El género chico

Overview

At the end of the 19th century, a musical theater industry emerged in Spain that brought illiterate people into theaters, becoming their preferred form of entertainment: the Género Chico. The success of works like "La verbena de la paloma", "La Gran Vía", "Chateau Margaux", and "Dúo de la Africana", among hundreds of others, made their songs echo in homes, cafés, and streets, first in Madrid and later in all Spanish-speaking cities. Chueca, Chapí, Giménez, Vives, and Caballero were creators of the pop hits of the moment, which crossed the Atlantic and the Pyrenees to be heard all over the world.