When the next time youre in your HOLIDAY HOMES SPAIN and listening to your favourite music, think about where that music comes from. One of the things most notable about Spain apart from its rich heritage, ancient buildings and amazing views is its culture, mostly expressed through music and dance, The Spanish guitar has to be one of the most famous musical instruments and stands alongside the piano. One of the guitars most famous orchestrations, displaying the Spanish guitar in all its glory, is Guitar Concierto de Arunjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo written in 1939. It was inspired in part by the gardens at the Palacio Real de Arunjuez built by Ferdinand VI in the 16th century. The work according to Joaquin was intended to transport the listener to another place and time through the sounds of nature. A remarkable piece of work considering that the composer was a pianist. Since the age of three he was blind, having never played the guitar yet he managed to evoke the spirit of the instrument in every movement.
Arunjuez is a town just 48 kilometres south of Madrid in the area acquired by the order of Santiago in 1178. The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella converted Aranjuez into a royal site and it became the royal residence. Until 1808 only relatives of the monarchs were allowed to live in Arunjuez itself. An economic crisis that was heightened by the defeat of the Spanish Armada in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 caused food shortages and affected industrial production. Another unpopular move by King Carlos IV and his Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy allowed Napoleon to march across Spain to Portugal. The people of Spain saw the movement of French troops as an invasion, especially when French troops occupied some of the major cities in Spain, provoking a peoples riot which started on March 17th 1808 in Arunjuez. While the Royal family were residing at the time in Arunjuez, peasants and soldiers assaulted the prime minister's residence: they captured him and forced King Carlos to dismiss him. The outcome of the riot saw the abdication of King Carlos in favour of his son Ferdinand VII. This all happened days before both Carlos IV and Ferdinand VII were forced by Napoleon Bonaparte to abdicate the Spanish throne in his favour, known as the Abdications of Bayonne. This in turn heralded the Peninsula war.
There was a train service running from Madrid central to Arunjuez, the second railway to be built in Spain which is now known as the Strawberry train. Every spring the classic railway experience departs from the Museum del Ferrocarril leaving at 10 am arriving in Arunjuez at 10.50 every Saturday and Sunday, except during July and August when it does not run at all due to Spanish holidays. The train starts either late April or early May and continues until mid October.
Arunjuez was designated a world heritage cultural landscape by UNESCO in 2001. The city is made up of many gardens, the Royal Palace and the Tagus river. While by the river if you would like to enjoy a picnic there are areas traditionally set aside called gangos, a Spanish word heard only in Arunjuez. So the next time you hear that exquisite piece of music maybe now you'll know a little bit more about the place it inspired, and when in Spain in your next
HOLIDAY HOMES SPAIN you could visit the Royal Palace of Arunjuez.
