() is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of a royal hunting lodge, the

Palace of Zarzuela The Zarzuela Palace ( ) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain (King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Palace is on the outskirts of ...

, near Madrid, where that type of entertainment was allegedly first presented to the court. The palace in turn was named after the

bramble ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. I ...

s () that grew there. There are two main forms of ''zarzuela'':

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

''zarzuela'' (), the earliest style, and Romantic ''zarzuela'' (). Romantic zarzuelas can be further divided into two main subgenres, ''género grande'' and ''

género chico Género chico (literally, "little genre") is a Spanish genre of short, light plays with music. It is a major branch of ''zarzuela'', Spain's form of popular music theatre with dialogue, and differs from ''zarzuela grande'' and most other operatic f ...

'', although other sub-divisions exist. ''Zarzuela'' spread to the Spanish dominions, and many Spanish-speaking countries – notably

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 ...

– developed their own traditions. ''Zarzuela'' is also a strong tradition in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, where it is also referred to in certain languages as . Other regional and linguistic variants in Spain include the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

' and the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #13 ...

. A

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

-like musical theatre had existed in Spain since the time of

Juan del Encina Juan del Encina (12 July 1468 – 1529/1530) was a Spanish composer, poet, priest, and playwright, often credited as the joint-father (even "founder" or "patriarch") of Spanish drama, alongside Gil Vicente. His birth name was Juan de Fermoselle. ...

. The ''zarzuela'' genre was innovative in giving a dramatic function to the musical numbers, which were integrated into the plot of the work. Dances and choruses were incorporated as well as solo and ensemble numbers, all to orchestral accompaniment.

Baroque ''zarzuela''

In 1657 at the Royal Palace of '' El Prado'', King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

, Queen Mariana and their court attended the first performance of a new comedy by

Pedro Calderón de la Barca Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (17 January 160025 May 1681) (, ; ) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished Spanish Baroque literature, poets and ...

, with music by

Juan Hidalgo de Polanco Juan Hidalgo de Polanco (28 September 1614 – 31 March 1685) was a Spanish composer and harpist who became the most influential composer of his time in the Hispanic world writing the music for the first two operas created in Spanish. He is con ...

titled ''El Laurel de Apolo'' (The Laurels of Apollo). ''El Laurel de Apolo'' traditionally symbolises the birth of a new musical genre that had become known as ''La Zarzuela''. Like Calderón de la Barca's earlier ''El golfo de las sirenas'' (''The Sirens' Gulf'', 1657), ''El Laurel de Apolo'' mixed mythological verse drama with operatic solos, popular songs and dances. The characters in these early,

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

''zarzuelas'' were a mixture of gods, mythological creatures and rustic or pastoral comedy characters;

Antonio de Literes Antoni de Literes (18 June 1673 Majorca – 18 January 1747 Madrid), also known as Antonio de Literes or Antoni Literes Carrión) was a Spanish composer of ''zarzuelas''. As with other national forms of baroque opera, Literes's stage works ...

's popular ''

Acis y Galatea ''Acis y Galatea'' is a zarzuela by Antonio de Literes to a libretto by José de Cañizares. It was first performed on 19 December 1708 in Madrid at the theatre in the Buen Retiro Palace for the 25th birthday of King Philip V.Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

Spain, Italian artistic style dominated in the arts, including

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous ope ...

. ''Zarzuela'', though still written to Spanish texts, changed to accommodate the Italian vogue. During the reign of King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, political problems provoked a series of revolts against his Italian ministers; these were echoed in theatrical presentations. The older style ''zarzuela'' fell out of fashion, but popular Spanish tradition continued to manifest itself in shorter works, such as the single-scene ''

tonadilla Tonadilla was a Spanish musical song form of theatrical origin; not danced. The genre was a type of short, satirical musical comedy popular in 18th-century Spain, and later in Cuba and other Spanish colonial countries. It originated as a song typ ...

'' (or ''

intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

'') of which the finest literary exponent was

Ramón de la Cruz Ramón de la Cruz (28 March 1731 – 5 March 1794) was a Spanish neoclassical dramatist. Born in Madrid, he was a clerk in the ministry of finance. He is the author of nearly 400 ''sainete A sainete (farce or titbit) was a popular Spanish com ...

