Written between 1905 and 1908, the Suite Iberia was and is without any doubt Albeniz's masterpiece. Iberia is an ambitious and remarkably sophisticated composition with...

Written between 1905 and 1908, the Suite Iberia was and is without any doubt Albeniz's masterpiece. Iberia is an ambitious and remarkably sophisticated composition with a formidable architectural structure of uniquely impressive dimensions. All the pieces are based on traditional Spanish dance rhythms, arranged in a freely artistic and idealized manner. The rhythmical dances smoothly alternate with the \vocal" part, the copla. In traditional Spanish music the copla is a characteristic part of the structure seen in many forms like the saeta (arrow), or a cante jondo (deep song), the song of deep feelings. Albeniz has included a copla in almost all of the pieces in Iberia.