Panorama de la música en el entremés representado del primer Barroco. El caso de Jerónimo de Cáncer

Abstract: This article examines an almost completely unexplored element in Jerónimo de Cáncer’s comic interludes (entremeses)—the music. Through analysis of his own works as well as comparative examinations of Cáncer’s theatrical practice with those of other dramaturgs who cultivated the entremés genre, including Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Luis Quiñones de Benavente, we find Cáncer at the forefront of artistic developments in the thriving genre of short-form theater. This panoramic examination of music in the entremeses reveals how Cáncer structured some of his most recognizable works to incorporate musical features in which a burlesque dimension adapted literary set pieces, folklore, proverbs, and witty double entendres to the dictates of rhythm. The resulting festive atmosphere, we find, left key textual signs of the protagonism of musicians and other theatrical professionals.