Title   El Barberillo de Lavapiés Composer   Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (1823 - 1894) Librettist   Luis Mariano de Larra (1830 - 1901) Genre   Zarzuela, Spanish operetta in three acts. First performance   December 19, 1874, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid. Time of action   Mid-eighteenth century. Place of action   Near Madrid A square in a quarter of Madrid: Lavapiés The house of Paloma, a poor seamstress, Calle de Toledo, Madrid. Main parts   Paloma, seamstress mezzo-soprano Marquise Estrella soprano Lamparilla, barber comic tenor (or high baritone) Don Luis, Estrella's fiancé tenor Don Juan bass-baritone Don Pedro bass-baritone Prominence of chorus   Considerable; no women's chorus in act II, but large choral scene for women in act III. Orchestra   2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns,            2 trumpets, 3 trombones, kettle-drums, percussion, strings.. Special demands   Small band of plucked instruments (guitars, mandolins etc.) Full score and orchestral parts   Available. Level   Not at all difficult. Length   About 2 hours. Music   Lively; full of sentiment and spirited by turns. Charming medley of Spanish folklore (chorus and comic couple) and Italianate opera (serious couple). Story   Paloma, a seamstress, and her beloved Lamparilla, get involved in the political intrigues of the marquise Estrella. The latter's fiancé, Don Luis, is extravagantly jealous; his unjustified suspicions are the cause of near disaster. A specially comic rôle is played by the police, (basses and baritones) who are invariably too late when action is required. Costumes   One costume for the women; one, or two, for the men.