Like his countryman Albéniz, Enrique Granados (1867–1916) was a pianist and composer who never wrote for the classical guitar — and whose music the guitar has nonetheless claimed as its own. His warm, melancholy, deeply Romantic vision of Spain translates so naturally to six strings that some of his pieces are now better known to guitarists than to pianists.
A Romantic among nationalists
Granados was born in Lleida, in Catalonia, and trained as a pianist of the first rank. Where Albéniz could be brilliant and extrovert, Granados was the great lyricist of Spanish music — tender, nostalgic, steeped in the spirit of an older, courtly Spain. His masterpiece for piano, the suite Goyescas, was inspired by the paintings of Goya, and from it grew an opera of the same name. Yet it is his earlier, simpler Danzas Españolas that have travelled furthest of all, especially onto the guitar.
A life cut short
Granados's story ends in tragedy. After the New York premiere of the Goyescas opera in 1916, he and his wife sailed home to Europe. Their ship, the SS Sussex, was torpedoed in the English Channel. Granados, it is said, had survived into a lifeboat but leapt back into the water in a doomed attempt to save his wife; both drowned. He was only forty-eight, at the height of his powers — a loss the musical world still feels.
His pieces on the guitar
- Danza Española No. 5 (Andaluza) — by far his most famous guitar transcription, with its haunting central melody framed by a flamenco-tinged dance. A staple of the repertoire.
- Danza Española No. 4 (Villanesca) and others from the set — lyrical, graceful, and idiomatic on the guitar.
- Various of the Goyescas movements and shorter pieces have also been arranged for guitar and guitar duo.
Why it suits the guitar
The secret is the same as with Albéniz: Granados wrote piano music saturated with the sounds of Spain — the falling cadences, the guitar-like arpeggios, the rhythms of folk dance. Brought back to the instrument that inspired them, these dances gain an intimacy and warmth the piano can only suggest. The Andaluza, in particular, seems to have been waiting all along for the guitar to play it.
Where to get the sheet music
Granados died in 1916, so his music is in the public domain and guitar arrangements are free to download legally — see our guide to free classical guitar sheet music.
FAQ
Did Granados write for the guitar?
No — he wrote for piano. His Spanish dances were later transcribed for guitar, where they have become favourites.
What is his most famous guitar piece?
The Danza Española No. 5, also known as the Andaluza.
How did Granados die?
He drowned in 1916 when his ship was torpedoed in the English Channel during the First World War.
