Sonata pintoresca

'Picturesque sonata': a term used by Turina for Sanlucar de Barrameda, Op. 24 (c. 1922), indicating a multi-movement sonata in which each movement is an atmospheric depiction of a specific place or scene rather than an abstract formal structure. The term reflects the influence of both the French Impressionist tradition (Debussy's descriptive piano pieces) and the Spanish literary and pictorial tradition of costumbrismo — the evocation of regional landscape and custom. Sanlucar de Barrameda is the Andalusian town at the mouth of the Guadalquivir where sherry is produced and fishermen have worked for centuries.

Each movement of Sanlucar de Barrameda has a different sonic world: the castle tower calls for a more resonant, slightly distant quality; the beach and fishermen movements need lighter textures and a sense of open space. The impressionistic harmonic language benefits from careful, unhurried pedalling that sustains atmospheric colour without blurring the melodic lines.