Luis de Olona facts for kids
Luis de Olona y Gaeta was a Spanish writer who lived from 1823 to 1863. He was born in Málaga and passed away in Barcelona. He was known for writing plays, managing theaters, and creating the words (called librettos) for many Spanish zarzuelas in the mid-1800s.
Olona was a very busy writer. He wrote many different kinds of plays, including comedies (funny plays), farces (plays that are very silly), and operettas (short, light operas). Famous composers of zarzuela music often set his words to music. Some people thought his plays were not very well put together and had too many unbelievable parts. Because of this, writers like Narciso Díaz de Escovar and Francisco Javier Lasso de la Vega criticized his work.
Life and Career
Luis de Olona was the brother of José de Olona. Luis lived a free-spirited life in his hometown of Málaga for a while. Later, he moved to Madrid. In Madrid, he worked as a director for smaller theaters. He also wrote for newspapers and magazines.
He often worked with other talented artists. These included Mariano Pina y Bohigas, Valladares Garriga, and Antonio García Gutiérrez.
Famous Works
Luis de Olona wrote many plays and zarzuelas. Here are some of his notable works:
- El primo y el relicario (1843): This was a comedy.
- El caudillo de Zamora (1847): This was a drama.
- Las dos carteras (1851): This was a comic-drama, meaning it had both funny and serious parts.
He also wrote the words for several popular zarzuelas:
- Galanteos en Venecia (1853)
- El sargento Federico (1855)
- El postillón de La Rioja (1856): This zarzuela was set to music by Cristóbal Oudrid. Olona worked with Oudrid from 1851 to 1856.
- Casado y soltero (1858)
- Los circasianos (1860)
- El juramento (1858): The music for this famous zarzuela was composed by Joaquín Gaztambide.
