Zarzuela

Zarzuela (IPA /θarθ'wela/) is the Spanish lyrical opera. The name "zarzuela" is derived from "zarza" ("bramble"), for the bramble that grew outside the Palacio de la Zarzuela named for it. It is the residence of the Spanish royal family, outside Madrid; the opera style was named for the palace, where in the 17th century this kind of drama was held for the Spanish court.

The twentieth century

The zarzuela style continued to flourish, thanks to composers of the stature of Pablo Sorozábal - who reinvigorated it as a vehicle for socio-political comment - Federico Moreno Torroba, and Francisco Alonso. However, the Spanish Civil War saw the beginning of the decline of the genre, and after the war, its extinction was almost total. There have been no significant new works created since the 1950's; the existing zarzuela repertoire is costly to produce, and many classics have been performed only sporadically in recent years, at least professionally.

Related Topics:
Pablo Sorozábal - Federico Moreno Torroba - Francisco Alonso - Spanish Civil War

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The name of género ínfimo was given to the emerging form of entertainment known as revistas, a genre rising from the ashes of zarzuela: musical works similar to the zarzuela but lighter and bolder, with many scenes that were described at the time as "verdes"—"green"—containing sexual themes and racy double entendres. One masterpiece of the género ínfimo is La corte de Faraón, by Vicente Lleó (based on the French operetta Madame Putiphar.) These revistas caught on with the public and the songs are still a part of popular culture.

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From 1950, zarzuela was revivified thanks to the LP recording. A series was released by the Alhambra Company to great success, many directed by the Spanish conductor Ataulfo Argenta. The best voices of the day, world-renowned opera singers such as Teresa Berganza, Manuel Ausensi, and Pilar Lorengar, performed the leads, and choirs such as the Orfeón Donostiarra and Coro de Cantores de Madrid provided the chorus. After Argenta's death others such as Indalecio Cisneros and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos continued in his footsteps. There were also recordings made conducted by the composers themselves, such as Pablo Sorozábal and Federico Moreno Torroba, using such great singers as Alfredo Kraus and Placido Domingo. (Domingo's parents were themselves zarzuela singers, and he grew up working in their touring company in Mexico; zarzuela inspired him to pursue a singing career.)

Related Topics:
Ataulfo Argenta - Teresa Berganza - Manuel Ausensi - Pilar Lorengar - Indalecio Cisneros - Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos - Pablo Sorozábal - Federico Moreno Torroba - Alfredo Kraus - Placido Domingo - Mexico

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In Cuba the afrocubanismo zarzuelas of Ernesto Lecuona such as María la O and El cafetal and Gonzalo Roig (Cecilia Valdés, based on Cirilo Villaverde's classic novel) enjoyed a brief golden age of political and cultural fame, highlighting the plight of the mulata woman and other, mainly black underclasses in Cuban society. Mexico and the Philippines likewise had their own, politically conscious, zarzuela traditions.

Related Topics:
Afrocubanismo - Ernesto Lecuona - Gonzalo Roig - Cirilo Villaverde - Mexico - Philippines

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Interest has been further renewed since the late 1970s as zarzuela again found favour in Spain, primarily with young people, who enjoyed the lyrical music and the theatrical spectacle. Since the death of Francisco Franco zarzuela has started to become known and loved by many people outside the Hispanic world.

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