Pianophilia

fleubis wrote:...Alfred, thank you for rescuing this composer from undeserved obscurity. If it weren't for you combing through the libraries, how would we have ever known about Gonzalez?

Thank you for encouragement, dear fleubis!

Some light-weight Gonzalez (but well-crafted, as always):

nms (alfor-edited)

Alfor

Big big thanks for these Gonzales de Valle scores!!

BR// Didi

Seconded!
Definitely in a lighter vein, but much fun to play. Yes, this Gonzalez---Gonzalez de Valle is one we can take to bank!

Dear didi, dear fleubis, you are welcome!

Careful settings of genuine folk material:

nms (alfor-edited)

The same plus ten more:

nms (alfor-edited)

I was hoping you'd locate Gonzalez del Valle's folksong settings. I have only a few representations of genuine Spanish folk songs in my entire library, as most composers tend to use the tunes as a point of departure, and we are often left wondering what the original unadorned tune sounded like but here we finally see them.

Wonderful, Alfred.

P.S.: I need to point out that Anselmo Gonzales lived in Spain with a library of over 20,000 volumes. It was his father who immigrated to Cuba and had a business there, but his parents separated while he was very young. Anselmo was sent with his brother to live in Ovideo, Spain where Anselmo became a lawyer (!), but he devoted his lfe to music there and had a famous music salon.

And that is why we hear no real Cuban influences in his music.

fleubis wrote:...And that is why we hear no real Cuban influences in his music.

...resp. only occasionally...

nms (alfor-edited)

Lovely! Am glad to know Gonzalez remembers where he was born. Yes, we have real Cuban rhythms here. The note at the bottom of the page 1 says that the author recommends the discretionary, tasteful use of the pedal to honor the work. And what does that mean? Too me it means use very little pedal, as much Cuban music is highly rhythmic and needs to be clearly enunciated and not blurred through the over use of pedal. Notice the clave patterns the composer shows us at the top of the page--very typical of Afro-Cuban music. One doesn't see to much solo piano music like this in Cuba today, as typically the piano is banging out a clave pattern. The "zepateo" is a 3/4 Cuban dance with a lot of foot-stomping--one can hear it pretty clearly in this piece.

Another most welcome addition, to our library, Alfred!

That piece would make a tremendous impression in performance.