Spanish Opera and Zarzuela: A Historical Overview
Opera Romantica: A Historical Perspective
Antecedents (1800-1810)
Reborn after the 1799 law repeal, the activity operates mostly in the French operetta and then Italian styles. Pipes are made of pear. On the scene, about 35 works by Spanish operettas are highlighted, including works by M Garcia, Esteban Cristiani, and Narciso Paz. All in Castilian, these were comic operas following a structural model from the French romantic period. The second attempt to create a national opera and zarzuela coincided with the tune (1759-1789), with popular forms in 1814. The end of independence brought French operetta and the arrival of Rossini’s repertoire.
Early Nationalistic Period (1819-1839)
This branch creates lyrical forms. Early attempts at national creation saw composers and ideologues aware of the needs (Spanish letters, the artist, Masarnau). However, the Italian model triumphed, with interpretations by Carnicer (Opera di Adela Lusignor) and Basili (Opera buffa, Carrozzina da vendere il). Carnicer directs in Barcelona and then Madrid, contracting primarily Italian opera (except for The Genoese Abduction). Masarnau states that there are no conservatories, no interpreters, and no theaters. The zarzuela begins, causing terminological confusion.
Prior to Teatro Real (1840-1850)
- Discussions about national opera. Popular discussions in Castilian.
- The environment sings in Castilian as the basis of language creation for opera (zarzuela is done). Espin and Masarnau consider it essential to establish operations to promote national musical education and protectionist politics (1847).
- Premieres of Castilian opera: Basili, The Smuggler (1840), Ruby, the Devil Preacher (1846), Porcell, The Trovador (1842), Spin and Guillen, The Siege of Medina (1845).
Teatro Real (1850s)
The Spanish government sends a letter signed by Slavic and Basili to Elizabeth II, requesting a theater dedicated to opera. Reforms occur in 1849, 1854, and 1855, with premieres by Arrieta.
Although this type of sung drama, sharply comic and of short duration, had antecedents in the seventeenth century (the tunes were part of the great plays, comedies, operas, tragedies, or operettas), it was not until the second half of the eighteenth century that the tune stage, as an independent genre, achieved its greatest popularity.
The rise of the scenic interlude and the heyday of Italian opera are closely related to the reign of Charles III (1759-1789). This monarch, having reigned in Naples for 25 years, settled in Spain and imposed singing jingles as a comedy fashion.
The tune differs from the farce in that the second piece is spoken, while the tune is sung. Literally, both are similar. Its argument is simple, dominated by the character and barely any action, expressed by the character. The purpose of the text is to entertain the public, provoking laughter, and at the same time, exposing social critique and conveying some moral of the represented. The musical structure is strongly related to the text and consists of three parts:
- Introduction: The case is brought, directly addressing the public regularly.
- Central Section: Focuses on the action of the argument.
- Final Section: Often bears no relation to the argument, being a seguidillas and a number of farewells.
This scheme was not rigid and changed as the tune developed. By 1820, most authors had died childless in the art of tunes. In recent years, the tune disappears as a theatrical and lyrical genre and is replaced by the Italian opera that comes to monopolize the theater for nearly half a century. However, the tune as a song or a couplet stands, aided largely by the Court.
Four examples of scenic interlude are currently represented in the Teatro de la Zarzuela: The Nice and Fake Italian (1778), Garrido Ill and Testament (1785), Music and Bolero Lesson (1803), and The Life and Sung Mambrú General’s Death (1785).
Key Figures
Ramon de la Cruz
Manuel Garcia dl Popolo