Género chico

Género chico is the Spanish system of short lyric theatre that flourished in Madrid from the 1860s to the 1920s: one-act zarzuelas and sainetes of roughly an hour, mixing spoken dialogue with songs, dances and choruses drawn from Madrid street life. Composers such as *Federico Chueca*, *Tomás Bretón* and *Ruperto Chapí* set the speech, trades and festivals of the popular classes to music in the teatro por horas, where audiences paid by the hour for brief, topical and affordable entertainment.