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 () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

, the characteristic form of Spanish musical drama or comedy. The first tonadilla is ascribed to

Luis Misón Luis Misón (c. 26 August 1727 – 13 February 1776) was a Spanish composer. Born in Mataró, Barcelona, he composed over 100 tonadilla Tonadilla was a Spanish musical song form of theatrical origin; not danced. The genre was a type of short, ...

in 1757. Notable composers of tonadillas in Spain included

Blas de Laserna Blas de Laserna Nieva (1751 in Corella, Navarra – 1816 in Madrid) was a Spanish composer. Biography Laserna was one of the most prolific and popular songwriters of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Spain. As an educator, he cha ...

, Pablo Esteve, and

Jacinto Valledor Jacinto Valledor y la Calle (Madrid, 1744- Cuenca, 1809) was a Spanish composer of theatre music and tonadillas. Early success in Barcelona in the 1780s turned to difficulties after a move to Madrid where he was in the shadow of Pablo Esteve Pablo ...

. The tonadilla was particularly popular in Cuba where more than 200 stage tonadillas were sung between 1790 and 1814, the year in which they began to be displaced from Havana programs, finding new life in the Cuban provinces.Carpentier, Alejo 2001 945 ''Music in Cuba''. Minneapolis MN. p125 In 1959 Joaquín Rodrigo wrote a short guitar duet in popular style, called ''Tonadilla'' and inspired by the theatrical form.

References

Spanish styles of music Cuban styles of music Musical theatre Theatrical genres {{music-genre-stub