El Sombrero de Tres Picos - J M Canizares

CD: El Sombrero de Tres Picos
Composer: Manuel de Falla
Author: Juan Manuel Canizares

El Sombrero de Tres Picos
(1919-1921)
1. Danza de los Vecinos
2. Danza de la Molinera
3. Danza del Molinero
4. Danza del Corregidor
5. Danza Final

Seven Spanish Popular Songs
(1915)
6. El Paño Moruno
7. Seguidilla Murciana
8. Asturiana
9. Jota
10. Nana
11. Canción
12. Polo

Four Spanish Pieces
(1906-1909)
13. Aragonesa
14. Cubana
15. Montañesa
16. Andaluza
Manuel de Falla’s work has always been very intimate and close to Cañizares’s flamenco soul, and the guitarist had been wanting to transcribe it for a long time.

For the first volume of this trilogy of transcriptions, Cañizares chose El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Siete Canciones Populares Españolas and Cuatro Piezas Españolas. Although many of the dances in “El Sombrero de Tres Picos” had already been transcribed by masters such as Miguel Llobet or Emilio Pujol, Cañizares’s transcription and interpretations focused on highlighting the flamenco essence of the Cadiz-born composer’s music, while attempting to preserve as many voices as possible.

Indeed, in some pieces belonging to Siete Canciones Populares Españolas and in Danza Final, in order to broaden the pitch, Cañizares modified his flamenco guitar, replacing the fourth, fifth and sixth strings with the bass strings of a 10-string guitar, tunes an octave lower than usual.

These unique versions of how Cañizares sees Manuel de Falla’s music are therefore provided by a very personal flamenco guitar.