The Cançons i danses of Federico Mompou fall chronologically into two groups; Nos. 1-4 were written in Paris and date from 1921-1928, and Nos. 5-14 were written in Barcelona between 1942-1962. All are written in a two-part structure (perhaps inspired by Lizst's Hungarian Rhapsodies) constructed around a Catalan melody; in each case the tune is introduced in the slow first part, and then combined with a dance in the second part. Mompou originally intended them as separate works to be played singly or in related pairs (for example Nos. 1 & 2, 5 & 6, etc.). No. 13 is for solo guitar, and some pianists omit it in recordings of the set. Conversely, guitarists have transcribed some of the other Cançons i danses that were intended for piano.

The benign spirit of Erik Satie hovers over much of this music, especially in the first four items; the first Cançon i danse almost sounds like a Gymnopédie with a Spanish accent. Many of the dance sections of these pieces have the same limpid quality of the opening Cançons, the major exception being the popular No. 5, where Mompou breaks into an exuberant and brightly colorful Spanish dance.

The Cançons i danses were among the first works of Mompou to gain wide acceptance among concert pianists; important early recordings of single items were made in the 1940s and 1950s by Artur Rubinstein, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Gustavo Soriano, and the composer, who recorded the whole work in 1975. The music is evocative, poetic, and immediately attractive. In the United States, the Cançons i danses are growing in popularity, and are sometimes used as end-of-the-hour "filler" music on Classical radio stations.

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1.Canción. Quasi moderato / Danza. Allegro non troppo ('La Filla del carmesí - Danse de Castellterçol')

The Cançones i dansas (15) (Songs and Dances) spanned most of the long-lived Mompou's career, this first one appearing in 1921 and the last in 1962. Most of them were derived from Catalan folk songs. No. 1, here identified by its tempo marking Quasi moderato, is based on two such folk efforts, La Filla del Carmes¡ and Dansa de Castellterçol. Some have minimized Mompou's role in this series, asserting his efforts were more that of an arranger than a composer. True, the music is quite direct and fairly uncomplicated, but Mompou—like Bartók and others who have adapted folk music to the piano—gives the melody subtle harmonic and rhythmic support, deftly enhancing its atmospheric character. This piece opens with a theme that mixes the wistful with the upbeat, the sensual with the reflective. It has a Catalan or Spanish flavor in its somewhat nocturnal, almost Debussyian manner. The second theme is brighter and more animated, but on each appearance its initially cheery manner gradually surrenders to a darker, more contemplative one, seeming drawn toward the more ambivalent mood of the opening. Lasting about four minutes, this work will appeal to a wide segment of keyboard music enthusiasts.

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