Tonadilla was a Spanish musical

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

form of theatrical origin; not danced. The genre was a type of short, satirical musical comedy popular in 18th-century

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and later in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and other Spanish colonial countries. It originated as a song type, then dialogue for characters was written into the tonadilla, and it expanded into a miniature opera lasting from 10 to 20 minutes. It drew its personages from everyday life and included popular and folk music and dance, and

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

language. The tonadilla also influenced the development of the

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...

, the characteristic form of Spanish musical drama or comedy. The first tonadilla is ascribed to

Luis Misón Luis Misón (c. 26 August 1727 – 13 February 1776) was a Spanish composer. Born in Mataró, Barcelona, he composed over 100 tonadilla Tonadilla was a Spanish musical song form of theatrical origin; not danced. The genre was a type of short ...

in 1757. Notable composers of tonadillas in Spain included

Blas de Laserna Blas de Laserna Nieva (1751 in Corella, Navarra – 1816 in Madrid) was a Spanish composer. Biography Laserna was one of the most prolific and popular songwriters of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Spain. As an educator, he cha ...

Pablo Esteve Pablo Esteve y Grimau (1730–1794) was a Spanish composer. Esteve was conductor and house-composer for the Teatro de la Cruz in Madrid during the peak of the popularity of the ''tonadilla'' genre. The risque nature of the ''tonadilla'' meant that ...

, and

Jacinto Valledor Jacinto Valledor y la Calle (Madrid, 1744- Cuenca, 1809) was a Spanish composer of theatre music and tonadillas. Early success in Barcelona in the 1780s turned to difficulties after a move to Madrid where he was in the shadow of Pablo Esteve Pablo ...

. The tonadilla was particularly popular in

where more than 200 stage tonadillas were sung between 1790 and 1814, the year in which they began to be displaced from

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.945 Year 945 (Roman numerals, CMXLV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 27 – The co-emperors Stephen Lekapenos, Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos, Constantine a ...

''Music in Cuba''. Minneapolis MN. p125 In 1959,

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical g ...

wrote a short guitar duet in popular style, called ''Tonadilla'' and inspired by the theatrical form.

Notable tonadilleras

María Antinea María Antinea (June 17, 1915 – July 29, 1991) was a Spanish actress, Vedette (cabaret), vedette, dancer, Cuplé, cupletista and tonadillera. Career Antinea was born in Jaén, Spain, Jaén in Andalusia in 1915. In the 1930s, Antinea joined the " ...

(1915–1991), Spanish actress, vedette, dancer, cupletista and tonadillera *

Paquita Escribano Paquita Escribano (Zaragoza, 1880 - Valencia, 1970) was a popular Spanish singer. A cupletista and tonadillera, she recorded 39 albums. Among her most popular songs were ''Ven y ven (La mejicana)'', ''El polichinela'', ''El apache moderno'', ''L ...

(1880–1970), Spanish singer, cupletista, and tonadillera *

Perlita Greco Perlita Greco (née Alfonsina Grecco Constantini; May 11, 1906, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina – February 26, 2001, New York City, New York) was an Argentine-born actress, vedette, tango singer, and cabaret singer. She became a Spanish citizen ...

(1906–2001), Argentine-born actress, vedette, tango singer, and cabaret singer *

Amalia Molina Amalia Molina (Seville, 1881 - Barcelona, July 8, 1956) was a popular Spanish tonadillera and dancer. Raised in Triana, she moved at a young age to Madrid, where she debuted at the age of 17. Her career took her to Latin America and even Broadway ...

(1881–1956), Spanish tonadillera and dancer *

Paquita Rico Francisca Rico Martínez (13 October 1929 – 9 July 2017), better known as Paquita Rico, was a Spanish film actress and singer. She appeared in 30 films between 1948 and 1983. She starred in the film ''Let's Make the Impossible!'', which w ...

, Spanish film actress and singer *

Lolita Sevilla Ángeles Moreno Gómez (20 March 1935 – 16 December 2013), better known as Lolita Sevilla, was a Spanish actress and singer, whose career spanned over 40 years. Born in Seville, she began singing at the age of ten, in 1945 and also had a fi ...

(1935–2013), Spanish actress and singer *

Teresita Zazá Teresa Juliana Lucía Maraval Torres (stage name, Teresita Zazá; Plasencia, Spain, June 6, 1893 - Barcelona, Spain, January 23, 1980) was a Spanish tonadillera, cupletista, and actress who also made a career in Argentina. In Spain, she performe ...

(1893–1980), Spanish tonadillera, cupletista, and actress

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonadilla Spanish styles of music Cuban styles of music Musical theatre Theatrical genres