To browse Academia. This thesis documents and examines Spanish-themed popular spectacle and chanson performed in Paris from to It identifies some of the markers of Spanishness in these spectacles and chansons, observing trends and situating these within prevailing artistic and cultural contexts. Critical press and other contemporary records were used to gauge reception and prevailing attitudes to Spanish entertainment. With both the chansons and spectacles there is investigation of textual, visual and performance devices to ascertain how Spain was projected.
Examination of a sample of Spanish-themed Parisian chansons produced between and includes discussion of musical as well as other representations of Spanishness. Themes encountered in spectacles and chansons are identified, as are parallels or divergences between the Spains portrayed in them. While the thesis focuses on the popular stage, high-art developments are kept within its purview as the two domains functioned within the same environment and shared comparable constraints and influences.
Some comparisons are drawn between the Spains depicted on the popular and high-art stages. Discussion in Chapter 2 considers Spanish-themed spectacles presented at the Paris Universal Exhibition and a number of later productions staged up to Chapter 3 is devoted to popular song in Paris to It incorporates an introduction to popular song in Spain and its incursion into Paris and a study of the Parisian chanson largely based on works reproduced in Paris qui Chante.
Before resuming this exploration of the chanson sample, Chapter 4 examines several stage works. In , a troupe of flamenco artists was invited to participate in the spectacles presented by the Spanish Pavilion in celebration of the World Exhibition, held in Paris. As far as it is known, this is the first filmed document of a cuadro flamenco in performance. This article aims to explain the context of production of the films and to identify, as far as it has been possible, the artists who appear.
This article proves that lesser known artists, settled in Paris in the s, made important contributions to the dissemination of Spanish dance on the international stage. His oft-stylized efforts contrast with his subsequent quest for style-maturity, betraying instead, a penchant for couleur locale and autochthonous subject matter literary and historical.
