Ravel composed his cycle Mirrors for piano in 1904/1905. Perhaps the most popular piece of the series is Alborada del gracioso, the only one having a Spanish, not a French, title. The word “alborada” means aubade or morning love song, and “gracioso” is the comic Jester character in Spanish stage writers (such as Calderon and Lope de Vega). The piano piece was orchestrated by the composer himself in 1918, possibly highlighting to a greater extent than the original the humorous character of the piece.