. Musicians such as

Antonio Rodríguez de Hita Antonio Rodríguez de Hita (18 January 1722 – 21 February 1787) was a Spanish composer. Life Rodríguez was born at Valverde de Alcalá. He became ''maestro de capilla'' at Palencia Cathedral (c.1740-c.1757) and at the Royal Convent of La Enca ...

were proficient in the shorter style of works, though he also wrote a full-scale ''zarzuela'' with de la Cruz entitled ''Las segadoras de Vallecas'' (''The Reapers of Vallecas'', 1768).

José Castel José Castel (1737 in Tudela, Navarre – 1807) was a Spanish composer. José Castel was a church musician in his native Tudela and Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, c ...

was one of several composers to write for the

Teatro del Príncipe Teatro may refer to: * Theatre * Teatro (band) Teatro, Italian for "theatre", is a vocal group signed to the Sony BMG music label. The members of Teatro are Jeremiah James, Andrew Alexander, Simon Bailey and Stephen Rahman-Hughes. Band membe ...

19th century

In the 1850s and 1860s a group of patriotic writers and composers led by

Francisco Barbieri Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (3 August 1823 – 19 February 1894) was a well-known composer of the popular Spanish opera form, ''zarzuela.'' His works include: '' El barberillo de Lavapiés'', '' Jugar con fuego'', ''Pan y toros'', ''Don Quijote'', ...

and

Joaquín Gaztambide Joaquín Romualdo Gaztambide y Garbayo (Tudela, Navarre, 7 February 1822 – Madrid, 18 March 1870) was one of the most prominent Spanish composers of zarzuela in the mid-nineteenth century. His contribution to the revival of the genre was hi ...

revived the ''zarzuela'' form, seeing in it a possible release from French and Italian music hegemony. The elements of the work continue to be the same: sung solos and choruses, spiced with spoken scenes, and comedic songs, ensembles and dances.

Costume drama Costume is the distinctive style of clothing, dress and/or cosmetics, makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used ...

s and regional variations abound, and the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

s (though often based on French originals) are rich in Spanish idioms and popular jargon. The ''zarzuelas'' of the day included in their librettos various regionalisms and popular slang, such as that of Madrid ''

castizos ''Castizo''Pronunciation in Latin American Spanish: (fem. ''Castiza'') was a racial category used in 18th-century Spanish America to refer to people who were three-quarters Spanish people, Spanish by descent and one-quarter Amerindians, Amerindi ...

''. Often, the success of a work was due to one or more songs that the public came to know and love. Despite some modifications the basic structure of the ''zarzuela'' remained the same: dialogue scenes, songs, choruses, and comic scenes generally performed by two actor-singers. The culminating masterpieces from this period were Barbieri's ''Pan y toros'' and Gaztambide's '' El juramento''. Another notable composer from this period was

Emilio Arrieta Juan Pascual Antonio Arrieta Corera (20 October 1821 – 11 February 1894), also known as Emilio Arrieta, was a Spanish composer. Arrieta was born in Puente la Reina, Navarre. His Italian musical training led him, under the favour of Queen ...

Romantic ''zarzuela''

After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

of 1868, the country entered a deep crisis (especially economically), which was reflected in theatre. The public could not afford high-priced theatre tickets for grandiose productions, which led to the rise of the Teatros Variedades ("variety theatres") in Madrid, with cheap tickets for one-act plays (

sainete A sainete (farce or titbit) was a popular Spanish comic opera piece, a one-act dramatic vignette, with music. It was often placed at the end of entertainments, or between other types of performance. It was vernacular in style, and used scenes of lo ...

s). This "theatre of an hour" had great success and ''zarzuela'' composers took to the new formula with alacrity. Single-act ''zarzuelas'' were classified as ''

