- Liszt wrote Rhapsodie espagnole (Spanish Rhapsody) for solo piano in 1858. The piece quotes “La Folia” and “Jota aragonesa.”
- La Folia and the Jota aragonesa are two popular Iberian dance tunes.
- In terms of inspiration for the piece, there are multiple theories, the most popular of which are the following:
- In an interview for his autobiography towards the end of his life, Liszt mentioned that he reminisced about his 1840s trip to Spain while writing Rhapsodie espagnole.
- Glinka‘s Jota Aragonesa (also known as “Spanish Overture No. 1”), written in 1845, may have also been a source of influence. Glinka and Liszt were close friends, and the main theme of Glinka’s piece corresponds to the Jota used in Rhapsodie espagnole.1
Sources
- Mária Eckhardt, “Preface: Rhapsodie espagnole,” G. Henle Verlag (2019), accessed May 12, 2026, https://www.henle.de/en/Rhapsodie-espagnole/HN-1333.
Cut IDs
40720 44825