Capricho Árabe (Serenata)

Tárrega's Capricho Árabe (c. 1892), subtitled Serenata, is the composer's most ambitious original composition and one of the finest extended character pieces in the classical guitar repertoire. Drawing on the Moorish and Andalusian musical heritage of Granada, it builds a large-scale ABA form from an opening ostinato figure, a soaring central melody over tremolo accompaniment, and an elaborate development of Arabesque figuration. The piece demands mastery of arpeggios, tremolos, and left-hand ornaments, and its evocative atmosphere — evoking the patio gardens and fountains of the Alhambra — made it popular far beyond specialist guitar audiences.