Songs of Mortals, Dialogues of the Gods: Music and Theatre in Seventeenth-Century Spain

This is the first comprehensive survey of 17th-century Spanish theatrical music to be written in any language. It explains the development of the various musical-theatrical genres of the period from a close analysis of the primary sources, and further examines the nature of the Spanish musical baroque and its relationship to European musical and theatrical developments.
This survey of 17th-century Spanish theatrical music explains the development of the various musical-theatrical genres of the period (such as the semi-opera, opera, court plays), details the origins of the zarzuela, and looks at the anomalous production of three operas during the 17th century. The book is based on a thorough study of the primary sources (musical sources, text of plays, archival documents), and Stein combines history of music, history of theatre, politics and literary and musical analysis to build a complete picture. In addition, the book answers questions concerning the nature of the Spanish musical baroque and its relationship to European musical and theatrical developments.