Hispanic traditions through the lens of European modernity in the Concerto

The Concerto for harpsichord and five instruments (1923–26) represents Manuel de Falla’s most audacious attempt to reconcile tradition and modernity. Falla’s integration of a range of Hispanic musical sources in his scores of the 1920s evolved from the reliance on folk music in his earlier works. This shift had parallels with some of the ideals of regeneración prevalent among Spanish intellectuals of the Generations of 1898 and 1914 and reflected the neoclassical orientation of his Parisian milieu. This chapter explores some of the historical sources that informed the creation of the Concerto and Falla’s endeavours to align the work with currents in post-war European music. In particular, I argue that the Parisian debates surrounding the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s Octet in late 1923 were crucial to the orientation of Falla’s Concerto.