with a moving melodic line. The Finally Falla links Debussy to theguitarthrough habanera rhythm, alluded to along with these other his incorporation of the harmonies suggested by ideas in the article, is a generating force. The the Andalusian strumming of the instrument and Homenaje is also related to Debussy's habanera its inherent tuning.

Example1a: Debussy, Soiree dans Grenade, bars 16-19: 1b: Falla, Homenaje, bars 63-66.

Falla's homage to Debussy quasi guitarra I.

pp (comme en pdludant) --

Example 2a, La sednade interroqwe, bars 1-2. Example 2b: Soiree dans Grenade, bars 7-9. pieces in its use of mainly conjunct movement in who was the catalyst in Falla's moving to the town. the melodic line as well as its modal character. J. B. Trend, the Times critic and close friend of The initial semitonal wavering is also reminiscent Falla, claims that the first realisation of the work of the opening of La se'rinade interrompue (Ex- was give" at the Granada home of a convalescing ample 2a) and the first melody of Soire'e dans Falla during the autumn of 1920.29 Barrios may Grenade (Example 2b). have also helped with guitaristic suggestions and Curiously, the Homenaje had a chequered early corrections after the completion of the manuscript history. Its premiere was actually given by Marie- as #thereis a corrected proof copy amongst the Louise Caradesus on harp-lute in a concert organ- Barrios papers.30 Falla was later to entrust Barrios ised by La Revue Musicale to perform the pieces with the editing and adaptation of the guitar parts dedicated to Debussy in their commemorative to hisincidental music forcalderon's Elgran teatro issue. Henry Prunikres wrote to Falla on 13 del m~ndo.~' December 1920 asking him if he knew of a guitar- The score was however sent to Miguel Llobet ist living in Paris, amateur or professional. On 6 after its completion in August 1920, and he re- January 1921 he wrote again to say that, due to the turned to Falla an edited and fingered version, lack of a guitarist, the premiCre of the work on 24 ready for printing with a letter dated 29 December January would be given on harp-lute, as the sound 1920. This is obviously not the version which of this instrument is closer to that of the guitar. appears in La Revue Musicale. Somehow Miguel Falla had sent PruniCres the piano arrangement of Llobet seems to have been written out of the the Homenaje, which he completed after the guitar history of the work after its conception. The version, and is dated August 1920 on the manu- literature refers to the first performance of the scriptn work on guitar as that given by Emilio Pujol in Contrary to some commentators' beliefs, the Paris on 2 December 1922.32 Strangely enough, piano arrangement is not closer to the work's this guitarist had performed the work in Barcelona original conception by the composer, as not only in April 1921.33 However, the premiere of the does it post-date the guitar version, but the sketch work on guitar was actually given by Llobet at material clearly indicates idiomatic conception Madrid's Comedia theatre on 8 March 1921, shortly and contemplation of the guitar's pos~ibilities.~~ after having visited Falla in Granada to get his Falla even went as far as drafting guitar tablatures advice and approval on two transcriptions from El to check on the feasibility of his chordal forma- amor brujo and the interpretation of the Homenaje. tions. The piano version may have been produced Adolfo Salazar gave a glowing review in the by Falla to overcome the work's viewed limited following day's edition of El Sol. performance possibilities as was the case when he At this time Falla was intrigued by the guitar .later allowed the use of the piano in place of the and its possibilities. A letter from Llobet on 27 harpsichord in the Concerto. August 1920 indicates his plans to continue writ- Assistance in his exploration of the guitar's ing for it: possibilities may have been provided by Angel Bamos, the guitarist and composer from Granada, Querido Falla, loco de contento a1 saber que esta V.

