Although lesser known than the pieces that are parts of Albéniz's great piano suites, such as Ibéria and Cantos de España, Azulejos is one of the finest late works from the pen of Spain's pioneer nationalist composer, Isaac Albéniz. In contrast to other, shorter works that do not have great individual distinction, this single-movement, nine-minute piece possesses subtlety and depth, as well as deft piano writing.

The fluent piano language might be a reflection of the fact that the piece was originally planned to be part of a piano cycle, to be called Azulejos—a word meaning "tiles" and carrying by extension the meaning "mosaics." Albéniz provisionally named it Prelude in A Major. When the piece was completed, two years after Albéniz' death, by his friend and follower Enrique Granados, it received the title originally intended for the suite as a whole.

The work is highly attractive and has a quiet, reflective mood despite its dance-like character. It begins with a sinuous melodic line that starts alone, then interweaves with other, similar lines and rich harmonies. The work's freedom of modulation suggests that Albéniz was receptive to some of the harmonic ideas of Claude Debussy and other late Romantic composers.

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