zarzuela

/zahr zway"leuh, -zwee"-/; Sp. /thahrdd thwe"lah, sahrdd swe"-/, n., pl. zarzuelas /-leuhz/; Sp. /-lahs/.

a Spanish opera having spoken dialogue and often a satirically treated, topical theme.

[1885-90; < Sp, after La Zarzuela, palace near Madrid where first performance took place (1629)]

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Spanish musical play consisting of spoken dialogue, songs, choruses, and dances.

Zarzuela originated in the 1650s as an aristocratic entertainment, the first being performed at the royal residence of La Zarzuela near Madrid. The principal early composer was Juan Hidalgo (1614–85); early librettists included Lope de Vega and Pedro Calderón de la Barca. As Italian opera rose in popularity in the 18th century, the zarzuela adopted aspects of opera seria style but suffered a decline. It was revived с 1840 as a satirical treatment of everyday life incorporating folk music, dance, and improvisation. Since 1940 few new works have been written.

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▪ Spanish musical play

      Spanish musical play consisting of spoken passages, songs, choruses, and dances. It originated in the 17th century as an aristocratic entertainment dealing with mythological or heroic subject matter. The first performances were at the royal residence of La Zarzuela, near Madrid. Writers of zarzuelas included the playwrights Lope de Vega (1562–1635) and Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–81) and the composer Juan Hidalgo (c. 1600–85). The form declined in the late 17th and the 18th centuries as Italian opera rose in popularity. In the mid-19th century the zarzuela was revived as a popular musical play, an expanded version of the similar 18th-century tonadilla. Witty and satirical, it dealt with characters from everyday life and included folk music, dance, and improvisation. Two definite varieties evolved: the género chico, a one-act comic zarzuela, and the grande, a serious musical play in two to four acts.

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