Tonadilla
Encyclopedia
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 type, then dialogue for characters was written into the tonadilla, and it expanded into a miniature opera lasting from 10 to 20 minutes. It drew its personages from everyday life and included popular and folk music and dance, and vernacular
language. The tonadilla also influenced the development of the zarzuela
, the characteristic form of Spanish musical drama or comedy.
More than 200 stage tonadillas were sung time and again from 1790 to 1814, the year in which they began to be displaced from Havana
programs, finding new life in the Cuban provinces.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
form of theatrical origin; not danced. The genre was a type of short, satirical musical comedy popular in 18th-century Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and later in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and other Spanish colonial countries. It originated as a song type, then dialogue for characters was written into the tonadilla, and it expanded into a miniature opera lasting from 10 to 20 minutes. It drew its personages from everyday life and included popular and folk music and dance, and vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
language. The tonadilla also influenced the development of the zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
, the characteristic form of Spanish musical drama or comedy.
More than 200 stage tonadillas were sung time and again from 1790 to 1814, the year in which they began to be displaced from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
programs, finding new life in the Cuban provinces.