April 9, 1916.

Manuel de Falla’s ”Nights in the Gardens of Spain”, for piano and orchestra, is premiered in Madrid, Spain.

Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Noches en los Jardines de España).

Manuel de Falla began this work as a set of nocturnes for solo piano in 1909 but later turned it into a piece for piano with orchestra. Falla completed it in 1915. He dedicated it to Ricardo Viñes. The first performance was given on April 9, 1916, at the Teatro Real in Madrid with the Sinfonica de Madrid Orchestra conducted by Enrique Fernández Arbós. The piano part was played by José Cubiles.

The work depicts three gardens:

  • En el Generalife (In the Generalife): The first garden is in the Generalife, the jasmine-scented gardens surrounding the summer palace of the king’s harem at the Alhambra.
  • Danza lejana (Distant Dance): The second garden is an unidentified in which there is an exotic dance.
  • En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba (In the Gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba): The third garden is in the Sierra de Córdoba in Spain and feature lively gypsy dancing and singing for the feast of Corpus Christi.

Falla referred to Nights in the Gardens of Spain as “symphonic impressions” and considered Falla’s most “impressionistic” music.