Siete Canciones Populares Españolas (Seven Spanish Folksongs) was written by Spanish composer and pianist Manuel de Falla in 1914. These seven folk songs were originally arranged for soprano and piano, but it has become one of de Falla’s most arranged compositions with arrangements for solo piano, guitar and voice, cello and piano, and two for orchestra, to name a few. All seven of these traditional Spanish songs derive from different regions and provinces in Spain, typically stemming from regional Spanish dances. The texts to these songs deal with love and its cruel polarity both playfully and dramatically.

El Paño Moruno translates to The Moorish Cloth, and originated in Murcia in the Andaulisian Province in South-Eastern Spain. The text is a story about a store who reduces the price of a cloth with a stain on it, and the story parallels the importance of a girl’s virginity in the marriage market.

Seguidilla Murciana or Seguidilla from Murcia derives from an old Spanish dance in quick triple time. The text compares the person who has hurt the speaker as a coin that has been passed around to the point where it has lost all value.

Asturiana comes from the Asturias in the northern part of Spain. This song tells a story of a tree who cries sympathetically to the hero, knowing that it cannot help him or soothe his pain.

Jota is a type of dance that originates in the North East part of Spain in the province of Aragon. Although this song might sound like it is upbeat and cheerful, the text tells a story of secret love and a sorrowful goodbye. As the song concludes, the trumpet becomes hushed, representing the growing distance between the hero and his lover.

Nana translates to Lullaby in English and was actually a lullaby that Manuel de Falla’s mother sang to him when he was a child. The text and the dynamics of this song help illustrate a mother soothing a child to sleep while continuing to hold on to her own troubles. 

Canción literally means Song. Although it is a song that does not actually come from a particular region of Spain, it is based on a melody that is well-known throughout the country. This song is about a betrayed lover and his regained strength when he has finally buried his feelings. However, the bitterness remains with the betrayed for he has cursed the one who has betrayed him. 

Polo can be traced back to Andalusia, a large region of hills and farms around the southern coast of Spain. This song represents the raging desire for vengeance on an unfaithful lover. The melismas of this song are all expressions of a broken heart that can only resolve itself by crying out in despair.