Spanish Popular Music History: Zarzuela, Cuplé, and La Copla Evolution

The Rise of Spanish Popular Music Genres

Género Chico: Short Zarzuela and the Apollo Theater

The Género Chico (Short Genre) was a form of Spanish light opera or zarzuela characterized by its brevity. Works typically consisted of a single act, lasting about an hour. Anyone could attend because entry was inexpensive, and there was no need for formal dress. This format incorporated popular music to keep audiences engaged, leading to its widespread adoption as a popular form of zarzuela.

Performances were often scheduled in four sessions. The first session, usually at 8:30 PM, attracted the most people, often entire families. The last session, at 11:30 PM, was considered the most select and daring. Madrid's Apollo Theater was well known for this structure; its four daily sessions made it famous and led to talk about "the four of Apollo."

The Spanish Song (La Copla)

The Couplet (Cuplé) evolved into the Spanish Song (La Copla) in the 1930s. This new genre incorporated stronger folk influences, often featuring aflamencado (flamenco-infused) elements, and focused on more dramatic and romantic lyrics. The Spanish Song gained widespread dissemination through the radio, records, and movies.

Key interpreters often originated from the world of popular song, including:

• Conchita Piquer
• Imperio Argentina
• Antonio Molina

Among the notable composers was Manuel López Quiroga, widely known as Maestro Quiroga.

Chueca and the Birth of Género Chico: Vals del Caballero de Gracia

Federico Chueca was the popular zarzuela composer par excellence. His musical technical preparation was minimal, and he therefore required the collaboration of Joaquín Valverde.

The play that cemented the Género Chico was La Gran Vía (The Great Way), released in 1886. Its argument revolved around the comments raised at the time in Madrid regarding the announcement of the construction of a grand avenue, Gran Vía, which would transform the downtown area by affecting a large number of existing streets.

The three-quarter beat is the essential characteristic of the waltz, exemplified in pieces like the "Vals del Caballero de Gracia."

The Couplet (El Cuplé): Spain's Urban Folk Song

Cuplé is the generic name given to the Spanish song genre that had its greatest effect between 1900 and the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Cuplés were performed as independent, individual tracks within theatrical shows, revues, and variety acts. It became popular at the same time as the Género Chico, reaching its golden age between 1910 and 1930.

During this period, Cuplé became the Spanish model of urban folk song, successfully integrating Spanish traditions with the influence of all contemporary international genres and dance crazes of the moment, such as the tango, the Charleston, and the foxtrot.

Famous Chanteuses and Titles

Performers such as La Fornarina, Raquel Meller, and La Bella Dorita were highly celebrated, alongside titles such as The Ritz Afternoons, Come and See, or The Shrine.

The chanteuses, who were predominantly women, were the main interpreters of this popular song. They were often women of low social status who, thanks to their abilities on the scene and in song, managed to escape a life of hardship. While their profession was sometimes viewed with suspicion, they were generally not socially ostracized.

The Legend of La Bella Otero

Although not part of the world of popular singing, the figure of La Bella Otero (Carolina Otero Agustina) is notable. A Galician woman of humble origin, she achieved incredible international success as a courtesan and dancer in the late nineteenth century.

All her life she posed as an Andalusian gypsy and left sensational memoirs—mostly fabricated—in which she claimed to have been the lover of several kings and the cause of seven suicides for love, as well as receiving a gift from the Emperor of Japan.

She retired in 1914 to live in a mansion, but died alone and poor in 1965.