Galante, Spanish Dance, Op. 5, No. 1 for flute quintet

The publication of Granados’s 12 Spanish Dances coincided with the 1892 Barcelona Olympics. One of the main attractions during those Olympics was an exhibit of paintings of Spanish villages that illustrated the diverse architectural styles and cultures of the country. Granados had a similar concept in mind for his Dances by creating a cycle of keyboard vignettes depicting Spanish life. In Galante, Granados integrates Rococo elements along with Spanish folk music characteristics, resulting in a stately minuet with a Spanish flavor. There are several transformations between brooding sadness and light simplicity. He dedicated this piece to his wife, Amparo Gal, (prior to their marriage) and ends it with joyous optimism. This quintet arrangement may be performed with five C flutes, but is much more exciting with the addition of a piccolo, an alto flute, a bass flute and even a contrabass flute.

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