zarzuela
Americannoun
noun
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a type of Spanish vaudeville or operetta, usually satirical in nature
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a seafood stew
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of zarzuela
1885–90; < Spanish, after La Zarzuela, palace near Madrid where first performance took place (1629)
Explanation
Zarzuela is a genre of Spanish musical theater that blends singing, spoken dialogue, and dancing. A zarzuela is usually lighthearted and comical, like a story about a mischievous fisherman accidentally starting a village feud over a stolen sardine. A zarzuela is like a vibrant mini opera, or operetta, with a uniquely Spanish flair. It combines popular music and classical music with elements of folk storytelling and dance. Zarzuela originated in 17th-century Spain, where it became a popular form of entertainment for the common, everyday people, focusing on relevant societal and cultural themes. A zarzuela may include political satire and often includes romantic entanglements that resolve happily.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even so, I’ve also met Latina grandmothers who look aghast at the mention of zarzuela, remembering being dragged to shows as children by their grandmothers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2019
How to make zarzuela as contemporary theater is something L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2019
From a modern perspective, though, zarzuela can offer relevance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2019
Before the first zarzuela based on the Chilean miners is staged, someone should think of putting on Adam Guettel's marvellous man-stuck-in-cave musical Floyd Collins.
From The Guardian • Oct. 16, 2010
The habanera’s strict dotted 3 + 1 pattern was handed down to the Spanish zarzuela, the Cuban danzon, the Brazilian maxixe and the Argentinian and Uruguayan tango.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
