Enrique Granados was a pianist and composer, a pioneer of Spanish music in the late 19th-century trend against nationalism. As a pianist, Granados made his debut at 16. He and Felipe Pedrell, the founder of Spanish nationalism in music, studied composition in Barcelona. In 1887, Granados studied piano in Paris. Returning to Barcelona in 1889, he established himself as a leading pianist and gained great success with his 12 Danzas españolas. María del Carmen, the first of his seven operas, was released in 1898. A short-lived classical concert society was established in 1900 by Granados and his piano school, which created a range of distinguished musicians. In his tonadillas, songs written in the ancient style, his passion in the 18th century is mirrored. In a very diffuse, poetic style, he composed thoroughly and fluently for the piano. The Goyescas (1911–13), his masterpieces, are reflections on the drawings and tapestries of Francisco de Goya. They were adapted into an opera that had its New York City premiere in 1916. Returning home from this success, Granados perished when a German submarine torpedoed his ship, the Sussex.