Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz (1860–1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on Spanish folk music. Born in Camprodon, Girona, Catalonia, on 29th May 1860, Albéniz was a child prodigy who first performed at the age of four. At the age of seven he passed the entrance examination for piano at the Paris Conservatoire, but he was refused admission because he took out a ball from his pocket and broke a glass window while playing with it.