Once the most popular form of Spanish entertainment short of the
bullfight, the zarzuela boasts a long history of bridging the
categories of classical and popular art. It is neither opera nor
serious drama, yet it requires both trained singers and good
actors. The content is neither purely folkloric nor high art; it is
too popular for some and too classical for others. In Zarzuela,
Janet L. Sturman assesses the political as well as the musical
significance of this chameleon of music-drama.
Sturman traces the zarzuela's colorful history from its
seventeenth-century origins as a Spanish court entertainment to its
adaptation in Spain's colonial outposts in the New World. She
examines Cuba's pivotal role in transmitting the zarzuela to Latin
America and the Caribbean and draws distinctions among the ways in
which various Spanish-speaking communities have reformulated
zarzuela, combining elements of the Spanish model with local
characters, music, dances, and political perspectives. The settings
Sturman considers include Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. cities of El Paso, Miami, Chicago, New York, and Napa,
California.
Sturman also demonstrates how the zarzuela plays a role in
defining American urban ethnicity. She offers a glimpse into two
longstanding theaters in New York, Repertorio Espanol and the
Thalia Spanish Theatre, that have fostered the tradition of
zarzuela, mounting innovative productions and cultivating
audiences. Sturman constructs a profile of the audience that
supports modern zarzuela and examines the extensive personal
network that sustains it financially.
Just as the zarzuela afforded an opportunity in the past for
Spaniards to assert their individualityin the face of domination by
Italian and central European musical standards, it continues to
stand for a distinctive Hispanic legacy. Zarzuela provides a major
advance in recognizing the enduring cultural and social
significance of this resilient and adaptable genre.
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