Content 3 (Winter 1992) componiendo dos obras m;ls para la guitarra!!- guitar was to continue throughout Falla's life, the Escribame si alguna duda tiene-- nexus between the two in the Homenaje was to be made clearer when in 1939 Falla formed an or- (Dear Falla, mad with joy on finding out that you are chestral suite, Homenajes, out of the various mu- composing two more works for the guitar!!-Write sical tributes he had composed. The guitar piece to me if you have any queries--) was orchestrated and renamed 'A C1. Debussy' with the subtitle in brackets, Elegia de la guitarra. A letter from J.B. Trend, upon his return to Eng- land after spending time in Granada and dated 4 NOTES November 1920, further demonstrates this inter- Jaime Pahissa, Manuel a!!Falla: His Life and Works,trans. est. Jean Wagstaff (London: Museum, 1954), p. 112. La soirke duns Granade... is the original title of the Debussy work. Friedman esta aquf tocando el piano-una prueba The title of this piece is often given in various forms though mAs que v. tiene raz6n diciendo que el piano modemo originally Homenaje. P2ce & guitare ecrite pour uLe es un instrumento de orquesta; y que el futuro es la tombeau de Claude Debussys. l'be titles of works by Falla guitarra o la orquestilla de guitarras y bandunias. will be given in their Spanish fonn in this article unless they were only known in a title of a distinct language. (Friedman is here playing the pian-ne more proof ' This letter is dated 13 January 1907 and is reproduced in that you are correct in saying that the modem piano Fran~oisLesure and Roger Nichols, eds, Debussy Letters, is an orchestral instrument and that the future lies ms.Roger Nichols (London: Faber, 1987), p. 176. with the guitar or the miniature orchestm of guitars ' Performed on 4 February 1907 with Tomas Bretdn con- and bandurrias.)" ducting. Fran~oisLesure, 'Debussy et le syndrome de Grenade', Some sketches for the proposed guitar works Revue de Musicologie 28 (1982), p. 106. Lesure points out that Ricardo Vifies claimed in his diary to have sent the remain but these plans did not come to fruition. postcard. Falla's illness in the latter part of 1920 and the Concert programs from 1907- 19 14 belonging to Falla and change of direction brought about by his work on housed at the Manuel de Falla Archive in Gmnada attest to El retablo de Maese Pedro may have restricted his this. ' The relationship between the MonfaAesa and Debussy's further exploration of the instrument, though he String Quartet is outlined in Antonio Gallego, Piezas was to cite works by the seventeenth century EspaiIolas: MontaAesa (Paisaje) y Andaluza (Granadx guitarist Gaspar Sanz and sixteenth century Ayuntamiento de Granada, 1991), pp. 3-4. vihuelists in several of his neoclassical works of Many of the scores of works by Debussy preserved at the the 1920s. The harpsichord and harp came to Manuel de Falla Archive include pencil annotations by Falla. Of interest, in the light of this article, are his markings dominate in this search for a plucked sonority in of the Estampes with his fingering and underlining of sec- line with his new orientation. Amongst his writ- tions of Soirke dam Grenade, La puerta del Vino and the ings the importance of the guitar is stressed in the numerous notes on Ibkria especially related to the use of the final section of his work on Cante jondo (1922)35 harp in Les parfums de la nuit. and there is a tribute to the instrument in his These are entitled Cantaresde nochebuerra and numbered prologue to Pujol's XXXIV in Antonio Gallego, Catdlogo de Obras de Manuel Escuela razonadade laguitarra de Falla (Madrid: Ministerio de Cultura, 1987). pp. 60-63. (1933).36 lo This is possibly the accompaniment to a Solea Falla Debussy . was to continue exerting influence composed as incidental music for Martinez Sierra's La over Falla with the latter making an arrangement Pasidn, which was produced in Madrid in November 1914. for chamber orchestra of Prklude ci l'apr2s-midi In 1946 the leading lady of that production, CatalinaB6rcena, gave an interview along with Gregorio Martinez Sierra in d'un faune for the Orquesta Bktica de Camara in memory of Falla in which she claimed that Falla rehearsed 1924.37Falla's library includes a copy of the 1927 the song, accompanying her on the guitar, every day during edition of Debussy's 'Monsieur Crochet writings the rehearsal period. This is the only reference to Falla with various annotations. Amongst" the sections playing the guitar (Valentin de Pedro, 'Catalina BArcena y marked are passages making reference to Wagner. Martinez Sierra recuerdan al Maestro Falla', iAquie~td!1 1 [Buenos Aires, 19461, p. 3). was to Debuss~'s in his !I Annotated scores of the Solka, Rondeaa and MahgUem Notas sobre Wagneren su cincuentenario (1933).38 by the mid-nineteenthcenturyguitarist Julian Arcas and six While the fascination with Debussy and the of the AiresAdalucesby Rafael Marin dating from theearly

