Music and Text in Spanish Baroque Theatre: La entrada de Baco en Tebas (Valencia, 1705)

Resumo

On 6 February 1705, the public theatre of the city of Valencia (Spain) performed the “comedia en música” La entrada de Baco en Tebas, with text — and most probably also music — by Jaime Valenciano de Mendiolaza. Some months later, after the outbreak of the War of Succession and the establishment of a new order, its libretto was probably printed for political purposes. The text, which is mythological in content, is a clear allegorical allusion to the historical events that Spain was experiencing at the beginning of the century. Although there are no sources that preserve the music of the comedy, the structural and metrical study of the libretto reveals an important musical presence in the work, which motivates reflection on the vocal and instrumental participation in Spanish Baroque theatre.