Sebastian Iradier Biography - A Very Quick Guide
Artist:
Sebastian Iradier
Born:
20 January 1809, Lanciego, Spain
Died:
6 December 1865, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Spanish composer Sebastián Iradier (1809–1865) was born in Lanciego, in the Basque Country. After early musical training in Spain, he moved to Paris, where he taught singing and worked within the city’s fashionable salon culture. Iradier travelled widely, including a significant visit to Cuba, where he encountered Afro-Cuban rhythms that would strongly influence his later work.
Iradier is best remembered for his habaneras, especially La Paloma (c. 1860), which became one of the most widely performed and adapted songs of the 19th century. Another well-known piece, El arreglito, gained renewed fame when Bizet used it - mistakenly believing it to be a folk song - in Carmen (as the basis for the aria L’amour est un oiseau rebelle). Although Iradier’s output is relatively small, his contribution to the international spread of the habanera rhythm was substantial, and his songs remain staples of the genre.
Iradier is best remembered for his habaneras, especially La Paloma (c. 1860), which became one of the most widely performed and adapted songs of the 19th century. Another well-known piece, El arreglito, gained renewed fame when Bizet used it - mistakenly believing it to be a folk song - in Carmen (as the basis for the aria L’amour est un oiseau rebelle). Although Iradier’s output is relatively small, his contribution to the international spread of the habanera rhythm was substantial, and his songs remain staples of the genre.
Top Pieces on 8notes by Sebastian Iradier