TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. The book cover has been modified by the Transcriber and was added to the public domain. The spelling of Spanish names and places in Spain mentioned in the text has been adjusted to the rules set by the Academia Real Española. A number of words in this book have both hyphenated and non-hyphenated variants. For the words with both variants present the one more used has been kept. Punctuation and other printing errors have been corrected. * * * * * THE MUSIC OF SPAIN _BOOKS BY CARL VAN VECHTEN_ MUSIC AFTER THE GREAT WAR 1915 MUSIC AND BAD MANNERS 1916 INTERPRETERS AND INTERPRETATIONS 1917 THE MERRY-GO-ROUND 1918 THE MUSIC OF SPAIN 1918 [Illustration: MARY GARDEN AS CARMEN, ACT IV] _from a photograph by Mishkin_ THE MUSIC OF SPAIN _Carl Van Vechten_ [Illustration] New York Alfred A. Knopf MCMXVIII COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA _Pour Blanchette_ Preface _When the leading essay of this book, "Music and Spain," first appeared it was, so far as I have been able to discover, the only commentary attempting to cover the subject generally in any language. It still holds that distinction, I believe. Little enough has been published about Spanish music in French or German, little enough indeed even in Spanish, practically nothing in English. It has been urged upon me, therefore, that its republication might meet with some success. This I have consented to although no one can be more cognizant of its faults than I am. The subject is utterly unclassified; there is no certain way of determining values at present. It is almost impossible to hear Spanish music outside of Spain; not easy even in Spain, unless one is satisfied with zarzuelas. Worse, it is impossible even to see most of it. Many important scores remain unpublished and our music dealers and our libraries have not an extensive collection of what is published. Under the circumstances I have worked under great difficulties, but my enthusiasm has not slackened on that account. My main purpose has been to open the ears of the world to these new sounds, to create curiosity regarding the music of the Iberian Peninsula. When more of this music is familiar will be time enough to write a more critical and more comprehensive work._