Andaluza

Andaluza is an interpretation for concert band from Manuel de Falla's suite of Spanish folk music for solo piano. When I first heard Andaluza it immediately struck me as music that would shine in the realm of the concert band. Each movement in the suite expresses Spanish folk music idioms through an impressionistic lens reflecting Debussy's influence on de Falla. Andaluza seems to portray a civic gathering with a mixture of dances, speeches, sonnets, arguments, and celebrations ending with a mysterious lingering question tinged with hopefulness. The music is meant to allow the high school or higher band to explore the world of impressionist harmonies alongside the classic artistry of Spanish folk music.