ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces Manuel de Falla's move to Paris and his meetings with Claude Debussy, while providing an overview of the changes to Falla's first mature work, La vida breve. It presents a fresh approach to the subject of Alhambrism in relation to Falla, situating it in the context of the Alhambrist music of Isaac Albeniz and Claude Debussy, which broadened Falla's creative horizons and informed the conception of Noches en los jardines de Espana. The book argues that the roots of the transformation lay in his Parisian milieu, in particular in the circle of the Apaches, who pursued interests in orientalism and primitivism. It provides a more nuanced understanding of the range of Spanish guitar styles evoked by Falla and to demonstrate his contacts with various Hispanic guitar cultures of the early twentieth century.
