“Como si Los Amantes y Garín fueran rusos”: los motivos del fracaso de la ópera nacional en España

Recent research on Spanish 19th-century opera scores that have been hitherto ignored has recognised the value of some of the works written by the most notable Spanish composers. This fact has surprised the musicological community that does not fully understand why these works have never been included in the regular national repertory of opera. In this paper, we will start with some recent opera analysis, and then, the contemporary written sources will enable us to assess public and critic opinion about these works. A reception study of these works will lead to the main causes that prevented Spanish composers from developing a national opera.