Spain has until recently been almost absent from traditional operatic histories and guidebooks, yet its lyric theatre boasts a rich heritage dating back to the early 1620s, which still flourishes four centuries later. The History offers a comprehensive survey from the Baroque to the modern musical, taking in such important theatrical patterns as the romantic zarzuela (1850s-1950s), which remains hugely popular throughout the Hispanic world. The volume is organised chronologically, providing readers with a panoramic overview, while in-depth Interchapters and case studies focus on topics of special interest, including individual composers, works and performers, using a 'transatlantic lens' to examine Spanish-language lyric theatre in the Americas and beyond. It offers a fresh summation of the best modern scholarship from academics, writers and performers, encouraging readers to think in terms of changing musico-dramatic patterns -'living theatre' rather than fixed 'genres' - while pointing forward to the global dissemination of these remarkable Spanish repertoires.

Spain has until recently been almost absent from traditional operatic histories and guidebooks, yet its lyric theatre boasts a rich heritage dating back to the early 1620s, which still flourishes four centuries later. The History offers a comprehensive survey from the Baroque to the modern musical, taking in such important theatrical patterns as the romantic zarzuela (1850s-1950s), which remains hugely popular throughout the Hispanic world. The volume is organised chronologically, providing readers with a panoramic overview, while in-depth Interchapters and case studies focus on topics of special interest, including individual composers, works and performers, using a 'transatlantic lens' to examine Spanish-language lyric theatre in the Americas and beyond. It offers a fresh summation of the best modern scholarship from academics, writers and performers, encouraging readers to think in terms of changing musico-dramatic patterns -'living theatre' rather than fixed 'genres' - while pointing forward to the global dissemination of these remarkable Spanish repertoires.