Manuel de Falla| arr. Konstantyn Napolov
Siete Canciones Populares Españolas | 1914-1915/2016| 16'
Duo marimba & solo instrument
Link for the score | Arranger's website
Links for the video: Asturiana | Polo
Siete canciones populares españolas ("Seven Spanish Folksongs") is a 1914 set of traditional Spanish songs arranged for soprano and piano by the composer Manuel de Falla. Besides being Falla's most-arranged composition and one of his most popular, it is one of the most frequently performed sets of Spanish-language art songs. The set was dedicated to Madame Ida Godebska.
The styles and provenance of the songs are strikingly diverse. They are from different parts of Spain: an “Asturiana” is from Asturias, in the north; the “Seguidilla”, a type of flamenco, from Murcia, in the southeast, "Jota" is from Aragón in the northeast. "Nana" is a lullaby, and "Polo" a wild desire for revenge on an unfaithful lover. All the texts deal with love and the courting process, whether playfully, seriously, or tragically. The first song, for example, clearly alludes to the importance of virginity to a girl's value on the marriage market. The lullaby deals with love's outcome.