'' ("little genre") whilst the longer ''zarzuelas'' of three acts, lasting up to four hours, were called ''género grande'' ("grand genre"). ''Zarzuela grande'' battled on at the Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid, founded by Barbieri and his friends in the 1850s. A newer theatre, the Apolo, opened in 1873. At first it attempted to present the ''género grande'', but it soon yielded to the taste and economics of the time, and became the "temple" of the more populist ''género chico'' in the late 1870s. Musical content from this era ranges from full-scale operatic arias (''romanzas'') through to popular songs, and dialogue from high poetic drama to lowlife

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

characters. There are also many types of ''zarzuela'' in between the two named genres, with a variety of musical and dramatic flavours. Many of the greatest ''zarzuelas'' were written in the 1880s and 1890s. 's zarzuela ''

La Gran Vía ''La Gran Vía'' is a zarzuela in one act and five scenes with music by Federico Chueca and a libretto by . It premiered at the in Madrid, Spain on July 2, 1886. It is considered a masterpiece of the género chico genre of Spanish plays. The work ...

'' (1886) is considered a masterpiece of the

genre of Spanish plays. The form continued to adapt to new theatrical stimuli until well into the 20th century. With the onset of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, the form rapidly declined, and the last romantic ''zarzuelas'' to hold the stage were written in the 1950s. Whilst Barbieri produced the influential ''zarzuela grande'' '' El barberillo de Lavapiés'', the classic exponent of the ''

'' was his pupil

Federico Chueca Pío Estanislao Federico Chueca y Robres (5 May 1846 – 20 June 1908) was a Spanish composer of ''zarzuelas'' and author of ''La gran vía'' along with Joaquín Valverde Durán in 1886. He was one of the most prominent figures of the género c ...

, whose ''La gran vía'' (composed with

Joaquín Valverde Durán Joaquín Valverde Durán (27 February 1846 in Badajoz – 17 March 1910 in Madrid) was a Spanish composer, conductor and flautist. As a composer he is known for his collaborations on zarzuelas (he has been described as "the collaborative musician ...

) was a cult success both in Spain and throughout Europe. The musical heir of Chueca was José Serrano, whose short, one act ''

'' ''zarzuelas'' - notably ''La canción del olvido'', ''Alma de dios'' and the much later ''Los claveles'' and ''La dolorosa'' - form a stylistic bridge to the more musically sophisticated ''zarzuelas'' of the 20th century. Just as romantic ''zarzuela'' featured popular customs, festivals, and manners of speech, especially those of the poor areas of Madrid, many feature strong social criticism and reflect political polemics of the day.

20th century

From about 1900, the term ("degraded" or "low genre") was coined to describe an emerging form of entertainment allied to the (

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

) type of musical comedy: these were musical works similar to the zarzuela but lighter and bolder in their social criticism, with scenes portraying sexual themes and many verbal double entendres. One popular work from the ''género ínfimo'' years is ''La corte de Faraón'' (1910), by

Vicente Lleó Vicente is a Spanish and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer"). Vicente may refer to: Places *São Vicente, Cape Verde, an i ...

, which was based on the French operetta ''Madame Putiphar''. In the second decade of the century, the influences of Viennese

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

and the English followers of

Sullivan Sullivan may refer to: People Characters * Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville'' * Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon * Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...

such as

Lionel Monckton Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924) was an English composer of musical theatre. He became Britain's most popular composer of Edwardian musical comedy in the early years of the 20th century. Life and career E ...

made themselves felt, in works such as ''Molinos de viento'' and ''El asombro de Damasco'' (both by

Pablo Luna Pablo Luna Carné (May 21, 1879 Alhama de Aragón – January 28, 1942 Madrid) was a Spanish composer.Vincent J. Cincotta Zarzuela, the Spanish lyric theatre: a complete reference 2003 "Along with Amadeo Vives, Jose Serrano, Francisco Alonso and ...

), before the Spanish tradition of great acts was reasserted in

Amadeu Vives Amadeu Vives i Roig (; 18 November 1871 – 2 December 1932) was a Spanish musical composer, creator of over a hundred stage works. He is best known for '' Doña Francisquita'', which Christopher Webber has praised for its "easy lyricism, flue ...

