Title   Pan y toros Composer   Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (1823 - 1894) Librettist   José Picón Garcia (1829 - 1873) Genre   Zarzuela (Spanish operetta) in three acts. First performance   December 22, 1864, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid. Time of action   Spring of 1794. Place of action   Madrid: A river-bank A street A palace-room Main parts   Princess of Luzán (mezzo)soprano Doña Pepita soprano La Tirana, an actress contralto or mezzo Captain Peñeranda baritone Goya, the painter bass/baritone Abbot Ciruela tenor Corregidor baritone Pepe-Hillo, bull-fighter tenor Prominence of chorus   Considerable. Orchestra   2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns,            2 trumpets, 3 trombones, kettle-drums, percussion, harp, strings. Special demands   Small band of plucked instruments (guitars, mandolins etc.) in act I; also in act I a bassoon-player on stage; a boy-soprano, children's choir (if not available to be replaced by women's voices) Full score and orchestral parts   Available. Level   Taxing for some soloists. Choral share not very difficult. Length   About 2½ hours, interval included. Music   Musically the work is Spanish operetta at its best. Brilliant use of authentic folklore (rondalla, bolero, seguidilla etc.). Wonderful combination of Spanish music and Italianate opera. Story   The libretto is highly characteristic of nineteenth-century opera, but fortunately there is a prominent comic note too: the wordly abbot Ciruela, his actress-friend La Tirana and the three bullfighters contribute many amusing scenes. Moreover, there are some delightful scoundrels, such as the sanctimonious monk parading a "footprint of Our Lord", the blind beggar with perfect eyesight, the fraudulent district-governer, the incompetent general, and above all the intriguer doña Pepita, the prime-minister's mistress, a truly magnificent vixen.  Costumes   Town's people, soldiers, policemen, ladies, gentlemen. Note   A rich and rewarding work. Also eminently suitable for amateurs.