Overview
Introduction
Lágrima (Spanish: Teardrop) is a romantic prelude for solo guitar by Spanish guitarist Francisco Tárrega. It is one of the best-known original compositions by Tárrega. It has been published by Ildefonso Alier.
Analysis
Lágrima is a very short miniature consisting of only 16 bars. It takes around 2 minutes to perform and its tempo marking is Andante. It has an A-B-A structure, section A being in E major and B in E minor, and has been overwhelmingly highlighted by critics because of its simplicity and melancholic atmosphere. Each section has 8 bars. Section A consists of a very simple and predictable melody with quarter notes and dotted half notes, while the accompaniment has eighth notes. Section B turns a little bit less predictable but otherwise still very simple, with eighth notes on the main voice. At the end of section B, section A is repeated to close the work. As usual in Tárrega's composition, Lágrima bears some technical difficulties in spite of its simplicity.
Even though it is one of Tárrega's most performed compositions, its date of composition is not known, but it falls somewhere between 1889 and 1909. Lágrima has not been included in a definitive catalogue of his works. It has been, however, included in other collections of pieces and has been numbered depending on the position in those collections or in recordings.