's ''

Doña Francisquita ''Doña Francisquita'' is a zarzuela in three acts composed by Amadeo Vives to a Spanish libretto by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández-Shaw and based on Lope de Vega's play ' (''The Ingenious Lover''). With its colourful score and comic s ...

'' (1923). The zarzuela continued to flourish in the 1930s, thanks to composers of the stature of

Pablo Sorozábal Pablo Sorozábal Mariezcurrena (18 September 1897 – 26 December 1988) was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas, operas, symphonic works, and the popular ''romanza'', " No puede ser". He was born in San Sebastián, in a working-class family. T ...

– who reinvigorated it as a vehicle for socio-political comment –

Federico Moreno Torroba Federico Moreno Torroba (3 March 189112 September 1982) was a Spanish composer, conductor, and theatrical impresario. He is especially remembered for his important contributions to the classical guitar repertoire, becoming one of the leading twe ...

, and

Francisco Alonso Francisco Alonso López (9 May 1887 – 18 May 1948) was a Spanish composer of popular theatre music and zarzuelas.Vincent J. Cincotta - Zarzuela, the Spanish lyric theatre: a complete reference 2003 "During his 48-year career, Alonso compose ...

. However, the

brought a decline of the genre, and after the Second World War, its extinction as a live genre was almost total. There were no new authors and the compositions are not renovated. There have been no significant new works created since the 1950s; the existing zarzuela repertoire is costly to produce, and many classics have been performed only sporadically in recent years, at least professionally. The genre has again found favour in Spain and elsewhere: younger people, in particular, have been drawn to its lyrical music and theatrical spectacle in the 1940s and 1950s. Spanish radio and television have dedicated time to zarzuela in 1978, not least in a popular series of programs produced by TVE and entitled ''Antología de la zarzuela'' ("Zarzuela Anthology"). These were based on

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...

s of the classic recordings of the 1940s and 1950s. Some years earlier,

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

José Tamayo José Tamayo (16 August 1920 – 26 March 2003) was a Spanish theatre director and producer, best known for his dramatic and zarzuela plays, epitomized by ''Antología de la Zarzuela'' (Zarzuela anthology). Born in Granada, Spain in 1920, 24-year ...

worked a theatrical show of the same name which popularized pieces of zarzuela through several national and international tours.

''Zarzuela'' in Catalonia

While the ''zarzuela'' tradition flourished in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and other Spanish cities,

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

developed its own ''zarzuela'', with librettos in

. The atmosphere, the plots, and the music were quite different from the model that triumphed in Madrid, as the Catalan ''zarzuela'' was looking to attract a different public, the bourgeois classes. Catalan ''zarzuela'' was turned little by little into what is called, in Catalan, ''teatre líric català'' ("Catalan lyric theater"), with a personality of its own, and with '' modernista'' lyricists and composers such as

Enric Granados Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados Campiña (27 July 1867 – 24 March 1916), commonly known as Enrique Granados in Spanish or ''Enric Granados'' in Catalan, was a Spanish composer of classical music, and concert pianist from Catal ...

or Enric Morera. In the final years of the 19th century, as ''

modernisme ''Modernisme'' (, Catalan for "modernism"), also known as Catalan modernism and Catalan art nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the search of a new entitlement of Catalan cultu ...

'' emerged, one of the notable ''modernistas'', and one of

Felip Pedrell Felip Pedrell Sabaté (Spanish: Felipe) (19 February 1841 – 19 August 1922) was a Catalan composer, guitarist and musicologist. Life Pedrell was born in Tortosa (Catalonia), and sang as a boy soprano at Tortosa Cathedral from age 9, where ...

's pupils,

came onto the Barcelona scene. He contributed to the creation of the

Orfeó Català The Orfeó Català is a choral society based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, which was founded in 1891 by Lluís Millet and Amadeu Vives.William H. Robinson, Jordi Falgàs, Carmen Belen Lord Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Dalí ...

in 1891, along with

Lluís Millet Lluís Millet i Pagès (18 April 1867 in El Masnou – 7 December 1941 in Barcelona) was a Spanish Catalan composer, musician and co-founder of Orfeó Català in 1891. A student of Felip Pedrell, from 1896 he taught choral music at Barcelona' ...