Falla's homage to Debussy years of this century are amongst the guitar scores preserved l6 Lesure and Nichols, Debussy Letters, p. 76. at the Manuel de Falla Archive. 27 Its date is given as 8.IX.1920 in Gallego, Catalogo,p. 105 l2 Taken from transcripts of the diary of Ricardo Vifies at the though the manuscript reproduced on page 134 of Poesia 36 Manuel de Falla Archive. and 37 (Madrid, 1991) indicates the date as August 1920. l3 References to consultation of the Cancioneroare ma& as The most recent expression of this viewpoint is found in early as January 1919 in the correspondence between Falla Gallego, Catalogo, p. 178. and Pedrell. 29 J.B .Trend, 'Falla in "Arabia"', Music and Letters 2 (April l4 It may also refer to a visit by Falla to Paris in January of 1922), p. 135. that year. The earlier date is more in line with Prunikres's 30 These papers are now housed at the Centro de written request of 4 February ,1920, but not consistent with Documentacidn Musical de Andalucia in Granada. the rest of Pahissa's account, especially in that it refers to the " Refers toaletter from Falla to Barrios dated 30May 1927. rapid completion of the work thereafter. 32 Most recent reference to this date is given in the journal Is Jorge de Persia came across several documents and Poesia 36 and 37, p. 133 in an issue dedicated to Manuel de musical sketches, including the manuscript of the Homenaje Falla. Only Ronald Pumll in his introduction to the amongst the papers at the Casa Museo Manuel de Falla and Chantarelle edition of the Homenaje (London, 1988) seems they have subsequently been transferred to the Archive. to cast doubt on this date. l6In La Revue Musicale the title is misprinted as Homenaja. 33 Review in Associacid de Musica, 15 April 1921. Other composers who contributed to this issue include Small bands made up of guitar, steel-stnmg Spanish lute Dukas, Roussel, Malipiero, Eugene Goosens, Bartbk, Florent and banduma were common in Granada at that time. This Schrnitt, Stravinsky, Ravel and Satie. reference probably relates to the 'Trio Albeniz' which in- l7 Manuel de Falla, 'Claude Debussy et I'Espagne', La cluded transcriptions of pieces by Debussy and Falla in their Revue Musicale 2 (December 1920), pp. 206-10, trans. repertoire. Edward Lockspeiser in Debussy: His Life and Mind rpt 3s El aCante jondov (canto primitivo andaluz) en (London: 1962-65; Cambridge: CambridgeuniversityPress, colaboracidn (Granada: Urania, 1922). 1978), 11, p~.255-61. Emilio Pujol, Escuela razonada & la guitarra (Buenos Lockspeiser, Debussy, II, p. 257. Aires: Jose B. Romero e hijos, 1935). Federico Sopem l9 Lockspeiser, Debussy, II, p. 260. mistakenly reproduces Pujol's introduction to the method 20 Lockspeiser, Debussy, 11, p. 259. instead of Falla's prologue in his fourth edition of Manuel de 21 Lockspeiser, Debussy, 11, p. 257. Falla, Escritossobre rmisica y rmisicos (Madrid: Espasa-Cape, 22 As outlined in Lesure, 'Debussy et le syndrome de 1988). Grenade'. 37 In 1989 I encountered five pages of notes in Falla's hand This work for two pianos by Debussy was published inside his copy of the orchestral score of Debussy's Prklude

' posthumously in 1926 and was not performed during d l'apr2s-midi d'un faune which indicated the reductions Debussy's lifetime. The title refers to one of the patios of the which needed to be made and the redistribution and rework- Alhambra. ing of parts. A copy of the written out arrangement was Lockspeiser, Debussy, 11, p. 257. subsequently encountered in the Archive of the Orquesta Lockspeiser, Debussy, 11, p. 260. Betica de Chara. Manuel de Falla, 'Notes sobre Wagner en su cincuentenario', Cruz y Raya 7 (September 1933).

Context 3 (Winter 1992)