The Spanish composer and musicologist Francisco Barbieri turned his early attention from Italian opera to the Spanish zarzuela, a form of musical theatre to which he made a significant contribution. As a scholar he was responsible for the transcription of a number of manuscripts from the Spanish royal collection and for other contributions to musicology.
Stage Works
Barbieri was a co-founder of the Madrid Teatro de la Zarzuela and wrote more than 60 zarzuelas himself. Among these, El barberillo de Lavapiés has enjoyed particular popularity.