Carlos Fernández Shaw (23 September 1865 – 7 June 1911) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and journalist. He wrote the texts for many

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 o ...

s, including '' La revoltosa'', ''La chavala'' and '' Las bravías'', all in collaboration with José López Silva and with music by

Ruperto Chapí Ruperto Chapí y Lorente (27 March 1851 – 25 March 1909) was a Spanish composer, and co-founder of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers. Biography Chapí was born at Villena, the son of a loc ...

. He also wrote the libretto for Chapí's through-written

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

'' Margarita la tornera''. He later wrote the libretto for '' La vida breve'' by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

, based on his tragic poem of gypsy life ''La chavalilla'' and drawing on ideas from ''La chavala''. He wrote articles for '' La epoca'', '' La illustración'' and ''

El correo ''El Correo'' (; ) is a leading daily newspaper in Bilbao and the Basque Country of northern Spain. It is among best-selling general interest newspapers in Spain. History and profile The brothers Ybarra y de la Revilla – Fernando, Gabriel and ...

''.*Andrew Lamb. "Fernández Shaw, Carlos", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed October 15, 2015)
(subscription access)
He was also among the contributors of the Madrid-based avant-garde magazine '' Prometeo''. Fernández Shaw was born in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

, the son of a Spanish father and an English mother. He was the father of the equally successful playwright and librettist Guillermo Fernández Shaw; while his grandson (also named Carlos Fernández Shaw) was a Spanish Consul General to the United States in the late 20th century, where he co-authored the book ''The Hispanic Presence in North America''. He died in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, aged 45.

References

External links

Fernández Shaw,Carlos. Madrid: Fundación Juan March, 2011
1865 births 1911 deaths Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Spanish poets Spanish male poets Spanish people of English descent Librettists 20th-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish male writers 19th-century Spanish male writers {{Spain-poet-stub