Although Jesús Guridi achieved his greatest successes in the orchestral and operatic fields, he also wrote a significant quantity of piano works. While his activity in this area was intermittent, his piano compositions are nonetheless a true reflection of his personal style, being characterized by everything from grand operatic gestures to the most subtle effects, as well as being strongly influenced by folk-music.

Guridi was born in Vitoria in 1886. Having made some early appearances in the musical circles of Bilbao, he left Spain in 1904 to continue his studies in Paris, Liège and Cologne. On his return he was appointed director of the Bilbao Choral Society, for whom he wrote a number of works, most notably the collections of Basque folk-songs and one of his masterpieces, Así cantan los chicos (1915), for chorus and orchestra. The next year or so saw the first performances in Madrid of his “Basque operatic idy