. In spite of a success sustained over many years, his musical ambition took him to Madrid, where ''zarzuela'' had a higher profile. Vives became one of the most important ''zarzuela'' composers, with such masterpieces as ''Doña Francisquita''.

''Zarzuela'' in Cuba and Mexico

In Cuba the

afrocubanismo Afrocubanismo was an artistic and social movement in black-themed Cuban culture with origins in the 1920s, as in works by the cultural anthropologist Fernando Ortiz. The Afrocubanismo movement focused on establishing the legitimacy of black ident ...

''zarzuelas'' of

Ernesto Lecuona Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1895 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become standards of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as ...

(''María la O''; ''El cafetal''),

Eliseo Grenet Eliseo Grenet Sánchez (12 June 1893 in Havana – 4 December 1950) was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Dicciona ...

(''La virgen morena'') and

Gonzalo Roig Gonzalo Roig Lobo (Havana, 20 July 1890 – Havana, 13 June 1970) was a Cuban composer, pianist, violinist and musical director. He was a pioneer of the symphonic movement in Cuba. His most popular works are the zarzuela ''Cecilia Valdés#Zarz ...

(''

Cecilia Valdés ''Cecilia Valdés'' is both a novel by the Cuban writer Cirilo Villaverde (1812–1894), and a zarzuela based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Havana, Cuba ...

'', based on

Cirilo Villaverde Cirilo Villaverde de la Paz (28 October 1812 – 24 October 1894) was a Cuban poet, novelist, journalist and freedom fighter. He is best known for '' Cecilia Valdés'', a novel about classes and races in colonial Cuba. When the poet Miguel Teu ...

's classic novel) represent a brief golden age of political and cultural importance. These and other works centred on the plight of the mulata woman and other black underclasses in Cuban society. The outstanding star of many of these productions was

Rita Montaner Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda (20 August 1900 – 17 April 1958), known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a '' vedette'' (a star), and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and ...

. Mexico likewise had its own ''zarzuela'' traditions. One example is

Carlo Curti Carlo Curti (6 May 1859 – 8 May 1922), also known as Carlos Curti, was an Italian musician, composer and bandleader. He moved to the United States whose most lasting contribution to American society was popularizing the mandolin in American mu ...

's ''La cuarta plana'', starring

Esperanza Iris María Esperanza Bofill Ferrer (30 March 1888 – 7 November 1962), better known by her stage name Esperanza Iris, was a Mexican singer, leading lady, and stage actress. Early life Born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, 30 March 1888, her birth name wa ...

''Zarzuela'' in the Philippines

In the

, the ''Zarzuela Musical Theatre'' has been widely adapted by Filipinos in their native cultures, notably in urban areas. The theatre was only introduced by the Spanish in 1878, despite being part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

since the middle of the 16th century. During this time, the plays were performed only by Spanish people. By 1880, majority of the performers and writers were Filipinos, notably Philippine national hero,

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

, who was fond of the play. Afterwards, local languages, instead of Spanish, were used to perform the complex theatre, with additions from multiple cultures throughout the archipelago. When the Philippines was colonized by the Americans in the early 20th century, the humor from the ''moro-moro play'' was added into the Philippine zarzuela, while moving away from the traditional Spanish zarzuela. The theatre afterwards was used by Filipinos to express freedom from discrimination and colonial rule, depicting the Filipino people triumphant against the Spanish and Americans by the end of each play. The revolutionary overtones of the play prompted the American colonialists to arrest various performers and writers of the Philippine zarzuela, to the extent of forcefully shutting down entire zarzuela companies in the Philippines. In the 1920s, due to the introduction of the cinema, the zarzuela became widely popular in the rural areas, disabling the Americans from stopping the plays from spreading. The Philippine zarzuela evolved into a kind of comedy of manners distinct to the Filipino taste. In 2011, the performing art was cited by the

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...

as one of the intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines under the performing arts category that the government may nominate in the

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...

. In 2012, through a partnership with UNESCO, the Philippine government established the documents needed for the safeguarding of the Philippine zarzuela. UNESCO has cited the Philippine zarzuela as the national theatre and opera of the Philippines.

