The zarzuela grande El barberillo de Lavapies was composed by Francisco de Asis Esteban Asenjo Barbieri, one of the most influential and important figures in Spanish musical history of the nineteenth century. A musicologist, composer, conductor, and reformer, he had several works which helped transform the genre of the Spanish zarzuela into a larger, more complex, and developed dramatic form. The outstanding libretto for El barberillo was written by Luis Mariano de Larra. The setting is the castizo culture of eighteenth century Madrid during the reign of Carlos III. The plot throws two pair of lovers together. The first is a pair of antiheroes from the working classes, a clever resourceful barber, Lamparilla, and his seamstress friend Paloma. The second couple is a pair of lovers from the ranks of the nobility, the Marquesita Estrella and Don Luis de Haro. Eventually the comic pair become the protagonists in the plot, and the social structure of the drama is transformed. The author pulls the story together by bringing the audience into the culture and atmosphere of eighteenth century urban Madrid society. Brilliant genre scenes, the use of Madrid colloquialisms and castizo slang throughout the text, and the composer's fluent understanding of popular Spanish musical culture imbue the drama with depth and meaning. Lively dialogue, scenes of imagination and color, and dramatic simplicity are matched by a playful, witty, and accomplished score. Barbieri makes use of popular song forms and idioms, keeping them fresh and varied throughout. Lamparilla and Paloma sing in a popular Spanish style made up of seguidillas, jotas, tiranas, and caleseras. The aristocrats in the story on the other hand sing in flagrantly Italianate music with sophisticated forms. In Act III the castizo style of Madrid becomes more prominent, as the social contexts of the two couples change. The premiere for El barberillo de Lavapies took place at the Teatro de la Zarzuela on December 19, 1874. A resounding success with both critics and public, it was considered one of Barbieri's finest works. It was his last major successes in the genre of the zarzuela.

© Rita Laurance, Rovi