The work of Tomás Bretón and Ricardo de la Vega, premiered in 1894, remains a symbol of the August 15 festivities. Its popular verses and its portrayal of La Latina and Lavapiés endure in the Madrid imagination.
The Verbena de la Paloma, the festival that fills the streets of Madrid with chotis and Manila shawls every August 15, has an unmistakable artistic reflection: the eponymous zarzuela premiered at the Teatro de Apolo on February 17, 1894. With music by Tomás Bretón and a libretto by Ricardo de la Vega, the work now celebrates its 132nd anniversary and remains one of the most performed pieces in the Spanish lyrical repertoire.
The full title, The Apothecary and the Chulapas and Jealousy Poorly Repressed, hints at the customary plot: a young typesetter causes a scandal upon discovering that his girlfriend is dancing with another during the festival. The action takes place in the traditional Madrid of the late 19th century, between the squares of La Latina and Lavapiés, capturing the festive atmosphere that is still felt in those streets every August.
The zarzuela owes much of its fame to musical numbers that have entered the collective imagination. Songs like Where are you going with that Manila shawl? or A brunette and a blonde are recognised even among those who have never set foot in a theatre. The Manila shawl, an elegant embroidered silk garment worn by women in the late 19th century, remains the visual symbol of these festivities.
The genre of zarzuela, which alternates between spoken and sung scenes, experienced its heyday between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Works like Luisa Fernanda, The Saffron Rose, or Water, Sugar and Spirits share the bill with La verbena de la Paloma, considered one of the most influential for its faithful portrayal of the characters and the atmosphere of the celebration.
For Madrileños who stay in the city in August, the Verbena de la Paloma is the last great event of summer. The zarzuela by Bretón and de la Vega helped to cement that festive image in the collective memory, and every August 15 the squares are once again filled with chotis, joy, and traditional pride.
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