Arabesque

Instrumentation

Musical Terms (10)

• comparsa Spanish/Cuban
  A Cuban carnival ensemble of singers, musicians, and dancers. In Lecuona's La comparsa the piano imitates the processional character of a comparsa: a gradual build from distant to close, then fading away.
  Shape the entire piece as one long arc — begin very softly as if hearing the procession from afar, crescendo through the climax, then let it diminish as the carnival passes. The rocking accompaniment figure should never stop.
• conga Spanish/Cuban
  An Afro-Cuban street-percussion genre originating in Santiago de Cuba, characterised by driving repeated rhythmic patterns, off-beat accents, and an insistent forward momentum.
  In La conga de media noche, sustain the relentless rhythmic drive throughout while allowing the dissonant opening clusters to sound deliberately raw and percussive — Lecuona is imitating out-of-tune street instruments.
• danzón Spanish/Cuban
  The national dance of Cuba: a refined, stately dance form derived from the habanera, characterised by a specific formal structure with a repeated introductory refrain (paseo) alternating with melodic sections.
  Lecuona's danzas absorb the danzón's rhythmic poise without following its formal structure strictly. Keep the tempo aristocratic and the pulse steady — the elegance is in the restraint.
• gitanerías Spanish
  Gypsy mannerisms or characteristics — the Romani-influenced musical and gestural elements of Andalusian flamenco, including ornamentation, rhythmic freedom, and sharp accents.
  Gitanerías is marked Presto and should feel relentless. The triplet figures in the melody are the gitano fingerprint — play them sharply, not lyrically. Conducting or feeling in one large beat per bar helps maintain forward momentum.
• guajiro Spanish/Cuban
  A Cuban peasant or rural farmer, associated with the traditional countryside and folk music of the island. Canto del guajiro evokes this rustic, lyrical character.
  Play with simplicity and directness — the guajiro idiom favours a singing, unornamented melody over elaborate figuration. Avoid over-pedalling; keep the texture transparent.
• habanera rhythm Spanish/Cuban
  A syncopated rhythmic pattern in 2/4 time: a dotted eighth, sixteenth, then two eighths. The defining pulse of the habanera and a pervasive undercurrent throughout Lecuona's Cuban pieces.
  Keep the dotted figure crisp and unhurried — resist rushing the sixteenth note. The pattern should feel like a slow, inevitable sway rather than a lilting dance.
• lucumí Yoruba/Cuban
  The Afro-Cuban name for the Yoruba people and their language, brought to Cuba through the slave trade. Lucumí music is characterised by call-and-response patterns, polyrhythm, and ceremonial intensity.
  In Danza lucumí, the syncopated melodic figures suggest chant-like repetition. Keep the rhythmic pulse absolutely steady — the drive comes from the pattern, not from dynamic swells.
• malagueña Spanish
  A flamenco-derived vocal and dance form from Málaga in Andalusia, characterised by an insistent ostinato bass, escalating tension, and a climax of great intensity. Lecuona's Malagueña is the most performed of all his piano works.
  The left-hand ostinato must remain absolutely unwavering throughout — it is the foundation on which the right-hand melody builds. The crescendo from the quiet opening to the fff climax is one long unbroken arc; resist the temptation to peak early.
• ñañigo Spanish/Cuban
  Relating to the Abakuá secret society, a fraternal organisation of Afro-Cuban origin. Ñañigo ceremonies are characterised by complex polyrhythm and percussive intensity.
  Danza de los ñañigos is the most deliberately weighted piece in the Afro-Cuban set — Lecuona described it as more Lisztian than the others. Play it with gravitas and a strong, grounded tone.
• Suite española Spanish
  Spanish suite — Lecuona's own subtitle for his Andalucía suite, indicating that the six pieces form a unified portrait of southern Spain despite being playable individually.
  When performing the full suite, observe the regional character shift between movements: Córdoba is stately and Moorish, Alhambra delicate and ornamented, Gitanerías driving and presto, Malagueña building relentlessly to its climax.