Recorded ''zarzuela''

From 1950 onwards, ''zarzuela'' prospered in a series of LP recordings from EMI,

Hispavox Hispavox S.A. was a major Spain, Spanish record label, record company founded on June 27, 1953, that ran independently until 1985 when it was acquired by EMI. Their studios were located in Madrid, and were known among fans as Sonido Torrelaguna. ...

and others, with worldwide distribution. A series produced by the Alhambra company of Madrid, the majority conducted by the leading Spanish conductor Ataulfo Argenta had particular success. Many featured singers soon to become world-famous, such as

Teresa Berganza Teresa Berganza Vargas OAXS (16 March 1933 – 13 May 2022) was a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with roles such as Rossini's Rosina and La Cenerentola, and later Bizet's Carmen, admired for her technical virtuosity, mu ...

Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was ...

and

Pilar Lorengar Lorenza Pilar García Seta (16 January 1928 – 2 June 1996), known professionally as Pilar Lorengar, was a Spanish ( Aragonese) soprano. She was best known for her interpretations of opera and the Spanish genre Zarzuela, and as a soprano she w ...

; and later,

Montserrat Caballé María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...

and

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

. Less known performers such as Ana María Iriarte, Inés Ribadeneira, Toñy Rosado, Carlos Munguía, Renato Cesari, and others frequently lent their voices to the recordings. The choirs of Orfeón Donostiarra and Singers' Choir of Madrid also contributed, rounding out the overall quality of the works. After Argenta's death others such as Indalecio Cisneros and

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (born Rafael Frühbeck; 15 September 1933 – 11 June 2014) was a Spanish conductor and composer. Frühbeck was born in Burgos, Spain to a family of German ancestry. He first took up conducting while on military serv ...

continued in his footsteps. There were also recordings made conducted by the composers themselves, such as

and

. Many well-known singers, including

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. ...

, Montserrat Caballé,

Juan Diego Flórez Juan Diego Flórez (born Juan Diego Flórez Salom, January 13, 1973) is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the ''Knight Grand Cross in t ...

, and

Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa (born September 29, 1983) is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry. Her repertoire includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet, Bellini and Puccini. With her lyric colorat ...

have recorded albums of zarzuela songs and arias. Many zarzuela productions are now to be seen on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

disc. In March 2009, EuroArts released ''Amor, Vida de Mi Vida'', a recording on Blu-ray disc of an August 2007 zarzuela concert by Plácido Domingo and

Ana María Martínez Ana María Martínez (born 1971) is a Puerto Rican soprano. Early life Martínez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico; she is the daughter of Puerto Rican opera singer Evangelína Colón and Cuban psychoanalyst Ángel Martínez. Martínez' grandpar ...

, with the

Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg is an Austrian orchestra, based in the town and state of Salzburg. The orchestra gives concerts in several Salzburg venues, including the '' Großes Festspielhaus'' and the Great Hall of the Stiftung Mozarteum ...

conducted by

Jesús López-Cobos Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

. In April 2009, BBC/Opus Arte released a Blu-ray disc of a July 2006 performance of

's ''Luisa Fernanda'' with Plácido Domingo and Nancy Herrera, recorded at the Teatro Real de Madrid with Jesús López-Cobos conducting. In the United States, the Jarvis Conservatory of Napa, California, between 1996 and 2005, mounted several full zarzuela productions, subsequently issued on DVD and online. The series includes ''

La dolorosa ''La Dolorosa'' (The Holy Virgin of the Sorrows) is a ''zarzuela'' by the Spanish composer José Serrano. ''La Dolorosa'' was premiered at the Teatro Apolo in Valencia on 23 May 1930 with a text by J.J.Lorente. Before this, Serrano suffered the ...

''; ''La Gran Via''; ''

Luisa Fernanda Luisa Fernanda is a former television entertainment news anchor, radio broadcaster, theatre and soap actress, singer and model. She was born on December 17th, 1970 in Mexico City. She worked for HSE in 2001 then Telemundo until the end of 2007. ...

