New Preludes for Old Plays: Tadeo Moreno's Metatheatrical Manuscript, Loas o introducciones (Biblioteca Nacional de España, MSS/17445).

This article examines Loas o introducciones , a manuscript of theatrical preludes conserved in the Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid (Mss/17445). The verse preludes were penned by the dramatist Tadeo Moreno between 1773 and 1802, a period marked by attempts to reform Madrid's public theaters in a neoclassical spirit. Most of Moreno's work remains in manuscript, unpublished, because he wrote for private performances in the homes of the nobility. But Moreno's collection of preludes provides important data points for a more nuanced understanding of the theatrical ecosystem of the last three decades of the eighteenth century. Firstly, Moreno takes advantage of the metatheatrical nature of the loa genre, allowing us to glimpse behind the scenes of any given "función casera" and witness the inner workings of an amateur company. Secondly, the choice of plays that Moreno's company decided to perform for their wealthy patrons provides valuable information about the tastes of the lettered elite. The majority of the comedias mentioned in the manuscript were "famosas" (i.e. baroque) as opposed to "nuevas," which challenges the traditional notion that the enlightened nobility of that day rejected the Golden Age repertoire in favor of translations and neoclassical tragedy. And finally, the plays mentioned in the manuscript provide clues about the market for booksellers and printers of theatrical chapbooks (sueltas). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]