Farce
Sainete is a humorous dramatic piece in one act, of a traditional and popular nature, performed in Spain during the intermission or at the end of a performance. It replaced the hors d'oeuvre in the 18th, xix and xx.
History and evolution
Among the main cultivators of this comic subgenre in the 18th century are Luis Moncín and Juan Ignacio González from Cádiz Castillo, and Ramón de la Cruz and Sebastián Vázquez from Madrid; Other lesser known authors were, among many others, Antonio Pablo Fernández, Antonio Furmento Bazo, Diego Ventura Rejón de Silva y Lucas, Antonio Vidaurre, José López de Sedano, Antonio Valladares de Sotomayor and Gaspar Zavala y Zamora. At the end of the xix century, it was a frequent subject of the so-called small genre and theater by the hour, with specialized authors such as Tomás Luceño and Javier de Burgos, and revitalized the genre in the xx century Carlos Arniches with his collection of sainetes From Madrid castizo and the Álvarez Quintero brothers (Serafin and Joaquín). Later in the Río de la Plata, Armando Discépolo will introduce a dark and dramatic turn in this genre, transforming it into the "criollo grotesque".
In the history of the development of the sainete four stages can be observed:
1. Between 1603 and 1750 the transformation of the term sainete from the culinary field to the artistic field took place. Some characteristics were already prescribed, such as the short length of the pieces and the mixture of humor and morality, of speech, song and dance.
2. Between 1760 and 1868 the sainete became a literary genre thanks to the creations of Ramón de la Cruz, while its theme was also modified in front of the hors d'oeuvre.
3. In 1868-1894 he recovered rigor at the hands of Tomás Luceño. With a longer length (up to 45 minutes), it no longer takes place in the breaks between acts.
4. The period from 1894-1915 can be described as the period of decadence. The farce is oriented more and more towards other genres, especially the zarzuela and melodrama, which influenced its further development, until finally the farce was absorbed by the "comedy asainetada".
Modalities
Valencian farce
The Valencian farce was intended to be a reflection of the social life of the Valencian Community (Spain) of these centuries. One of its recurring characteristics is that the characters from the lower classes spoke Valencian, while outsiders, members of the bourgeoisie or anyone who wanted not to be classified or to appear more wealthy and educated spoke a Castilian full of Valencianisms. and of errors. The criticism that is made of this presumption is moral and, evidently, sociolinguistic.
Among the most prominent Valencian sainetists we find Eduardo Escalante, Josep Bernat i Baldoví and Francisco Palanca Roca.
Creole farce
In Argentina and Uruguay, the sainete, combined with the Creole circus houses, gave rise to an original modality known as the Creole sainete. It was characterized by reflecting the customs of life in the tenements and added to the humorous elements a sentimental conflict and a tragic action. This theatrical form became established during the 1920s. At this time, in addition to Carlos M. Pacheco and Alberto Vacarezza, authors such as the Uruguayan Florencio Sánchez, Gregorio de Laferrère and Roberto Payró stood out.