''; ''

La verbena de la Paloma ' (''The Fair of the Virgin of la Paloma'') —subtitled ''El boticario y las chulapas y celos mal reprimidos''— is an 1894 zarzuela with a libretto by and music by Tomás Bretón. It premiered on 17 February 1894 in Teatro Apolo, Madrid. It ...

''; ''La Rosa del Azafrán''; '' La revoltosa''; ''Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente''; ''

''; ''Gigantes y Cabezudos''; ''La alegría de la huerta''; ''La chulapona''; ''Luis Alonso'' (Giménez, 1896); and '' El barberillo de Lavapiés''.

''Zarzuela'' composers

Spanish zarzuelas selection (including zarzuela-style operas)

* ''Adiós a la bohemia'' (1933)

* ''Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente'' (1898)

* ''La alegría de la huerta'' (1900)

* ''Alma de Dios'' (1907) José Serrano * ''El año pasado por agua'' (1889 )

* ''El asombro de Damasco'' (1916)

* '' El barberillo de Lavapiés'' (1874)

Francisco Asenjo Barbieri Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (3 August 1823 – 19 February 1894) was a well-known composer of the popular Spanish opera form, ''zarzuela.'' His works include: '' El barberillo de Lavapiés'', '' Jugar con fuego'', ''Pan y toros'', ''Don Quijote'', ...

* ''El bateo'' (1901)

* ''Black, el payaso'' (1942)

* ''La boda de Luis Alonso'' (1896)

Gerónimo Giménez Gerónimo Giménez y Bellido (10 October 1854 – 19 February 1923) was a Spanish conductor and composer, who dedicated his career to writing zarzuelas, such as ''La tempranica'' and ''La boda de Luis Alonso''. He preferred to spell his first nam ...

* ''Bohemios'' (1904) Vives * ''La bruja'' (1889)

Ruperto Chapí Ruperto Chapí y Lorente (27 March 1851 – 25 March 1909) was a Spanish composer, and co-founder of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers. Biography Chapí was born at Villena, the son of a loc ...

* ''Los burladores'' (1948)

* ''La calesera'' (1925)

* ''La canción del olvido'' (1928) José Serrano * ''El caserío'' (1926)

Jesús Guridi Jesús Guridi Bidaola (25 September 1886 – 7 April 1961) was a Spanish Basque composer who was a key player in 20th-century Spanish and Basque music. His style fits into the late Romantic idiom, directly inherited from Wagner, and with a stron ...

* ''El chaleco blanco'' (1890)

* ''La chulapona'' (1934)

* ''Los claveles'' (1929) José Serrano * '' Clementina'' (1787)

Luigi Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and '' galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major classi ...

* ''La corte de Faraón'' (1910)

* ''

Los diamantes de la corona ''Los diamantes de la corona'' is a zarzuela in three acts by the composer Francisco Asenjo Barbieri with a libretto by Francisco Camprodón.Salter, Lionel. Barbieri, Francisco Asenjo. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London ...

'' (1854) Francisco Asenjo Barbieri * ''La Dogaresa'' (1916)

Rafael Millán Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California Fiction * ''Rafael'' (TV series), a Mexican telenovela * ''Rafaël'' (film), a 2018 Dutch film People * Rafael (footballer, born 1978) ( ...

* ''

'' (1930) José Serrano * ''Don Gil de Alcalá'' (1932)

Manuel Penella Manuel Penella Moreno (31 July 1880 in Valencia – 14 January 1939 in Cuernavaca) was a Spanish composer. His father was the composer :es:Manuel Penella Raga, Manuel Penella Raga. His daughter Magdalena Penella Silva married the politicia ...

* ''Don Manolito'' (1943)

* ''

'' (1923)

Amadeo Vives Amadeu Vives i Roig (; 18 November 1871 – 2 December 1932) was a Spaniard, Spanish musical composer, creator of over a hundred stage works. He is best known for ''Doña Francisquita'', which Christopher Webber has praised for its "easy lyrici ...

