Simon Garcia writes: 'The idea of this piece was inspired by the sounds of my native country, Spain. The zarzuela was the most popular musical genre in Spanish theatres during the 19th and early 20th-centuries. It combines singing and theatre, much like opera, but they tell popular stories and in my music I have aimed to do the same.

In Spain it is usual to play selections of the main themes of a zarzuela in concerts, as if it were a suite. This idea seemed fun and I started writing a selection about a non-existant zarzuela.

I used three main themes and treated them with different musical resources of this genre. The first one is a lyrical theme, with sounds of Andalusia, and the melody is lyrical and elegant with the use of triplets which could be a melody for a female character. The second has some suprises and is in a minor key initially but developing into a comical and fun theme. The third is dramatic, written in the style of a recitative, and this deep melody is charged with drama and energy.'

Spanish Sounds for an American Friend was originally for double bass quartet and is dedicated to the American bassist, Barry Green. It also exists in an edition for double bass and piano.

Bassist and composer Simon Garcia was born in Mugardos (Spain) in 1977 and graduated in double bass from the Conservatorio Superior of Salamanca. He has worked as a double bassist in the Royal Orchestra of Galicia, having also performed in many orchestras throughout Spain, and is the bassist in the Symphony Wind Orchestra of A. Coruna. He has collaborated with many musicians and ensembles, particularly in the field of contemporary music, and has recorded and performed on many commercial recordings and for television and radio broadcasts.

Simon Garcia has composed more than twenty works for double bass, ranging from two to six players, alongside transcriptions of these pieces for various chamber ensembles. His music has been performed in Mexico, Spain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, USA and UK by The Bass Gang, Bass Instinct and Il Quint-etto amongst others, and some of his music was used as teaching material in the 2011 ISB Year of Collaborative Music.

Simon Garcia's music is lively, jazzy and rhythmic with great forward momentum and drive. Accessible for players and audiences alike, he writes colourful music of distinction and energy, employing the entire range of the double bass.