* ''El dúo de La africana'', (1893)

Manuel Fernández Caballero Manuel Fernández Caballero (Murcia, 14 March 1835 – Madrid, 26 February 1906) was a Spanish composer, notably of zarzuelas. His works were seminal works in the young Género chico form of zarzuela. The success of ''Los bandos de villafri ...

* ''La fiesta de San Antón'' (1898) Tomás Torregrosa * ''La fontana del placer''

* ''Los gavilanes'' (1923)

Jacinto Guerrero Jacinto Guerrero (16 August 1895 Ajofrín, Toledo, Spain – 15 September 1951 Madrid, Spain), was a prolific composer of zarzuelas and revues, as well as some orchestral compositions. Guerrero was educated at the choir school in Toledo and Mad ...

* ''La generala'' (1912)

* ''

Gigantes y cabezudos Processional giants are costumed figures in European folklore, particularly present in Belgian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and English folkloric processions. The main feature of these figures is typically their wooden, papier maché or ...

'' (1898)

* ''Las golondrinas'' (1914)

José María Usandizaga José María Usandizaga (31 March 1887–5 October 1915) was a Spanish Basque composer. A native of San Sebastián, Usandizaga began his musical studies in his hometown before moving to the Schola Cantorum in Paris. There, he was a composit ...

* ''

'' (1886)

* ''El huésped del Sevillano'' (1926)

* '' Jugar con fuego'' (1855)

* '' El juramento'' (1854)

* ''Katiuska'' (1931)

* ''Las Leandras'' (1931)

* ''

'' (1932)

* ''La del manojo de rosas'' (1934)

* ''Marina'' (1855/71)

* ''Maruxa'' (1914)

* ''La leyenda del beso'' (1924) Reveriano Soutullo and

Juan Vert Juan Bautista Vert Carbonell (1890, in Carcaixent – 1931, in Madrid) was a Valencian composer of Spanish zarzuelas. He worked in collaboration with Reveriano Soutullo.Historia de la Música Española: Siglo XX -1993 p95 "Reveriano Soutullo (18 ...

* ''Me llaman la Presumida'' (1935)

* ''Molinos de viento'' (1910)

* ''La montería'' (1923)

* ''El niño judío'' (1918)

* ''Pan y toros'' (1864)

* ''La parranda '' (1928)

* ''La patria chica'' (1909)

* ''La pícara molinera'' (1928)

* '' La revoltosa'' (1897)

* ''El rey que rabió'' (1890)

* ''La rosa del azafrán'' (1930)

* ''El santo de la Isidra'' (1898) Tomás Torregrosa * ''El señor Joaquín'' (1900)

* ''Los sobrinos del capitán Grant'' (1877)

* ''La del Soto del Parral'' (1927) Reveriano Soutullo and

* ''La tabernera del puerto'' (1936)

* ''La tempestad'' (1882)

* ''La tempranica'' (1900)

* ''

'' (1894)

Tomás Bretón Tomás Bretón y Hernández (29 December 1850 – 2 December 1923) was a Spanish Conducting, conductor and composer. Biography Tomás Bretón was born in Salamanca. He completed his musical studies at the School of Fine Arts in his hometown, w ...

* ''La viejecita'' (1897)

* ''La villana'' (1927)

References

External links

Zarzuela.net
edited by

Christopher Webber Christopher Webber (born 27 May 1953) is an English musicologist, dramatist, actor, theatre director and writer. Biography Webber was born in Bowdon, Cheshire (now Greater Manchester) and educated at The Manchester Grammar School and the Uni ...

and Ignacio Jassa Haro
Zarzuela Discography
at operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
Zarzueleros.com

The Fernández-Shaw saga and the lyrical theatre
{{Authority control Culture of Spain Culture of the Philippines Music of Spain Opera genres Opera terminology

Baroque ''zarzuela''

19th century

Romantic ''zarzuela''

20th century

''Zarzuela'' in Catalonia

''Zarzuela'' in Cuba and Mexico

''Zarzuela'' in the Philippines

Recorded ''zarzuela''

''Zarzuela'' composers

Spanish zarzuelas selection (including zarzuela-style operas)

See also

References

Further reading

External links